March 6: Lurrie Bell & Dave Specter at  SPACE, Evanston

MARDI GRAS IN CHICAGO Hottest places to find beads, hurricanes, jambalaya, live music and more New Orleans style delights in Chi--town on Fat Tuesday. March 3: Marcia Ball, Jambalaya Cookoff at FitzGerald's, Berwyn Hurricane Gumbo at Chuck's Southern Comforts Cafe, Burbank March 4: C.J. Chenier Mardi Gras Party at FitzGerald's, Berwyn Smiley Tillmon Band, Coyote Riot Mardi Gras Party at Beverly Arts Center, Chicago Midway Ramblers at Shaw's, Chicago Matt Stedman & Ring of Music at Shaw's, Schaumburg Low Down Brass Band at Untitled, Chgo Brother John Band at Heaven on Seven, Naperville Pat Smillie at Heaven on Seven, Chgo Sweet Potato Zydeco at Chuck's Southern Comforts Cafe, Darien Zydeco Voodoo Band at Chuck's Southern Comforts Cafe, Burbank Chicago Blues Angels at MoeJoes, Plainfield The Mudcats at Maple Tree Inn, Blue Island Laissez les bon temps roulez!!!!

March 5: James Knowles Benefit w/ The Platinum Band, Otis Clay, Terisa Griffin, Rico McFarland, Sugar Blue, Melvin Taylor, Carl Weathersby, Jimmy Johnson, Vance Kelly, Stan Mosely, Theo Huff at Rosa's, Chicago

John Talmadge, Zoie Moser at Hugo's Frog Bar, Chgo

March 6: Lurrie Bell & Dave Specter at  SPACE, Evanston

Demetria Taylor Band, Chicago Blues Allstars at Kingston Mines, Chgo

Linsey Alexander at Shaw's, Chicago

Johnny Rawls at  Buddy Guy’s Legends, Chicago

Miss Jubilee & the Humdingers at Untitled, Chgo

March 6-7-8: Shirley Johnson Blues Band at Blue Chicago, Chicago

March 7: Campbell Bros. (sacred steel) at Old Town School, Chgo

Big Head Todd & The Monsters, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Hazel Miller at House of Blues, Chicago

Jimbo Delta at Reggie's, Chicago. 5:30 p.m. FREE.

Chicago Blues Angels at Harlem Ave. Lounge, Berwyn

March 8: Nick Moss Band at Rosa's, Chicago

Andrew Diehl & The Night Men at Smoke Daddy, Chgo

Kate Moss & Smiley Tillmon at Nick’s Beer Garden, Chgo

March 9: Buckwheat Zydeco at  SPACE

March 11: Eric "Guitar" Davis Memorial Benefit w/ Ronnie Baker Brooks, Kinsey Report, Linsey Alexander, Billy Branch,  Toronzo Cannon, The Davis Children, Tom Holland, Gerry Hundt, Sharon Lewis, Vino Louden, Jerry "Bam Bam" Porter, Jamiah "On Fire" Rogers, The Troublemakers, Carl Weathersby & more at Beer Geeks, Highland, IN

Early Warnings:

March 12: Harvey Mandel's Birthday Benefit Bash at Suite LiveLab (Wells & Huron), Chicago

March 13: Lynne Jordan & The Shivers at City Winery, Chgo

Mar. 19, 20, 23: Queenie Pie, a Duke Ellington jazz opera by the Chicago Jazz Orchestra & Chicago Opera Theater at Harris Theater, Chicago

March 21: Jimmie Vaughan at The Arcada, St. Charles

March 22: Jimmie Vaughan at SPACE, Evanston

Dawn O'Keefe Williams Blues Band, Mario Torrez (Bandito Blues), Mark Cleveland, Beena David, Native dancers & drummers, kids activities. Benefit for Trickster Art Gallery, Schaumburg

April 11: Keb' Mo' at SPACE, Evanston

April 12: Edgar Winter at Mayne Stage, Chgo

April 29-30: Leon Russell  at Mayne Stage, Chgo