"Let me see your tits!”

A group of young men with Mardi Gras beads dangling from their necks lean over the railing of Blue Nile’s balcony. It’s a Saturday night in November. Could they be the demonic heralds of a new era on Frenchmen Street? What's in store for New Orleans’ music venues?

Thanks to the tourism boom and tax-credit legislation, several new and renovated venues have opened, with old ones (Jimmy's Club, uptown) reopening soon. The addition of newly reopened, multi-purpose ve...