Love in the Garden 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18 City Park, Besthoff Sculpture Garden, 483-2656 The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) is throwing a party to celebrate the arrival of what is the highest-profile art addition to the yearling Besthoff Sculpture Garden. Robert Indiana's Vietnam-era, pop-art classic Love is a multi-colored square spelling out 'love' with the famously tilted 'o.' Love is now hailed as an artist embodiment of peace and has been mass-produced in countless forms (T-shirts, stamps, Christmas cards), making it one of modern American sculpture's dominant symbols. In addition, Claes Oldenburg's Safety Pin will be added to the garden. For 'Love in the Garden,' NOMA advises 'garden chic' attire for a night that includes a wine tasting, catered food from top local restaurants and live music from Jeremy Davenport, Marva Wright, Luther Kent and the Jazz Vipers. Tickets are $50 for NOMA members; $70 for non-members, with a deal offered for two memberships and two tickets at $140. -- Etheridge

Medeski Martin & Wood 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE True to form, Medeski Martin & Wood's latest album, End of the World Party: Just in Case (Blue Note) is a marked departure from the band's previous work, a leap further into sound-as-concept enabled by producer John King of the Dust Brothers, the force behind such notorious concoctions as the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique and Beck's Odelay. MMW cut their own swath through the fascinating terrain where soul jazz, electronica and rock exotica overlap. Like the best prog rock units they sometimes resemble, each member brings something unique to the mix. Billy Martin's percussion strategies flesh out through the mixmaster gyrations of his alter ego, Illy B; John Medeski's keyboard playing falls somewhere between Stockhausen and Jimmy McGriff; and Chris Wood's bass playing adds melodic and rhythmic diversity through his shrewd manipulation of sounds and textures out of acoustic and electric instruments played with trademark arco and slide techniques. Tickets $20. -- Swenson

SoberJam 2004 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18 City Park, Marconi Meadows, 598-9605 While Louisiana festivals and events are typically embraced with libations in hand, SoberJam -- the second annual statewide celebration of Louisiana Recovery Day, part of National Recovery Month -- looks to overcome this stereotype with a substance-free family event. Founded by Baton Rouge-based WeRecover.org and HopeNetworks.org, the all-day affair features two music stages holding a stellar lineup that includes Ivan Neville, The Charmaine Neville Band, Marva Wright, Rockin' Dopsie Jr., rock band Zebra and Harry Connick Sr. Other attractions include Louisiana food booths, a health fair to celebrate recovery, with a speech from Hope Networks leader Samantha Hope Atkins. With organizers expecting upward of 15,000 attendees, SoberJam's stated purpose is to help individuals' recovery efforts, reduce the stigma of addiction and provide health information. Visit www.soberjam.com for details. Free admission. -- Etheridge

Teen Summit XII 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18 Kiefer UNO Lakefront Arena, 6801 Franklin Ave., 280-7171 Q93's catch phrase as being 'New Orleans' #1 station for hip hop and R&B' reflects its dominant local ratings among fans of both genres. This Saturday, the station's 12th annual signature event, Teen Summit, goes beyond the music to reflect the station's steadfast dedication to the community that so strongly supports it. A stellar lineup of local rappers, political figures and activists round out a program designed to deliver teens good music and positive messages. Scheduled to perform are Omarion from the group B2K, the lava-hot Juvenile, Cash Money, Choppa, UNLV, Magnolia Chop and others. Panelists include Police Superintendent Eddie Compass, Mayor's Office community outreach director Ahmad Jabari, and members of anti-tobacco and pregnancy groups. Tickets range from $15 to $20. Doors open at 11:30 a.m., with performances starting at 1 p.m. -- Etheridge

Uptown/Downtown Series: Mikel Rouse's Failing Kansas 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18 Contemporary Arts Center, 900 Camp St., 528-3805 While the CAC has undergone a series of programming changes, one of last year's additions returns with a vengeance in the Uptown/Downtown Series, which provides truly original productions worthy of note. The inaugural production comes out of left field; Mike Rouse's Failing Kansas, the first in a trilogy of media operas, examines the events surrounding New Orleans-born writer Truman Capote's masterpiece In Cold Blood. The 1966 book, which many say heralded the advent of the nonfiction novel, examined the 1959 murders of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kan., and was made into a film the next year. Here, Rouse uses opera to interpret the lives of the killers Richard Hickock and Perry Smith, using not only actual court transcripts but also songs written by Smith. Rouse uses a new vocal technique called 'counterpoetry,' incorporating unpitched voices in a rigid metric counterpoint. Tickets $20 general admission, $15 CAC members and students. -- Simmons

Cat Power 10 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20 The Parish at House of Blues, 229 Decatur St., 529-BLUE There are performers who never show what goes on underneath the spectacle. Then there are the ones for whom what is going on underneath obviously fuels the performance. Chan Marshall -- Cat Power -- is definitely the latter. Her music is sometimes vulnerable and sometimes blunt rock, but her shows are guided by her emotions and idiosyncrasies. She might restart a song several times or burst into tears. She also might rock your socks off with edgy, emotional vocals and furious, charging guitars, both of which run circles around each other on her latest CD, You Are Free (Matador). The tension of never knowing what might happen at a Cat Power gig can be riveting or infuriating, but it has the potential for a great payoff. In either case, Cat Power is unlike most assembly-line rock 'n' roll. Tickets $14. -- David Kunian

Umphrey's McGhee 11 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15 Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-TIPS Next generation jam band Umphrey's McGee performs Wednesday at Tipitina's. Umphrey's McGee When guitarist Jake Cinninger left Ali Baba's Tahini to join Umphrey's McGee in 2000, South Bend, Ind., had its first supergroup. Today Umphrey's McGhee is among the most promising of the new wave of jam bands, hailed by Rolling Stone's David Fricke as a potential destination for displaced Phish fans. The current tour features material from the new LP Anchor Drops (Sci Fidelity), a melange of unusual time signatures and harmonic surprises highlighted by the Robert Fripp-inspired guitar antics of Cinninger and Brendan Bayliss. The musical wit of this sextet is not deadpan a la King Crimson, though, but more lighthearted in a mid-period Frank Zappa mode, another trait shared with Phish. The band is named, by the way, for Bayliss' second cousin, a Mississippi lawyer. $10 cover. -- John Swenson

The Eclectic Eye: Selections From the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation v New Orleans Museum of Art, City Park, 488-2631 He was born in Minneapolis and lived in Los Angeles until his death, but during his long life as an entrepreneur and corporate CEO, Frederick R. Weisman considered New Orleans home as well. He loved contemporary American art and contributed much to his three hometowns, including the contemporary Louisiana art wing at NOMA. And now this Eclectic Eye exhibit gives us a first hand look at the results of his formidable decision-making process. In art as in business, he had a penchant for the bold and pioneering and a knack for picking the winners. As he often said, gesturing to his heart, "If it hits me here, I will add it to the collection." And he did, to the delight of artists and art lovers everywhere. -- D. Eric Bookhardt

Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 16 The Parish at House of Blues, 229 Decatur St., 529-BLUE Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra has adopted Fela Kuti's polyrhythmic funk along with his belief that 'music is the weapon of the future.' Kuti used his music to denounce an oppressive Nigerian government; Antibalas directs its contempt at Bush's America on the new Who Is This America (Artemis). Music laced with socio-political messages can be a dicey proposition: One doesn't want to preach. Kuti's songs never sounded preachy because he was ambiguous, and often humorous. After the Nigerian authorities tested his feces for traces of marijuana, he wrote an album called Expensive Shit. Antibalas' lyrics are much more candid, and the song, 'Indictment' arraigns members of the Bush Administration for war crimes. This song is pointed to say the least, yet it transcends its harangue by capturing Kuti's primal energy and sinewy funk. Antibalas says it uses music as a weapon to raise awareness, but how it inspires you to dance is what actually defines its firepower. DJ T-Roy opens. Tickets $14. -- Reuben Brody

Louisiana Philharmonic plays Tchaikovsky 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 16, and 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18 Orpheum Theatre, 129 University Place, 523-6530 Klauspeter Seibel may no longer be the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra's (LPO) music director, but he's not gone far. Seibel returns as principal guest conductor for opening night of the orchestra's 14th season. On the block is an all-Tchaikovsky program, beginning with the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy. Heard in everything from Looney Tunes to TV commercials, the piece is an audible cliche, but remains an audience favorite for its expressive melodies and intricate score. The LPO follows with Serenade for Strings and finishes with the powerful horn and trumpet fanfares of the Tchaikovsky Fourth Symphony. You can also catch the symphony this Friday in Audubon for the annual symphony run (6:30 p.m.) and concert (7:30 p.m.). These performances kick off a season filled with special concerts and the search for a new music director. Tickets start at $11. -- Natalie Brown

La Conquista: An Aztec Clown Drama 8 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, Sept. 16-19 UNO Downtown Theatre, 619 Carondelet St., 236-2340 This weekend Madame Palmetto's Amusement Company kicks off a two-weekend run with an original work, La Conquista: An Aztec Clown Drama, written and directed by Tristan Codrescu. Opening on Mexican Independence Day, the play uses multi-disciplinary approaches -- clowns, dance and drama -- to convey the tale of how Mexico was conquered. The Puppets of the Gods of Death mock the antics of Conquistador clowns and dancing Aztec clowns, and La Malinche, an Indian slave woman, stands between the Moctezuma, the Aztec ruler, and Cortez, the invading Spanish conquistador. Codrescu will lead a cast that includes Henry Hoffman, Andy English, Kate Labouisse, Sandra Johnson, Bryan Spitzfaden and Christine Kosonen. Spitzfaden provides the puppetry with frequent collaborater Jacques Dufforc, with costume design by Alice Henderson. In addition, the art exhibit My Mexico, featuring the paintings and ceramic work of Henderson, will be displayed in the theater lobby. Tickets are $15 general, $10 students, seniors and artists, $5 children. -- Frank Etheridge

The Walkmen 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 16 Howlin' Wolf, 828 S. Peters St., 522-WOLF Riding on the same garage-rock revivalist wave as the Strokes, the Hives, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and others, the Walkmen possess a similar stripped-down, fuzzed-out, analog sound, but for them, something a tad more epic is going on. Whereas so many indie and garage bands play with a listlessness and flippancy perfect for the small club, the Walkmen sound like they would fit just as well at UNO's Lakefront Arena as the Howlin' Wolf. Their latest album Bows and Arrows (Record Collection) begins with a slowly building organ drone. Lead singer Hamilton Leithauser joins in with a morose 'What's in it for me?' before the full band kicks in fast and furious. As the song hits its stride, Leithauser reveals fully his soaring, arena-ready vocals, sounding like a young Bono from U2. Local band World Leader Pretend recorded its upcoming album in the Walkmen's Marcata studio in New York. Tickets $12. -- Rob Bryant

Treme Barbecue Festival 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Sept. 17-18 St. Augustine Church, 1210 Gov. Nicholls St., 524-5849 The Sixth Ward's own Kermit Ruffins hosts the Treme Barbecue Festival this weekend at St. Augustine Church. This weekend, a dream of beloved local jazzman Kermit Ruffins comes true as years' worth of planning, hoping and holding fundraisers finally culminates in the Treme Barbecue Festival. The Sixth Ward neighborhood that is home to many of the city's top jazz players throws a two-day barbecue sure to produce both sweet sounds and smells. Ruffins' barbecue grill is a fixture at his gigs, and this weekend he and his friends will fire it up early, starting around 10 a.m. While the barbecue -- in addition to drinks, jambalaya and prizes -- is an attraction in itself, the music figures to be finger-lickin' good, too. The historic St. Augustine Church will host a lineup that includes Reginald Koeller and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, the Treme Brass Band, Corey Henry & the Youngfellas, Shannon Powell, Kid Merv & All That Jazz, Troy Andrews, the ReBirth Brass Band, Bob French, Irvin Mayfield and, of course, Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers. Admission $10 adults, $1 children. -- Etheridge

Damn Yankees 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Sept. 17-18; 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 19 Rivertown Repertory Theatre, 325 Minor St., Kenner, 468-7221 The Rivertown Repertory Theatre ushers in its 17th season with a three-week run of George Abbott and Douglas Wallop&185;s classic musical comedy Damn Yankees. The plot follows laughs-inducing and heart-warming turns through a fantasy tale that finds the Devil facing a middle-age baseball fan desperate enough to sell his soul in exchange for the chance to lead his favorite team, the Washington Senators, out of the basement in the standings and into a thrilling pennant race with their bitter rivals, the New York Yankees. Gary Rucker directs a cast that includes Mark Burton, Marc Fouchi, Robert Richardson, Kelly Fouchi and Emily Antrainer. Flo Presti serves as musical director of the original score, with lyrics penned by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. Tickets are $25 for adults, $22 seniors (55 and older) and students, and $12 children ages 6-12. An optional pre-show buffet catered by Messina&185;s is $18. Damn Yankees runs through Oct. 3. -- Etheridge