You might not be ready to set a New Year’s Resolution, and even less ready to actually follow through with it, but it’s easy to set the tone for the year based on your choice of NYE entertainment. Pick your path to 2019 below with everything from garage rock to dance parties to live jazz.
If you’re not quite ready to let go of the past, ring in the year with a heavy dose of nostalgia at The ArtsCenter with the high-energy string band Ellis Dyson and the Shambles, featuring an appearance by Katharine Whalen and a set of Squirrel Nut Zippers songs. However, if you’re ready to have a moody funeral for the mess that was 2018, perhaps you can do a double-header by checking out the plain-talking blues rock and piano-accented dirges of Mark Holland and Dexter Romweber at The Cave. Over at Cat’s Cradle, revelers can tap into our hallowed Triangle indie rock heritage at a concert with Chapel Hill classics Dillon Fence with opening act Hammer No More The Fingers.
In Raleigh, Ruby Deluxe will provide some enviable femme-spiration for those who have hopes of a 2019 glow up with a drag show, as well as a dance soundtrack masterminded by DJs Luxe Posh and DNLTMS at ViZ Queer Dance Party. Those with dreams of a scuzzy punky future can join Pie Face Girls, Drag Sounds, and Vacant Company for a beer-spilling good time at The Pour House. And across town, The Maywood hosts a Heavy New Year’s Eve Party with metalheads Lexx Luthor and Dirty Remnantz.
In November, owner Dave Rose shared that Deep South The Bar would be closing at the end of the year. A final hurrah on their last night of December 31st will include nineties and aughties covers by Undercover and solo artist LaureNicole. You can get more of your cover band fix at the Ritz with performances by AC/DC and Ramones tributes Shoot To Thrill and The Ramonas, and at Circa 1888, where Hank Sinatra pays tributes to everything from honky-tonk country to seventies fluff and hardcore.
Durhamites and Chapel Hillians can shake off the stagnancy of winter and ensure a limber New Year’s Day with the time-honored Disco Sweat XL dance party hosted by Nightlight. Tre King Band and their blend of funk, soul, jazz, and R&B come to Beyù Caffè for the 2nd Annual What The Funk NYE Party (which also marks the end of live music at Beyù). And the enigmatic band Rose Kennedy will perform “the hit songs you had on your Zune” at Motorco.
If you want to take it one step further and experiment with a new persona for the new year, check out The Fruit’s Masquerade Ball, where you can get down in masked form with the help of dusk-to-dawn techno sets from folks such as Micke, Nat Black, Jenna Gilmore, Daniels Jack, and djseanEboy. Those who are more into ballooning than they are bass drop can also don a costume for the Steampunk Masquerade Ball at The Haw River Ballroom, featuring That Darling DJ Duo Emmett Davenport & Lady Nikolai Attercop, Onyx Club Boys, and Jil Christensen.
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