SOUTHERN DECADENCE is strong and long enough to rise above its surrounding drama. Concerns over protesting moralists, videotapes and police prosecution (or lack thereof) bring a few dark clouds, but the silver lining is a Labor Day Weekend that for the past 32 years has celebrated gay culture, bringing to the French Quarter a party like no other on earth. Donnie Jay was coronated as Grand Marshall XXXII in July. Per tradition, Jay sets the theme for the annual parade that rolls starting at 2 p.m. Sunday. Though there's no official route for this yearly highlight, the starting point is, as custom, the Golden Lantern (1239 Royal St.), and the procession continues basically through detours demanded on the Grand Marshal's whim. Most paraders eventually stumble their way to The Bourbon Pub (801 Bourbon St.). Jay's theme for this year is "Daydreams and Fantasies Š Welcome to My Harem." Besides the big parade, Jay's royal presence will grace many events, beginning with the Current & Former Grand Marshals' Show at 9 p.m. Wednesday at Bourbon Pub; and Pride Fest 25 toasts Jay at 8 p.m. Thursday at Cowpokes (2240 St. Claude Ave.). The Southern Decadence Drag Show graces the Golden Lantern at 10 p.m. Friday, and later Oz (800 Bourbon St.) hosts the "Official Southern Decadence Kickoff." MRB (515 St. Philip St.) hosts a barbecue at 6 p.m. Saturday. Later at 8 p.m., Body & Soul (2300 Chartres St.) holds a second annual event to benefit Buzzy's Boys & Girls. This all-volunteer, donations-driven effort continues the legacy of the late New Orleanian William J. Fanning, who worked to combat AIDS and comfort those suffering from the disease. The 735 Club (735 Bourbon St.) parties with D-Dance at 10 p.m. Saturday. On Sunday, the Friendly Bar (2301 Chartres St.) holds a noon brunch and makeover. Following the parade Sunday night, Jay hosts the official costume contest at the Bourbon Orleans (717 Orleans Ave.). For the truly strong, the Corner Pocket (940 St. Louis St.) holds the Survivors Bar Run at 1 p.m. Monday. Myriad events, parades and parties are scattered over several days and venues, so keeping track of all the action is a bit difficult. Check www.southerndecadence.net for the official schedule, or just follow the fun -- it won't be hard to find. -- Frank Etheridge

Galatoire's: Biography of a Bistro reading and signing 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2 Beaucoup Books, 5414 Magazine St., 895-2663 A straightforward restaurant review is not an accurate way to capture Galatoire's in print. A restaurant so entrenched and beloved in local culture and lore, Galatoire's is iconic to the point where the firing of a long-serving waiter over sexual harassment charges was enough to ignite public outcry. So, while Galatoire's: Biography of a Bistro (Hill Street Press) includes signature recipes such as those for oysters Rockefeller and shrimp Clemenceau, writers Marda Burton and Kenneth Holditch aim higher, seeking to convey its historic appeal. Burton -- a Quarter resident and nationally published travel writer and editor -- and Holditch, professor emeritus at UNO, Tennessee Williams expert and Faubourg Marigny resident, explore Galatoire's celebrity and Old World appeals. The book, published in the spring, also works from unique fodder such as 'the line' (the main dining room doesn't accept reservations), and the marathon, boozy Friday lunches. Thursday night, Burton and Holditch will read from and sign the book. -- Etheridge

Johnny Vidacovich Trio with James Singleton and Robert Walters 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2 Maple Leaf Bar, 8316 Oak St., 866-9359 San Diego organist Robert Walters (Greyboy All-Stars, 20th Congress) moved to New Orleans three weeks ago, and before he arrived, he already had a gig scheduled at the Maple Leaf with the Johnny Vidacovich Trio. Vidacovich's wife, Deborah, petitioned Eric Gerber, Walter's manager, while at last July's High Sierra Festival in northern California. Gerber responded enthusiastically, saying Walters has been a fan of Vidacovich's since he first heard him play drums on James Booker's and Professor Longhair's albums. This is the Johnny Vidacovich Trio's first time back at the Maple Leaf for its Thursday night routine in a year. James Singleton from Astral Project substitutes for Meters' bassist George Porter Jr. Walters will substitute for Porter at a future gig by giving up the Hammond B-3 to play a left-handed bass. Walters will play with the trio at the end of the month as well. Tickets $8. -- Reuben Brodyf

Rev. Horton Heat and Supagroup 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE The most relentlessly touring band in neo-rockabilly is, after 15 years in cowboy shirts and Royal Crown pomade, still going strong with its eighth full-length release, the slightly more subdued and rootsy Revival (YepRoc). The sound may have calmed down from initial spurts of blistering cowpunk and electrified lounge, but it's the Rev's trademark deadpan, nasal delivery in the midst of a live show that has, to all accounts, maintained the expected level of psycho-tent-meeting urgency that keeps the Sailor Jerry-tattooed, obnoxious belt-buckled faithful happy. Upright bass monster Jimbo Wallace still frightens, after all these years. A fresher dish is local opener Supagroup, whose unironic, hard-driving '70s-style hard rock could power a fleet of Camaros. Tickets $5-$15. -- Alison Fensterstock

Original Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Festival 9 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, Sept. 4 Festival fairgrounds, 457 Zydeco Road, off Hwy. 167, Plaisance, (337) 942-2392 While local venues regularly offer performances by the biggest and brightest in zydeco, the purity of the intrinsically joyful and danceable style is compromised by its urban distillation. This Saturday, the Original Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Festival invites fans to the genre's roots, to fairgrounds just outside of Opelousas in the Plaisance community in the heart of southwest Louisiana. Pack your endurance, as the festival is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to midnight with a lineup including Step Rideau and the Zydeco Outlaws, Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble, Chris Ardoin and NU Step, J. Paul and the Zydeco Nubreedz, Brian Jack and the Zydeco Gamblers, and Corey 'Lil' Pop' Ledet and His Zydeco Band. The festival kicks off Friday night with a pre-party at nearby Slim's Y-Ki-Ki, a legendary, ramshackle home to zydeco. Festival tickets are $10 adults, $2 children ages 5-12. Ice chests are permitted, but not glass containers or barbecue grills. Visit www.zydeco.org for more info. -- Etheridge

Bobby Womack, with Bobby "Blue" Bland, Betty Wright and Tyrone Davis 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4 Morris F.X. Jeff Municipal Auditorium, 1201 St. Peter St., 565-7470 This old-fashioned soul revue is headlined by one of R&B's greatest conceptualists. Bobby Womack's singing and guitar playing transform each song he touches into a unique entity by virtue of his magician-like verbal articulation and subtle control of the groove, using his trademark punctuation of a laugh as a dramatic device. A protege of Sam Cooke, Womack scored his first hit with the Valentinos in 1962, 'Looking for Love.' J. Geils rode this song to fame, as did the Rolling Stones with Womack's 'It's All Over Now' and James Taylor with 'Woman's Got to Have It.' After Cooke's death, Womack went on to become a sought-after session guitarist and producer, working with Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Sly Stone and recording a series of underappreciated albums (including two masterpieces, The Poet and The Communicator) and the great soundtrack to Across 110th Street, later reprised in Jackie Brown. At 60, Womack remains active and is still in his prime as a soul auteur. Tickets $35-$40. -- John Swenson

Van Halen 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 5 Mississippi Coast Coliseum, 2350 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, Miss., 522-5555 Right now, Van Halen is charging exorbitant prices to see whether the band can still deliver the goods. The verdict? Mixed, as the return of singer Sammy Hagar (back after an eight-year absence) has helped spur a successful summer trek -- but not without hiccups. Having survived erstwhile vocalist Gary Cherone, as well as hip replacement and tongue cancer, guitar whiz Eddie Van Halen still smokes, figuratively and literally. Jump back, what's that sound? Ed looks (and plays) lean and keen, though, as this witness can attest after seeing the tour kick off in June, his backing vocals are all but inaudible and -- dare we say it? -- his spotlight solo stretches a bit too long. The rhythm section, drummer Alex Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony, remains taut and muscular, though their set-list solos should be stricken altogether. Those who prefer Diamond Dave-era VH will be heartened by a few classics ('Unchained,' 'Ain't Talkin' Bout Love'), but find themselves grating their teeth over a 5150-heavy set. Tickets $47.50-$93. -- Erik Spanberg

"Fall Funk Throwdown Series," with Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk and Papa Grows Funk 10:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3 Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-TIPS This New Orleans funk version of Ebony and Ivory unites two of the city's masters of the Hammond B-3 organ. Ivan Neville has a long solo career highlighted by his latest album, Scrape, as well as his work in the Neville Brothers and everyone from Rufus to Keith Richards, but he's really hitting on all cylinders with Dumpstaphunk. The band also features Raymond Weber on drums, Nick Daniels on bass and Ian Neville and Tony Hall on guitars. John Gros is the keyboard helmsman for the all-star lineup of Papa Grows Funk, which also includes funky Meters drummer Russell Batiste Jr., Wild Magnolias guitarist June Yamagishi, former Galactic saxophonist Jason Mingledorff and bassists Marc Pero and Peter V. Though this is the first time Dumpstaphunk and PGF have been on the same bill, all of the players involved have worked together in various combinations before, so look for the throwdown to turn into one giant funk orchestra. Tickets $12. -- Swenson

Jesse Poimboeuf: Every Day Through Sept. 25 LeMieux Galleries, 332 Julia St., 522-5988 He's back. One of the young turks of the local art scene in the 1980s, Jesse Poimboeuf seemed to suddenly vanish for a decade or so. Turns out he returned to his roots in Cajun country where the bayous and the trees, the birds and the bees, were plentiful and compelling. Now Poimboeuf has brought bayou country nature back with him in his new paintings, which according to the gallery, are "not simply representations of beautiful scenery and wildlife, but intensely personal expressions of the creative force of nature, and it is this passionate communion with nature that the viewer is invited to share." Representational yet rendered with a touch of his signature poetic abstraction, they celebrate the common ground between the natural world and the human world that seems to encroach on it a little bit more every day. -- D. Eric Bookhardt