The second line ran all the way from New Orleans to the West Village on Tuesday night, as Le Poisson Rouge on Bleecker St. hosted the Fourth Annual Two Boots Mardi Gras Ball, which doubled as a benefit for the Lower East Side Girls Club. Along with some traditional brass band fanfare and festive stilt dancers, colorfully masked revelers were treated to funk, blues and a star-studded crowning ceremony. Top left: Bassist Doug Burns went berserk as he and the 11-piece band EMEFE blasted out afrobeat jams to get the crowd moving. Top right: Roots drummer Questlove and pop queen Cyndi Lauper looked out from their thrones after an L.E.S. Girls Club member crowned them king and queen of the ball. Bottom left: Odetta Hartman, the daughter of Two Boots Pizza owner Phil Hartman, jumped onstage with This Ambitious Orchestra to sing a few tunes. Bottom right: Isabel Celeste brought some serious soul to the mic, as she sang with the Middle Church Jerriese Johnson Gospel Choir behind her.
