According to the following link.. Prince is scheduled to open up the Essence Music Festival on July 2nd.

http://www.essence.com/es...05,00.html
http://www.essence.com/essence/emf

Prince To Open Music Festival On July 2
ESSENCE CELEBRATES TEN YEARS OF MUSIC AND MOTIVATION ON JULY 2-4

Music icon Prince will open this year�s Essence Music Festival on July 2. The legendary artist and his version of fused funk, rock, R&B and pop will electrify the audience with his many chart-busting hits, including �1999,� �Raspberry Beret,� �Pop Life,� �Purple Rain,� along with new material from his forthcoming album Musicology.

Prince joins a stellar lineup of artists: Recent Grammy winners Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, Gladys Knight, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, The O�Jays, Donnie McClurkin, Tyrese, Jagged Edge, Anthony Hamilton, Millie Jackson, Kem, The Ohio Players, Freddie Jackson, Kenny Lattimore, Chant� Moore, Sinbad, Ledisi, The Dazz Band as well as Solomon Burke and Little Milton

Additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks. The festival will take place over the 2004 Fourth of July weekend�July 2, 3, and 4 in New Orleans.

�The Essence family is ecstatic that Prince will join us to celebrate the tenth anniversary of our music festival,� said Ed Lewis, chairman of Essence Communications Partners. �His awe-inspiring performances, ability to fuse various music genres and bring together generations of music lovers is extraordinary.� �Mark your calendar for July 2, 2004! We will have a great evening of music, fun and love for one another,� said Prince.

�In this historic year honoring Prince, we are thrilled to add the Paisley Park experience to the wonderful Essence Music Festival by offering the performance of the greatest all-around musician, performer, singer, songwriter and producer of all time,� L. Londell McMillan, Esq., representative for Prince and president The NorthStar Group. Prince is also celebrating the 20th anniversary of Purple Rain. the groundbreaking album and movie.

More artists will be announced in the coming weeks. The festival will take place over the 2004 Fourth of July weekend, July 2, 3, and 4 in New Orleans.

The Essence Music Festival, known as �the party with a purpose,� is the nation�s largest annual African-American event and gathering of musical talent in the world. This multigenerational festival offers spiritual and financial Empowerment Seminars during the day, which are free, and 50 exciting performances at night where festivalgoers can dance and sing along with the biggest names in entertainment, rhythm and blues, classic soul, hip-hop, neo-soul and jazz, on five stages within the Louisiana Superdome.

The daily Empowerment Seminars feature renowned speakers, authors and national leaders and are held in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The Convention Center is also home to the Essence Marketplace. In the Essence Marketplace artists from throughout the country offer an array of quality arts and crafts reflective of the New Orleans tradition and the rich cultural heritage seen throughout the African Diaspora, as well as Louisiana cuisine, sponsor activities, festival souvenirs and a book fair with author book signings. The Essence Music Festival has become a destination of choice for families and friends as they schedule their reunions.

Festivalgoers can purchase tickets at ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 488-5252, (504) 522-5555 (New Orleans) or (225) 761-8400 (Baton Rouge). Tickets are $35, $45, $55, $75 and a very limited number in the Golden Circle section at $125. All tickets are subject to additional service charges.


Hotel accommodations, airfare and complete festival travel packages are available through Destination Management, Inc., the festival�s official tour operator, by calling (800) 762-9523 or visiting www.BIGEASY.com/emf. For more travel information, see the March 2004 issue of ESSENCE or log on to ESSENCE.com.

The 2004 Essence Music Festival is sponsored by Anheuser-Busch Companies, makers of Budweiser, Bank of America, Chevrolet, Kraft Foods, McDonald�s, Southwest Airlines, the official airline of The Essence Music Festival and The City of New Orleans.

The U.S. Army ROTC will provide scholarships and college information.

Essence Festivals, LLC, produces the Essence Music Festival, in association with Festival Productions of New Orleans. Essence Festivals, LLC, is a division of Essence Communications Partners (ECP). ECP is the publisher of ESSENCE magazine, which after 34 years continues to be the preeminent lifestyle magazine of African-American women.