The LOUISIANA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA (LPO) is hoping 13 proves a lucky number -- as the nation's only full-time, professional musician-owned orchestra prepares to kick off its 13th year. For the 2003-2004 season, LPO posts an ambitious calendar filled with three Pops concerts, performances in City Park, Audubon Park, and Bogue Falaya Park on the Northshore, exclusive engagements with top international stars of classical music, children's programs and much more. Starting the season off, LPO presents its opening night concert Thursday and Saturday. Part of the Classics series held at the Orpheum Theatre (129 University Place), the program features conducting by Klauspeter Seibel, who has served as the LPO's music director since the 1995-96 season. The German-born Seibel made his conducting debut at age 21 at Munich's Theater am Gärtnerplatz and has since earned a reputation for mastery of both traditional and contemporary works. Seibel is joined by guest pianist Philippe Bianconi (pictured), a Frenchman whose career took off when he won the silver medal at the Van Cliburn Piano Competition in 1985. The opening night program starts off with Richard Wagner's "Overture to Die Meistersinger," followed by Camille Saint-Saens' "Piano Concerto No. 2," and concludes with Sergei Prokofiev's "Suite from Romeo and Juliet." Wagner, considered by some to be the heir to Beethoven, composed his only comic work with "Overture to Die Meistersinger," and the piece is hailed as one that reveals his mature style: full of joyous affirmation and themes intricately woven before peaking in a climax. Pianist Saint-Saens' work is acclaimed as an ideal embodiment of all that was great with the Romantic period: long, haunting melodies meshed into innovative themes. Russian Prokofiev's "Suite from Romeo and Juliet," composed in 1935-36, is considered one of the great works of the 20th century and is often performed by orchestras around the world. Following the form of the Classics series, the Thursday night performance begins at 7:30 p.m., with Saturday beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $13 to $62. For more information, visit www.lpomusic.com. -- Frank Etheridge

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club 9 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14 House of Blues, 229 Decatur St., 529-BLUE Critics keep saying that Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (named after Brando's gang in The Wild One) is destined for rock superstardom, but it hasn't happened yet. The band emerged right in time for the Brit-rock revival, yet still missed the boat. It might be due to the group's apparent distaste for trendy pop rock and its lyrics of marginal political and personal thought. Reverb-laced indie rock might not be straightforward enough for the ears of the American masses, but European ears are more receptive to the band's Stone Roses-influenced sound. This tour comes on the heels of a jaunt through Europe, topped off with an appearance on UK television show Top of the Pops and the Reading and Leeds festivals (BRMC replaced the White Stripes, who cancelled because of injury). The band returned to the States last week to celebrate the release of its second album, Take Them On, On Your Own, a follow-up to the band's self-titled debut. The Warlocks open. Tickets $12-14. -- Diettinger

Inter-Fest 2003 & Expo 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 13-14 Armstrong Park, 581-2860 The International Music & Cultural Foundation -- the vision of Rudy Mills, local bandleader performing the soulful sounds of New Orleans and the islands with Rudy's Caribbean Funk Band -- annually presents Inter-Fest, self-dubbed "an exercise in multiculturalism." This year, the third installment features two stages with continuous entertainment both indigenous and imported, plus vendors preparing all manners of Island cuisine. Featured performers include Mills' seductive and incredibly talented daughter Josephine Mills, along with King Swallow of Antigua. In addition, this year marks the debut of Bayou Bacchanal on Saturday. Hailed as "New Orleans' first Caribbean Carnival," Bayou Bacchanal encompasses a parade, Caribbean food, steelpan and Carnival music, plus authentic costumes. A celebration of New Orleans' "old-school community" is also planned. For more info, visit www.inter-fest.org and www.bayoubachanal.com. -- Etheridge

Forever Plaid 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 12-14, through Oct. 5 Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carré, 616 St. Peter St., 522-2081 Le Petit kicks off its 87th anniversary season with the genre that dominated the 2002-03 season and holds several promising productions for 2003-04: the musical. Forever Plaid details the journey of four young men -- Sparky, Smudge, Jinx and Frankie -- in their quest for vocal stardom. Meeting in high school in the early 1960s and discovering a shared love of music, contrasting with the backdrop of rock 'n' roll's vapid rise in popularity, they set out inspired by their idols. Groups such as the Four Aces, the Four Lads, the Four Freshmen, the Hi-Lo's and the Crew Cuts were role models for the group, which endured menial day jobs post-high school before its career began to take off, starting with an inauspicious 1964 debut at an airport hotel cocktail lounge. Toe-tapping favorites from the score include "Three Coins in the Fountain" and "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing." Derek Franklin and Sonny Borey co-direct Patrick Mendelson, Mark Weinberg, Bryan Wagar and Brian Rosenberg. Tickets are $26. -- Etheridge

Bobby Previte 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14 Snug Harbor, 626 Frenchmen St., 949-0696 Drummer and percussionist Bobby Previte is one of the quintessential downtown New York jazz players. He came from upstate New York to Manhattan in 1979 and started playing with everyone from John Zorn to Tim Berne to Tom Waits. Like many artists in that scene, his muse knows no bounds; he composes operas, electronic music and Latin music. His long-running band, Bump, makes the most of what passes for jazz-funk these days sound like watered-down noodling. Previte's new record, Counterclockwise, features several tunes with titles like "877-Soul," "614-Soul," and "498-Soul" that explore the different funk area codes. With Previte's range, one never knows what he might do onstage. It could be in-the-pocket funk, free-flying jazz, electronic drums, or a blend that makes genre lines disappear. Tickets $15. -- Kunian

The Haunted Host 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday; through Sept. 28 Cowpokes Theatre Space, 1030 Marigny St., 948-9924 Richard Alexander Pomes and Blake Balu co-star in DRAMA!'s presentation of The Haunted Host beginning this weekend at Cowpokes. Beloved underground playwright Robert Patrick's debut work, The Haunted Host was first performed in 1964 in Greenwich Village, with the author and a non-thespian friend forced to perform the lead roles because, at the time, it was difficult to find actors to play gay parts. Times have obviously changed for the better, but the history behind The Haunted Host serves local theater company DRAMA! well, as the group kicks off its 2003-04 season with the work, looking to build on its early success in bringing gay- and underground-themed theater works to the community. The tragi-comedy centers around the chance meeting between a flamboyant, eccentric Greenwich Village writer and a straight college student (who at least thinks he's straight), out for his first night in the Big Apple. Daniel LaForce directs Blake Balu and Richard Alexander Pomes. Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of show. -- Etheridge

Dennis Johnson: Recent paintings Through Oct. 4 Brunner Gallery, 215 N. Columbia, Covington, 985-893-0444 "What is the energy I strive to paint?" asks Dennis Johnson. "Is it physics, technology, language or numbers -- or is it everything that makes up everything else?" Johnson's canvases do indeed seem to be about energy, especially the energy of color harnessed to the structure of form. An abstract illusionist whose canvases contain vibrant swatches of pigment that seem to float over ambiguous earth-toned backgrounds, Johnson revels in novelty. "My whole concept in working with this style is that I'm painting a visual structure that has never been seen before, inventing an image that has never existed. I want the viewers to decide for themselves what they see -- I want them to use their imaginations. My challenge and my joy is my art. All I work for is to be able to press the envelope of what a controlled, sophisticated abstraction can be." -- D. Eric Bookhardt

The Kills 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9 El Matador, 504 Esplanade Ave., 569-8361 The vast ocean separating America and Britain wasn't going to keep Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince from writing some of the rawest rock 'n' roll in recent years. So Mosshart relocated from sunny Florida to bloody England in 2000, and the Kills were born. The duo's stripped-down garage punk takes the cake for visceral urgency. In grand punk rock fashion, they throw anger management to the wind, spitting out scorchers with chain-smoked voices. Their full-length debut, released earlier this year, wears the didactic title Keep On Your Mean Side. With song titles like "Cat Claw" and "F--k the People," they might be for real. Grand Rapids, Mich., trio Whirlwind Heat opens. The rollicking band's first album Do Rabbits Wonder, released on Jack White's Third Man imprint, features a set of ripping songs with one-word color titles. Admission TBA. -- Cristina Diettinger

A Confederacy of Dunces staged reading 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14 and 21 Southern Repertory Theatre, The Shops at Canal Place, third floor, 522-6545 In this swirl of local icons, John McConnell is as tied to John Kennedy Toole's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, as he is to Long politicians, Huey P. and Earl. (Just as Dunces is tied to New Orleans literature, and the Longs are tied to Louisiana politics.) McConnell has made the Longs and Ignatius J. Reilly his own, and will take time out from his Long-running portrayal of Earl (in the award-winning Earl Long in Purgatory) to reprise his role as Ignatius in this Southern Rep City Series costumed and staged reading. It's a wonderful treat for newbie New Orleanians who missed McConnell the first time around and features an amazing local supporting cast that includes Becky Allen, Shirl Cieutat and Bob Edes. The staging is a co-presentation of the Evangeline Theatre Company and the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival, directed once again by Evangeline's Perry Martin. Tickets $15. -- Simmons

MVVP 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12 Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-TIPS This is a great combination of musicians with a lot of big bottom end to move your bottom end. Galactic's Stanton Moore (drums) and Rich Vogel (keyboards) are coming off a long summer tour supporting B.B. King and Jeff Beck. Bassist George Porter Jr.'s been on the road with Gov't Mule, and when he's in town he's been holding down Wednesday nights at the Maple Leaf with drummer Johnny Vidacovich. Together, the serious heavy rhythms these four players lay down can take you to faraway places, but it never gets too esoteric. All these musicians being onstage together is a sure sign that the dog days of summer are almost over and the fall live-music scene is staring to heat up. Funkin' Horns opens. Admission $12. -- David Kunian

Topdog/Underdog 8 p.m. Thursday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday; through Sept. 27 Contemporary Arts Center, 900 Camp St., 528-3800 As the resident troupe at the Contemporary Arts Center, Dog & Pony Theatre Company has the honor of bringing to the space provocative and powerful playwright Susan Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog. Known for her strong voice conveying themes of African-American culture and history, with well-crafted abstractions to boot, Lori Parks earned a Pulitzer Prize for Topdog/Underdog in 2002, further cementing her reputation as one of America's top new playwrights. The work centers around Lincoln and Booth, two brothers -- both seasoned hustlers -- playing a deadly game of Three Card Monty, the scam game providing a framework for exploring deeper issues within the African-American community. This staging marks the Southern premiere of the 2003 off-Broadway play that earned both popular and critical success. John Grimsley directs stars Lance Nichols and Don Guillory. Tickets $10 in advance, $12 at the door; $2 discount for CAC members and students. -- Etheridge