George Clinton Heads S.D. Street Scene Lineup : Pop music: The 3-day event opens tonight on 12 stages in the Gaslamp Quarter. Other top groups include Los Lobos and the Mighty Clouds of Joy.

SAN DIEGO — The 12th annual Street Scene takes place here tonight through Sunday with a lineup of more than 100 performers--far and away the most comprehensive the fest has offered yet. A diverse array, it is being served up on 12 stages covering 21 blocks in downtown’s Gaslamp Quarter, and for the first time, a third day of shows has been added.

Along with the music, there will be various food concessions (cuisines will include traditional New Orleans and Cajun, barbecue, Mexican and Brazilian) and beverages including wine, rum drinks and micro-brewed beer.

Tonight

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Tonight will see the most staggering lineup (too bad that many of the essential acts will be playing opposite one another).

The most intriguing event of the night is scheduled for Stage 9 where George Clinton and the P. Funk All-Stars will play a 3 1/2-hour marathon set. Arguably the most influential funk group in history, Clinton and company have been laying down hell-deep grooves and dishing out untamed showmanship and not-so-clean fun for decades, without ever losing a beat.

Other highlights tonight: Dr. John’s bubbling, New-Orleans gumbo/funk ya ya; Los Lobos (a Street Scene fixture since Year One) with their good-time mix of blues, soul, rockabilly and norteno music--the ideal soundtrack for a party of this magnitude; Charles Brown’s urbane blues vocal and piano stylings, a huge early influence on Ray Charles; the Mighty Clouds of Joy, who remain perhaps the most exciting gospel group in the world; Burning Spear, reggae’s elder statesman and ambassador of Rasta spirituality; and Dave Alvin, one of the most intelligent and gifted, if overlooked, singer/songwriters ever to come out of Los Angeles.

Here’s tonight’s schedule:

Stage 1:

The Mighty Clouds of Joy, 6:30-7:45 p.m.;

Charles Brown, 8:45-10;

Los Lobos, 10:45-midnight.

Stage 2:

The Blazers, 5:30-6:30;

Brave Combo, 7:45-9;

Marcia Ball, 9:45-11.

Stage 3:

Fareed Hasque, 6:30-7:15;

the James Moody Quartet, 8-8:45, 9-9:45;

the Mighty Clouds of Joy, 10:15-11.

Stage 4:

Terrell, 5:30-6:30;

Joan Osborne, 7-8:15;

General Public, 8:45-10:15;

Eddie Money, 10:45-midnight.

Stage 5:

Avenue Blue, 5:30-6:45;

Mouth Music, 7:05-8:15;

Tabu Ley Rochereau, 8:40-10:10;

Dr. John & the Afterglow Band, 10:20-11:50.

Stage 6:

Billy Bacon & the Forbidden Pigs, 5:45-7;

the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, 7:20-8:40;

Dave Alvin & the Guilty Men, 9-10:10;

Zachary Richard, 10:30-midnight.

Stage 7:

Lula & the Afro-Brazil Dancers, 5:30-6:20, 7:45-8:35, 9:55-10:45;

the Josias dos Santos & Sambrazil Samba Show, 6:40-7:30, 8:50-9:40, 11-midnight.

Stage 8:

Jah Mark & the Soul Shakers, 5:30-6:20;

Lucky Dube, 6:45-8:15;

Bunny Rugs, 8:35-9:55;

Burning Spear, 10:20-11:50.

Stage 9:

Goldfish, 5:45-11:15;

George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars, 7:45-11:15.

Stage 10:

Candye Kane, 5:30-6:30;

Sue Foley, 7:45-9;

the Debbie Davies Band, 9:45-11.

Dick’s Last Resort Stage:

The Blazers, 8-9:45,

Brave Combo, 10:15-11:30.

The Hahn Theatre Stage:

The Javon Jackson Quartet, 6-6:45, 7:05-7:50;

Fareed Haque, 8:20-9:2;

T.S. Monk, 9:40-10:25, 10:45-midnight.

Saturday

*

Saturday’s roster may pale in comparison with tonight’s, but still there is much to recommend, including two legends of soul on Stage 4: Wilson Pickett, the testosterone-soaked belter who racked up such hits as “Midnight Hour,” “Mustang Sally,” “Funky Broadway,” “Land of 1,000 Dances” and “634-5789,” and Percy Sledge, the romantic crooner best known for “When a Man Loves a Woman.” Drywall, featuring Stan Ridgway, should be another highlight: The former Wall of Voodoo frontman and his new band deliver industrial improvisations with amusing, literate lyrics and a blues sensibility unusual for groups of their ilk.

The Saturday schedule:

Stage 1:

Joe Louis Walker & the Bosstalkers, 4:30-5:30;

the Blasters, 6:30-7:45;

the James Cotton Band, 8:30-9:45;

the Fabulous Thunderbirds, 10:45-midnight.

Stage 2:

The Delevantes, 5-6:30;

the Smokin’ Joe Kubek Band, 7:30-8:45;

Beau Jocque & the Zydeco Hi-Rollers, 9:30-10:45.

Stage 3:

Native Vibe featuring Bill Macpherson & Nee Sackley, 5:15-6;

the Greyboy Allstars, 6:45-7:30 and 8:15-10;

the James Moody Quartet, 9:45-10:30, 10:45-11:45.

Stage 4:

William Clarke, 4:30-5:15;

Maceo Parker, 5:35-6:50;

the Otis Clay Band, 7:15-8:30,

Percy Sledge, 8:50-10:05;

Wilson Pickett, 10:30-11:45.

Stage 5:

Raymond Myers, 4:30-5:40;

Prince Eyango, 6-7:15;

Four Stars, 7:35-8:50;

Eric Burdon’s Band, 9:20-10:35;

Johnny Rivers, 10:50-11:50.

Stage 6:

Terrence Simien, 4:30-5:30, 6:50-7:50;

the ReBirth Brass Band, 5:50-6:30, 8:10-8:50;

Snooks Eaglin, 9:10-10:20;

Buckwheat Zydeco, 10:40-midnight.

Stage 7:

Luiza Marques, 4:30-5;

the Sol E. Mar & Katia Moraes Samba Show, 5-5:50, 7:20-8:10, 10:50-11:45;

encore with all bands and dancers, 11:45-midnight.

Stage 8:

The Fleshtones, 4:30-5:15;

Lucy’s Fur Coat, 5:45-6:45;

Drywall featuring Stan Ridgway, 7:15-8:30;

the Plimsouls, 9-10:15;

Brian Setzer and his 17-piece Rockin’ Big Band, 10:45-midnight.

Stage 9:

Goldfish, 4:30-6;

the Dazz Band, 6:30-8;

Lakeside, 8:30-10;

the Ohio Players, 10:30-12.

Stage 10:

Danny Tate, 5:30-6:30;

Steve Ferguson & the Midwest Creole Ensemble, 7:30-8:45;

Joe Louis Walker & the Bosstalkers, 9:30-10:45.

Dick’s Last Resort Stage:

The Delevantes, 8-9:45;

William Clarke, 10:15-11:30.

The Hahn Theatre Stage:

Fareed Haque, 5-6;

the Javon Jackson Quartet, 7:20-8:05;

the Charlie Hunter Trio, 8:30-9:30;

the Jackie Terrasson Trio, 10:50-11:50.

Sunday

*

Street Scene highlights on Sunday include Johnny Adams, a soul singer from New Orleans who rarely tours as far as California; if he were here all by himself, it would be reason enough to attend. War, the Latin/funk/soul group that re-emerged last year with the superb “Peace Sign” album, will reunite onstage with its original singer, ex-Animal Eric Burdon. And “stunt guitarist” Mike Keneally, a veteran of Frank Zappa’s bands, is a little-known but eye-popping talent who does things with six strings that positively boggle the mind, while flashing a suitably Zappa-esque sense of warped wit.

The Sunday lineup:

Stage 1:

The Chambers Brothers, 12:15-1:30;

Mississippi Juke Joint Caravan, 2:30-4;

Koko Taylor & Her Blues Machine, 4:45-6; Little Feat, 6:45-8.

Stage 2:

Rebirth Brass Band, 11:30-12:15, 1:30-2:30;

Johnny Adams, 3:45-5;

Tracy Nelson, 5:45-7.

Stage 3:

B-Side Players, 1-1:45;

The Starlights, 2:45-3:30, 6-6:45;

Johnnie Johnson, 4:15-5, 7:15-8.

Stage 4:

Zoo People, 11:45-1;

Boxing Gandhis, 1:20-2:50;

Webb Wilder & the Nashvegans, 3:10-4:20;

the Mavericks, 4:45-6;

Huey Lewis & the News, 6:30-8.

Stage 5:

Natasha’s Ghost, 11:30-12:10;

the Caulfields, 12:30-1:10;

Moonpools & Caterpillars, 1:30-2:30;

Del Amitri, 2:50-4;

Pato Banton & the Reggae Revolution, 4:20-5:50;

Black Uhuru, 6:15-7:45.

Stage 6:

The Paladins, 1:20-2:30;

Beau Joque & the Zydeco Hi-Rollers, 2:50-4:10;

Dirty Dozen Brass Band, 4:30-5:50,

Buckwheat Zydeco, 6:10-7:40.

Stage 7:

Grupo Cayuco, 11:30-12:30;

Mariachi Peria, 12:50-1:50;

Los Martinez, 2:10-3:20;

Viva Santana, 3:40-4:50;

Show Martell, 5:10-6:25;

Faena Band, 6:45-8.

Stage 8:

Auora Negra, 11:30-12;

Vos D’Mano, 12:10-12:40;

Robi Rosa, 12:50-1:20;

La Lupita, 1:30-2:10;

La Casteneda, 2:20-3;

Sergio Arau, 3:10-3:50;

Fobia, 4:05-5:25;

Maldita Vecindad, 5:40-7.

Stage 9:

Bateka Baleke, 12-1:10;

Common Sense, 1:30-2:45;

the Radiators, 3:10-4:30;

Average White Band, 4:50-6:05;

War with special guest Eric Burdon, 6:30-8.

Stage 10:

San Diego Chargers television broadcast, 1-4;

Bill Magee Blues band, 4:15-5;

Beat Farmers Record Release Party, 5:45-7.

Dick’s Last Resort Stage:

Liquid Groove, 1-1:45, 2-2:45;

Wise Monkey, 3:30-4:30, 4:45-6;

Mike Keneally, 7-8.

The Hahn Theatre Stage:

Jacky Terrasson Trio, 12:30-1:30, 1:50-2:50;

Charlie Hunter Trio, 3:15-4:15;

T.S. Monk, 4:40-5:40, 6-7.

* The Street Scene takes place today starting at 5 p.m., Saturday starting at 4 p.m. and Sunday starting at 11 a.m. in the Gaslamp Quarter of downtown San Diego. Tickets are $22 advance per day, $25 per day the gate (or $40 for a Friday/Saturday package). Friday and Saturday’s events are open to those 21 and older; Sunday’s events are for everyone (ages 4 to 12 get in for $12; children 3 and under are free). (619) 268-9025.