New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in Chicago…

No, Dick Clark won’t be trading in his comfy perch atop Times Square in New York for a live broadcast from the Windy City this year… But, as usual, Chicagoans will have a plethora of great bands to ring in the New Year with. As much as I hate to make plans ahead of time, December is now upon us and it’s time to start thinking about what show(s) to check out on New Year’s before tickets sell out. Plus, my usual New Year’s plans are now shot since the Flaming Lips are playing the Big Apple this year, so I really need to start weighing my options. After some investigation, it seems as if Chicagoans have three different options this year if they truly want to “rawk-in" the New Year. 1. Party like it’s 1995! Yes, another rash of alt-rock nostalgia hits the city as Guided By Voices, Urge Overkill and Local H will all be headlining New Year’s shows at local venues. Nothing against local rockers Scott Lucas and Nash Kato, but the one of note here is easily the Guided By Voices show(s). Ever prolific, beer chuggin’ GBV frontman Robert Pollard has decided to put the band to rest, but to the delight of local fans, has decided to go out in style with two final performances at the legendary Metro on the 30th and 31st. I’m not even that big of a fan of GBV, but even I have to admit that this sounds like it will be the best New Year’s Eve party in Chicago this year. Who better than to down beers and rock out with on New Year’s than Bob Pollard? Unfortunately, both shows sold out in like 5 minutes (no big surprise there), so you’re pretty much out of luck unless you want to shell out big $$ to a scalper or ticket broker. That being said, you may want to keep an eye out on eBay or Craig’s List where you may be able to find tickets at somewhat reasonable prices. If all else fails, or if you’re just flat broke, find Santa at your local mall ask him to leave a pair of GBV tickets in your stocking this Christmas. You might also want promise Santa that you’ll leave cookies and beer for him on Christmas morning…I hear that’s his favorite and you’re going to need all the help you can get in trying to get a hold of these tickets. 2. Folk it Up! As usual, Schubas and The Hideout will be featuring rock show line-ups with a bit more folksy twang. Bloodshot's Kelly Hogan will be ringing in the New Year in the quaint confines of The Hideout. Hogan's set should be extremely tight by the time the 31st rolls around...as she is scheduled for a Thursday night residency at The Hideout all month long. Over at Schubas, fellow Bloodshot recording artist Bobby Bare, Jr will be brining a full band up from Nashville (yee-haaa!) to entertain the crowd at the house that Schlitz built. But wait, there's even more Bloodshot goodness...Chicago's very own Nora O'Connor will serve as the opening act for this show. 3. Shake ya ass! Downstairs from the GBV show, resident spinners DJ Colette, Miles Maeda, Justin Long and Brad Owen will be keeping the beats flowing at SmartBar. Tickets are $25 in advance/$30 at the door, but that's a bargain considering this party will be going non-stop until 4am. However, my pick for those who want to shake their ass on New Year's has to go to the RJD2 show at the Abbey Pub. As I've hyped on this site before, RJD2 always puts together great sets and keeps his audiences groovin' all night long. Plus, for this show, RJD2 will be joined by local underground hip hop artist Pugslee Atomz on the mic. Opening the night will be a Galapagos4 showcase featuring Qwel (of Typical Cats), Offwhyte, Robust and Royce. According the Abbey website, the night will feature 3 rooms of music, a VIP room, a balloon drop and champaign toast at midnight. At only $30 bucks a pop ($35 at the door), this show is also sounds like a quite a bargain and is probably where yours truly will be spending his New Year's.