There are many indicators revealing how and why Georgia-based rock icon WIDESPREAD PANIC loves New Orleans. This ephemeral connection reveals itself through paeans to the city such as the swampy, funky favorite "Fishwater," inspired covers of classics by local legends such as Professor Longhair, the Meters and Dr. John, and regular multi-show runs in town -- including stints every October and biannual turns at Jazz Fest. "I always look forward to coming down to New Orleans," frontman John Bell said by phone last week from a tour stop in Eugene, Ore. "The color of the town, the food ... I love it there." But this year's annual October stop for Bell and the boys comes under different circumstances. For five of the last six Halloweens, the band has played here, mixing, as is their tradition, sets of classics with surprise covers, such as last year's rendition of rapper Nelly's "Hot in Herre." Also, the band is making its third run locally with guitarist George McConnell, who replaced Michael Houser after Houser died from pancreatic cancer in August 2002. In another break from the past, Panic this spring released Ball, a solid album that is alternately hard driving and sweetly melodic. It's filled with songs new to fans' ears, unlike previous studio releases made up of songs road tested over multiple tours. Bell hopes the move serves as "a gift to the fans, giving them something they've never heard before." "We never stopped being a band," Bell says of the transition. "We, as a group, all have different philosophies. We told George, 'Feel free to be yourself; have your own opinions and way of playing these songs.'" Bell feels fortunate in the way McConnell acclimated to the band, describing the transition as "pretty relaxed overall, considering the situation." "George's personality is the main ingredient (in the smooth switch)," Bell says. "He's laid back, got a great attitude and is the type of guy to laugh at even your bad jokes. And he's done a lot of homework." That homework included mastering a playlist of more than 175 songs and contributing his own creativity to new material. Reports from the road indicate McConnell grows in leaps and bounds, seemingly on a show-by-show basis, in terms of both presence and performance. This run takes on extra meaning to area Spreadheads, as the band plans to take 2004 off in its first touring break in its 17-year existence. This year's stop for Bell also finds him singing the national anthem prior to the Saints-Bears game this Sunday, an honor Bell says he's "flattered" to have. The band's hard-partying fan base also inspires a slew of late-night club shows around town: Tipitina's welcomes Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons plus Particle, House of Blues offers the Wailers, and The Howlin' Wolf serves up the Kudzu Kings, Hobex and Railroad Earth. Panic kicks off at 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday at Kiefer UNO Lakefront Arena. Tickets are $32.50 and available by calling UNO at 280-7222. -- Frank Etheridge

Earl King Tribute 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9 Maple Leaf Bar, 8316 Oak St., 866-9359 When Earl King exited this planet last April, he left a void that will never be filled. His idiosyncratic music, hip lyrics, and varied subject matter captured a unique perspective on life and love. He is missed by everyone, especially Brint Anderson, who is leading this tribute to Earl at the Maple Leaf. The band features Anderson on guitar, Jeffrey "Jellybean" Alexander on drums, Joe Krown on keyboards, Tracy Griffin on trumpet, Jeff Albert on trombone, and Dennis Cedeno on bass. The band will play Earl's hits as well as some of the obscure favorites including odes to man's best friend, warnings to brides-to-be, and a tune about a mythological Pacific Northwest beast invading the Crescent City. Earl King's songs are a big part of the canon of New Orleans R&B, and this show will illustrate why. Tickets $8 -- David Kunian

Gumbo Festival Friday through Sunday, Oct. 10-12 Angel Square, 1701 Bridge City Ave., Bridge City, 436-4712 While it doesn't automatically command attention by virtue of its positioning in the shadows of the Huey P. Long Bridge, one facet of Bridge City makes you take notice: a 1972 governor's proclamation designating the town as "The Gumbo Capital of the World." Such tasty tradition is marked every year during the second weekend in October, when the Gumbo Festival is held, offering visitors live music (mostly local flavors of rock, Cajun, zydeco, blues and jazz) and food offerings that include everything from festival staples such as funnel cakes and hot dogs. Of course, there's gumbo, with more than 2,000 gallons of both the seafood and chicken-and-sausage varieties. The best gumbos will be honored in the hyper-competitive Gumbo Cooking Contest. Admission, parking and entertainment is all offered free to the public. Gumbo Festival opens 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday, with an 11 p.m. closing each night. Sunday also features a New Orleans Track Club-sponsored 5K race over the Huey P. -- Etheridge

Mountain Dew National Championship of Freestyle Motorcross 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Oct. 10-11 New Orleans Arena, 522-5555 With huge jumps, even bigger adrenaline rushes and high-wire action, freestyle motorcross is clearly a spectator-friendly sport, especially in the sight-line-centric New Orleans Arena. As an added treat to local fans, this stop on the Freestyle Motorcross (FMX) tour is one of three comprising the Triple Crown. The 2002 Vans Triple Crown Champion, Kenny "The Cowboy" Bartram will face top-flight competition from a field that includes tour favorites such as Drake McElroy (whom Bartram beat out for 2002 Triple Crown with a deft display of tricks such as the "side-winder-to-no-handed-lander"), Tommy Clowers, Dustin Miller, Ronnie Renner, Clifford Adoptante and Nate Adams. Tickets range from $10-$30, with kids' tickets $5. (Those who can't make the race in person can tune in to see it broadcast at 4 p.m. Nov. 13 on Fox Sports Net.) For more info or tickets, visit www.pacefmx.com. -- Etheridge

Louisiana Swamp Fest 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 11-12 Audubon Zoo, 6500 Magazine St., 581-4629 If you enjoyed the first weekend of the Louisiana Swamp Fest, which featured music from zydeco stalwarts Buckwheat Zydeco and Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas, get ready for the final weekend. The celebration of Louisiana culture has added a new wrinkle this year: a Louisiana Heritage Stage that this weekend features appearances by Los Islenos Society and the Houma Indian Tribe. And then there's the music, which ups the ante with appearances by local Cajun fave Bruce Daigrepont (11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Saturday, Performance Pavilion), Cajun-music legends BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet (4:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. Saturday, Performance Pavilion) and Rockin' Dopsie Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters (4:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. Sunday, Performance Pavilion). Cajun dance lessons will be provided throughout the day to get everyone into the waltzing and two-stepping groove. Admission to Swamp Fest is free with Zoo admission ($10 adults, $6 seniors, $5 kids ages 2-12, free for members). The McDonald's Swamp Fest 5K run kicks everything off Saturday; entry fee is $20 (includes admission to Swamp Fest), while registration is from 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m., and the race begins at 8:30 a.m. Post-race entertainment will be provided by the Le Bon Ton Cajun Band. -- David Lee Simmons

Idris Muhammad 1 p.m. and 10 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 11 Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-TIPS Before Stanton, before Russell, before Mean Willie, before Zigaboo, there was a New Orleans drummer named Leo Morris, who played with Art Neville's Hawkettes, among others. After moving to New York in the early 1960s, he played with everyone from Sam Cooke and Ahmad Jamal to Pharoah Sanders and the house band for the musical Hair. He changed his name to Idris Muhammad and became known as the funky drummer. His own recordings have been sampled in more than a million rap records, too. Recently he's been working with Donald Harrison's Congo Nation and sewing his own Indian suit. Saturday he makes a rare appearance at Tip's, first for a master class for the Tipitina's Internship program and later that night with Willie Tee and Harrison. Muhammad is a master of the groove and can teach all of us a thing or two. Tickets $5 (students free) for the afternoon, $10 at night -- Kunian

David Sedaris 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11 Orpheum Theatre, 129 University Place, 522-5555 Essayist/humorist David Sedaris brings his sardonic wit to the Orpheum on Saturday. Only David Sedaris can make something meaningful and funny out of seemingly benign interactions with a parrot. He is one of America's most brilliant humorists, even if he takes more than one trip to the wells of cynicism and sarcasm as he dwells on his nutty family and life as a surprisingly overachieving underachiever. Years removed from such outstanding works as the collections Barrel Fever, Naked and Me Talk Pretty One Day, Sedaris is finally prepared for his next work, Repeat After Me. Hopefully he'll preview much of this in his appearance at the Orpheum, just a year removed from his last well-received local appearance. As funny as he is on the page, Sedaris has all the talent of a deadpan stand-up comic when recorded, whether it's for National Public Radio's This American Life or his audio books. His most recent CD, Live at Carnegie Hall, comes out this month, where you can find his thoughts on the parrot and other animals. Caution: do not listen while driving in your car. You, and oncoming traffic, might regret it. Tickets $18-$28. -- Simmons

Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12 Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-8477 Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys celebrate the release of Bon Reve at Tipitina's fais do do Sunday afternoon. Early on during their 15 year-history, the Mamou Playboys proffered Balfa Brothers tunes with unparalleled talent and energy. Their neo-trad stripes well-earned, they went on to blend in zydeco and swamp pop on Bayou Ruler and veer into Moby territory with digital samples of old Alan Lomax field recordings on Happytown. Now, they're swinging the pendulum back to traditional on the breathtaking new CD, Bon Reve, which pays tribute to the Cajun masters in the only way the Playboys know how: by playing old and new songs with what folklorist Barry Ancelet calls "a seamless blend of preservation, discovery and invention." This week, the band takes over Tipitina's Sunday night fais do do; show up to celebrate both the new release and congratulate Riley on his recent induction into the world of fatherhood. -- Michael Tisserand

Keith Sonnier: The Wall Slant Series Through Oct. 26 Heriard-Cimino Gallery, 440 Julia St.,525-7300 Louisiana native Keith Sonnier is one of those epochal artists who makes a splash early on and not only remain in the history books and museum collections but quietly grows in stature as time goes by. An icon of the post-minimalist movement of the late 1960s and early '70s, Sonnier is a quintessential New York artist whose Louisiana Cajun roots continue to influence his work. His new Wall Slant series continues his exploration of found objects and light in the form of whimsical neon -- tubular flourishes that reflect the "post" in post-minimalism. He is also currently in the process of launching his Sac-O-Lait Foundation in his hometown of Grand Mamou for the benefit of artists with a primary interest in Francophile culture. It will also support animal sanctuaries as well as bamboo research and cultivation. -- D. Eric Bookhardt