The 2017 edition of the Ottawa Bluesfest music festival is bringing some big names to the capital who have been away for a long time or will be playing for the first time ever.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are coming to LeBreton Flats July 16, a show organizers are billing as their first Ottawa appearance since 1981.

"He's toured regularly, but just didn't have an opportunity to come to the capital. I don't know why, but it's lucky for Bluesfest, I guess, that he hasn't been here in such a long time," the festival's executive director, Mark Monahan, told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning on Tuesday.

Country singer Toby Keith is another performer who hasn't come to Ottawa in a long time.

The star has faced criticism for performing at U.S. President Donald Trump's inauguration, and some people are voicing concern that Keith was invited to Bluesfest.

<a href="https://twitter.com/OttawaMorning">@OttawaMorning</a> here I was hoping racist Toby Keith would never work again. Tone deaf <a href="https://twitter.com/ottawabluesfest">@ottawabluesfest</a> to the rescue! Bad form in these times —@MaebeFunkeY

Monahan said sometimes it's hard to determine what exactly an artist stands for.

"He was someone that we booked earlier on, again an artist that hasn't played Ottawa in many, many years. We always try to build a strong country contingent, so Toby Keith was one of those sort of classic country guys that hadn't played," he said.

"I think that it's really hard to kind of separate some people's view of these things, and then others who would cry, 'OK, musical freedom.' With some of the acts we bring in, it's really hard to make a judgment call on what they might be standing for... It's really hard to peg these people down."

Making their Ottawa debuts will be pop star Pink on July 9, reunited indie rock-disco darlings LCD Soundsystem on July 12 and new Best Dance/Electronica Album Grammy winner Flume on July 13.

Listen to the full interview with Monahan here.

Other major acts coming to this year's festival include:

Justin Moore on July 7.

50 Cent on July 8.

Jake Owen on July 11.

Fetty Wap on July 11.

​Gary Clark Jr. on July 12.

The Shins on July 12.

Migos on July 13.

Muse on July 15.

Toby Keith performs at a pre-Inaugural 'Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration' at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017. (The Associated Press)

The long list of performers also includes: Melissa Etheridge, Lil Yachty, Tegan and Sara, Brandi Carlile, Sam Roberts Band, Phantogram, Death From Above 1979, July Talk, RL Grime, Matt Andersen, Daniel Caesar, Xavier Rudd, Peter Wolf, High Valley, Slam Allen, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Anderson East, DJ Mustard, Eric Lindell, Night Lovell, Gord Bamford, Anna Lunoe, Bob Moses, Foy Vance, Dead Obies, Wide Mouth Mason, Molly Hatchet, A Tribe Called Red, Thornetta Davis, Pokey LaFarge, Begonia, Too Slim & The Taildraggers, Mydy Rabycad, The Campbell Brothers and Boogie.

There will be a minimum of 50 Ottawa-area bands playing, Monahan said.

U.S. performer Curtis James Jackson III, alias 50 Cent, on stage during the Openair Frauenfeld music festival, Friday, July 8, 2016, in Frauenfeld, Switzerland. (The Associated Press)

The first batch of tickets go on sale this Thursday, Feb. 23, when youth, adult and VIP festival passes will become available. The next day all tickets will be for sale, including two new weekend passes for July 6-9 and July 13-16.

Most festivals in North America take place over a single weekend, and Monahan said Bluesfest's research shows tourists are especially interested in weekend passes because they generally can't come to all 10 days of the festival.