Hot Tickets: Essence Music Festival, Merle Haggard, Steve Martin

The summer months are a little slow for events, with so many folks headed out of town for vacations, but there’s still plenty going on to plan for. Tickets are still available for the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans from July 1-3. This star-studded event showcases the best of African-American musical talent, including headliners like Kanye West, Usher, Jennifer Hudson and Mary J. Blige. Some seats are a steal at as low as $50 per night. Check out essencemusicfestival.com for more information. Meanwhile on August 9, country music legend Merle Haggard—he of the rough-hewn voice and hard-edged guitar—visits the River Center on a rare pass through the Capital City. Tickets are $55-$35 at brrivercenter.com. Also in August, Steve Martin, the multi-talented Grammy and Emmy award winning actor/comedian/musician and bestselling author will stop by Manship for a performance with bluegrass musicians Steep Canyon Rangers. Tickets are $175 at manshiptheatre.org.