Photo by Cheryl Gerber Thankfully for those who live in New Orleans -- and hopefully also for those who visit -- Mardi Gras is not just a French Quarter aberration but a citywide celebration, and at no time is this more vividly conveyed than on FAT TUESDAY itself. The day comes to life in Uptown, where the krewe of Zulu begins its parade at 8:30 a.m. at the corner of Jackson and Claiborne avenues -- here's to the annual wish that Zulu rolls on time. Zulu is followed by Rex, which rolls at 10 a.m. from the intersection of Claiborne and Napoleon avenues. Their routes take them up St. Charles Avenue and around Canal Street on the edge of the French Quarter. Throughout the day, in Uptown and in and around the historic Treme neighborhood, the fascinating sight of Mardi Gras Indians can be viewed, complete with their detailed costumes of feathers and beadwork crafted over the course of the year. In Metairie, Jefferson Parish parade goers prepare for the Argus procession, which starts at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Veterans Memorial and Houma boulevards next to the Clearview Shopping Center. On the West Bank, two krewes roll in Gretna: Grela at 11 a.m., followed by Choctaw at noon -- both starting at the corner of Columbus Street and Franklin Avenue. Down in Bywater, the idiosyncratic square pegs of the Societé de Sainte Anne begin their march on foot up Royal Street, making their annual pit-stop at the R Bar (1431 Royal St., 948-7499) around 11 a.m. before continuing through the French Quarter where the procession greets the downtown parades before veering left for its ceremony on the Mississippi River. As Uptown revelers make their way downtown, thousands of people gather at the corner of Claiborne and Orleans avenues at 11 a.m. for the massive street party, "Mardi Gras Under the Bridge," sponsored by KMEZ-FM (Old School 102.9, 581-7002). The French Quarter obviously is a sight to behold, but in particular we recommend the 41st annual Bourbon Street Awards, which celebrate the colorful costumes built for gay Mardi Gras balls. The noon ceremony is held at the corner of Bourbon and St. Ann streets. -- David Lee Simmons

Tony Furtado, opening for Gregg Allman and Friends 9 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE; www.hob.com These Chains (Funzalo), the new album by Tony Furtado, shows his mastery of the banjo and slide guitar. On songs that fuse bluegrass, blues and rock comfortably, he draws heavily on Into the Purple Valley-era Ry Cooder for slide and finger-picking techniques, and he actually makes his own slides by cutting the necks off empty wine bottles. These slides are heavier and thicker and produce a crisper treble vibration. Using authentic bottleneck slides is tricky because the surface of the bottleneck is slightly curved, so the glass doesn¹t touch the srtings evenly. Furtado uses the inconsistencies in the glass to create a soulful, earnest sound that stands in the gateway between the Southern rock of Jojo Herman and the country-grass of Sam Bush. Tickets $29.50. -- Reuben Brody

New Orleans Jazz Orchestra 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Friday and Sunday, Feb. 11 and 13 Contemporary Arts Center, 900 Camp St., 528-3805; www.cacno.org Irvin Mayfield leads the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra on Friday and Sunday at the CAC, and joins in on the Batiste Connection Birthday Celebration on Sunday at the Maple Leaf Bar. With his official designation as an ambassador of New Orleans culture -- and unofficial recognition as one of the top jazz cats in town -- Irvin Mayfield has captivated audiences for years with searing play of his trumpet. Whether at home or on tour, Mayfield is equally qualified to play the Latin-infused funk of Los Hombres Calientes or the straight-ahead modern jazz of his namesake quintet. With the 2-year-old New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO), a 16-piece ensemble he forged from the city¹s best young talent, Mayfield is strutting his stuff as a bandleader as well. NOJO has performed gigs ranging from Christmas concerts to 'Strange Fruit,' a 90-minute, nine-movement original composition by Mayfield that¹s set to narration and confronts the disturbing, painful history of lynching of African Americans by white mobs in the early 20th century. These two concerts will combine the New Orleans tradition with the masters of modern jazz. -- Frank Etheridge

Grease 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Feb. 11-12; 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12; 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13 Saenger Theatre, 143 N. Rampart St., 524-2490 or 522-5555; www.ticketmaster.com New Orleanians received an added theatrical treat and reminder of their pop-music heritage all at once last year when Le Petit recruited 'Sea Cruise' crooner Frankie Ford to provide a cameo as the Teen Angel in its critically acclaimed production of Grease. But there's nothing like the real thing, so it's quite a treat to have another Frankie -- the original cinematic Teen Angel -- reprising his role. And so we're blessed, more than a quarter-century later, to have Frankie Avalon appear in the Broadway in New Orleans' presentation of the hit Broadway musical Grease. It's a truncated run for this show, which traditionally runs through the week. The original Broadway production scored seven Tony Awards including one for the book by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, a young Adrienne Barbeau (as Rizzo) and Barry Bostwick as love-struck tough Danny Zuko -- yet it got shut out in the competition. That takes nothing off such '50s send-ups as 'Summer Nights,' 'Greased Lightning,' 'Beauty School Dropout,' 'Born to Hand Jive' and 'All Choked Up' as well as Barry Gibbs' 'Grease' from the movie version. Tickets range from $35-$55. -- Simmons

Housewarming 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Feb. 11-12; 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13; through March 6 Anthony Bean Community Theater, 1113 S. Carrollton Ave., 862-7529 Anthony Bean refers to them as the 'Dashiki Divas.' The alumnae of the old Dashiki Theatre -- Carol Sutton, Patricia McGuire-Hill, Adella Gautier, Gwendolyne Foxworth and Marie Slade Weatherspoon -- reunite for the first time onstage in 20 years to perform in New Orleans playwright Phyllis Clemons' latest work, Housewarming. The play will help open and celebrate the Anthony Bean Community Theater's fifth season/anniversary, as it explores the story of four sisters who join forces to paint their matriarch's house. (Sutton plays the matriarch.) McGuire-Hill, one of Dashiki's co-founders, taught Bean when he was a kid, and he credits her for inspiring him to pursue a career in theater. It's a typical casting move by Bean, who always seems to have a savvy notion in assembling his cast, whether it's city council or school board members or artists like Irma Thomas portraying themselves. This should be fun. Tickets $18 general admission, $15 students/seniors. -- Simmons

Truckstop Honeymoon 10:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11 The Circle Bar, 1032 St. Charles Ave., 588-2616; http://members.cox.net/circlebarnola/home.html Mike West's tunes have a slightly skewed perspective, moving from point A to point B in a zig-zag pattern dictated by rhymes and language. Christmas in Ocala (Binky) by his band, Truckstop Honeymoon, shows off his sense of humor and sometimes manic, sometimes soulful banjo and guitar, whether writing about the morning after in 'Walk of Shame' or the gentleman with a unique talent in 'The Man Who Could Fall Backwards.' His wife, Katie Eulis, adds plaintive vocals and bass with a tone that perfectly matches the subjects and music of the songs. When they play live, they possess the conviction and borderline craziness of many of the characters in his songs. West also performs at 9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Cafe, at 5 p.m. Saturday at Kerry Irish Pub, and at 10 p.m. Saturday at the Neutral Ground Coffeehouse. Cover $5 for The Circle Bar. -- David Kunian

Percy Sledge and the Aces 9 p.m. Saturday-Monday, Feb. 12-14 Boomtown Casino, Boomers Lounge, 4132 Peters Road, Harvey, 366-7711; www.boomtownneworleans.com The new year is already shaping up to be a good one for Percy Sledge, bringing both an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after the excellent critical reception (three and a half stars out of a possible four from Rolling Stone) for 2004's Shining Through the Rain (Varese Sarabande). The album was the 62-year-old soul legend's first studio album in over a decade. Best known for launching thousands of sweaty-palmed slow dances with the 1966 single 'When a Man Loves a Woman,' Sledge's show is a sure bet for anyone still casting about for a Valentine's Day plan. Although the new album features a few potential surprises, including an appearance by Jakob Dylan and tracks penned by Steve Earle and the Bee Gees, Sledge's gritty, yearning tenor and Southern soul grit is in plentiful supply, proving he's thankfully not trying to fix something that worked just fine in the first place. No cover. -- Alison Fensterstock

New Orleans VooDoo home opener 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13 New Orleans Arena, 1501 Girod St., 731-1700; www.govoodoo.com If there is one reason to watch the New Orleans VooDoo open its home schedule against San Jose this weekend, it's quarterback Andy Kelly. A 12-year veteran out of Tennessee, Kelly has become the Dan Marino of the Arena Football League (AFL), which was formed in 1986. He came into this season holding the league career records for completions, attempts, passing yards and touchdown passes. Kelly comes to the VooDoo after two seasons with the Detroit Fury and reunites with teammate and Fury coach Nike Neu, who will only coach the VooDoo and not play this season. The VooDoo are not favorites to repeat as division champs this season, and indeed stumbled in their season opener against the Atlanta Force. Still, Kelly showed that he's still got it, passing for six touchdowns (which is about right in the high-octane AFL). Tickets range from $6-$46. -- Simmons

Batiste Connection Birthday Celebration 10 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13 Maple Leaf Bar, 8316 Oak St., 866-9359 Three generations of Batistes will be on hand along with an all-star cast of New Orleans' finest funk players to celebrate brother Damon Batiste's birthday in what shapes up as a funk summit meeting. Damon will be on percussion while his brother, drummer Russell Batiste of the Funky Meters and Papa Grows Funk, will be at the center of the beat with Uncle Paul on rhythm guitar, and the latest family virtuoso, Jonathan Batiste, on keyboards. Paul, who played rhythm guitar on the original Meters records, will be reunited with Meters' lead guitarist Leo Nocentelli. Add Tony Hall on bass, Ivan Neville on keys, Big Chief Donald Harrison on saxophone, Irvin Mayfield on trumpet and Davell Crawford doing a solo piece between sets, and you have the recipe for a night to remember. Call club for cover. -- John Swenson

John Biggers: My America: Paintings and Drawings, 1940-1960 Through March 20 New Orleans Museum of Art, City Park, 488-2631 Born in segregated Gastonia, N.C., in 1924, John Biggers gained fame as one of the most forceful social realists of his generation. Known for his narrative murals and outstanding draftsmanship, he eventually moved to an allegorical style in which African and African-American women symbolize creativity, life, hope and the survival of community and culture. He drew inspiration from African art as well as from the stoic struggles of his own ancestors and family members in the face of racial injustice. In 1957, while chairman of the art department of Texas State University, he won a UNESCO fellowship and became one of the first black American artists to travel to Africa. His trip had a profound impact on his vision, as seen in his award-winning 1962 illustrated book, Ananse: The Web of Life in Africa. -- D. Eric Bookhardt