The Club & Music Scene

Jazz & Blues Clubs

This being New Orleans, jazz and blues are everywhere -- though not all of it is worth hearing. Not that any of it is bad, per se. It's just that there is world-class stuff out there competing with tourist traps for your ears, so don't just settle for the first sight (or sound) of brass instruments you find. Seek out the really good stuff and you'll be rewarded. It's hard to predict opening/closing hours of New Orleans's nightlife. Many bars are open all the time, and because many clubs are in many bars (bars that have stages on which live bands play), there are no set opening and closing hours. In general, know that most clubs' hours both start and end late, if they ever end at all.

Rhythm, Rock & the Rest of the Music Scene

Most clubs in New Orleans feature an eclectic lineup that reflects the town's music scene; the ReBirth Brass Band, for example, attracts as many rock fans as it does brass-band fans. Consequently, the bulk of the club scene escapes categorization (and, of course, booking policies are often subject to change) -- even the local papers refer to club lineups as "mixed bags." If you want a specific sound, you have to look at listings (in Offbeat and Gambit magazines, for example) night by night. Some places are generally good fun on their own regardless of who is playing; any night at the Maple Leaf is going to be a good one, while wandering from spot to spot in the Frenchmen section is a well-spent evening. Be sure to check to see who is playing at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art (tel. 504/539-9600) on Thursday nights, lest you think all the good music in the city happens only in humid bars. Also, while Miss Irma Thomas's Lion's Den was badly flooded and remains closed at press time, she still intends to make some kind of return to the city's nightlife. Thomas has only one hit to her credit ("Wish Somebody Would Care"), but she's still a great, sassy live R&B and soul act with a devoted following, who can never get enough of "You Can Have My Husband, but Please Don't Mess with My Man" and other delights. She puts on one hell of a show. Check her website (www.irmathomas.com) for details about a possible new location and to learn where she might be performing in town in the interim.

Really, in New Orleans, you can't go too wrong going just about anywhere simply to hang out. And in the process, you might get exposed to a new, wonderful genre of music or an incredible band.

Cajun & Zydeco Joints

Most of the so-called Cajun joints in New Orleans are really Cajun for tourists, in both sound and setting. If you want the real thing, you are better off going out to bayou country. Which is not to say some of the finest Cajun bands don't play in New Orleans -- it's just that you are likely to find, say, the world-renowned Beausoleil at the Maple Leaf, or the up-and-coming Pine Leaf Boys at Tipitina's, neither of which is a Cajun club. None of this should be taken to mean that terrific and authentic Cajun bands don't play at the places listed here -- it's just that it's hit-or-miss in terms of true quality. What these spots do offer, however, is a place to learn to Cajun dance, which is not only a skill that comes in handy in New Orleans (trust us, when crowds start to two-step, you'll want to join in) and a dandy way to burn off calories, but it's also just darn fun.

Elsewhere Around the City

Throughout this book, we keep nagging you to leave the Quarter. This advice is most important at night. It's not that there aren't some worthwhile, memorable clubs in the Quarter or at the fringes. It's just that there are so many terrific (and, in some cases, outright better) ones elsewhere. They aren't hard to find -- any cab driver knows where they are. And not only do they feature some of the best music in town (if not, on some nights, in the country), they also aren't designed as tourist destinations, so your experience will be that much more legitimate.