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New Year's Eve 2011: 11 Concert Celebrations Across the US

New Year's Eve is the biggest party night of the year, and it needs a soundtrack worthy of that heady moniker. Across the US this year, an eclectic array of performers -- from Patti Smith, Phish, and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings in New York City to Chris Isaak and Furthur in San Francisco to the Hold Steady in Milwaukee to Ludacris in Vegas -- are ringing in 2011 onstage. Spinner takes a look at 11 shows in 10 different cities that are sure to say goodbye to 2010 with style.
Flaming Lips
Oklahoma City, Okla.
Colorful costumes, classic albums covered and a lead singer who often crowd surfs in a large plastic ball -- and that's usually just a typical Tuesday night for the Flaming Lips. So we can only imagine what kind of party one of Spinner's favorite bands will throw for New Year's Eve at the Cox Business Serves Convention Center. Apparently, a big one, as frontman Wayne Coyne told Rolling Stone. The show will feature "the world's biggest balloon drop, the world's largest mirror ball and big, dangerous laser beams."
Flaming Lips
John Shearer, WireImage
Patti Smith
New York
This past year has been a banner one for Smith, who added the impressive title of National Book Award-winning author, for the beautiful and touching memoir 'Just Kids,' to her already impressive résumé. But the "high priestess of punk," as she became known in the '70s, is still at her absolute best onstage. And in her adopted hometown of NYC, the shows take on an added magic. If you want to enter 2011 feeling rock 'n' roll channeling through you, then the Bowery Ballroom on New Year's Eve is the place to be.
Patti Smith
Tariq Mikkel Khan, AP
Zac Brown Band
Atlanta
The Grammy-winning country band comes home to Atlanta's Philips Arena to ring in the New Year. And if you're a fan of the Atlanta scene, this could be your dream night, as guitarist Coy Bowles tells Metromix Atlanta that the band is going to try and turn it into a hometown party on the stage. "I think we're going to try to pull out all the guns that we know in Atlanta. That's kind of the word on the street now ... that we're going to try to get all the guys we know from Atlanta that we've been playing with, and do as much good music as we possibly can," Bowles said.
Zac Brown Band
Rick Diamond, Getty Images
Usher
Miami
The dynamic, multiplatinum R&B star, who kicked off the early part of 2010 with a return to the top of the Billboard 'Top 200' with 'Raymond v. Raymond,' closes out the year by helping South Beach sing and dance its way into 2011 at the American Airlines Arena. Expect a lot of hits along the lines of 'OMG,' Love in the Club' and 'Yeah!,' and a big arena spectacle worthy of the biggest night of the year.
Usher
Lyle A. Waisman, Getty Images
The Black Keys
Chicago
The Black Keys may be sad to see 2010 fade to black as the blues-based rockers have finally emerged from critical darlings and cult favorites to buzz rockers, with four Grammy nominations for the duo's 'Brothers' album and a hit song in the Danger Mouse-produced 'Tighten Up.' Then again, 2011 is shaping up to be just as big with the aforementioned Grammy nods and an appearance on the first 'Saturday Night Live' of 2011, hosted by Jim Carrey. Whether it's hello or goodbye, the Black Keys have a lot to celebrate when they take the Aragon Ballroom stage this weekend.
The Black Keys
Redferns / Getty Images
Jane's Addiction
Aspen, Colo.
"Comin' down the mountain" takes on a new meaning as one of Los Angeles' greatest bands moves from the sun and surf capital to the snow to rock in 2011. Jane's frontman Perry Farrell is one of rock's consummate hosts and an incredible showman, so you know that on New Year's Eve at Belly Up, the band members will bring their all. And, with a new Jane's album due in 2011, fans who come up the mountain may get a preview of what's ahead from the seminal band.
Jane's Addiction
Michael Buckner, Getty Images
30 Seconds to Mars
Las Vegas
As we previously told you, 30 Seconds to Mars have something special planned for New Year's Eve in Vegas' Pearl Concert Theater -- a little S&M fun. If Patti Smith will be the best show in America, this may very well be the best-looking, with Leto calling out to all the 30 Seconds fans to don their best 'Hurricane'-inspired attire. A rocking show, great costumes, sadomasochism in Vegas -- what more could you want from New Year's Eve?
30 Seconds to Mars
Larry Marano, Getty Images
Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips
Boston
The former members of Luna have gone on to a successful career as film scorers, including the indie hit 'The Squid and the Whale.' But maybe their most interesting score is their latest work, '13 Most Beautiful ... Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests,' a work that finds the dreamy duo creating soundtracks for the Andy Warhol Museum's film collection. Though the museum is based in Pittsburgh, Dean and Britta are bringing the show to Boston as part of the city's First Night celebration, a family-friendly day-and-night goodbye to 2010 that also features an appearance by soul queen Bettye LaVette.
Britta Phillips
Redferns / Getty Images
Bruno Mars and Rev Run
New York
Times Square is pretty much the epicenter of New Year's Eve, with hundreds of thousands converging annually to stand outside in the cold and be part of a cultural tradition. Being among huge crowds in the snow is great for camaraderie, but warmth and shelter are pretty fun, too. Wouldn't it be a lot sweeter to overlook the freezing crowd from the warm Renaissance Hotel with gourmet food, alcohol and a seven-time Grammy nominee? We think so, too. So if you want to be in Times Square, we recommend you do it warmly and in top style.
Bruno Mars
Michael Buckner, WireImage
Together as One
Los Angeles
Early in the decade, Los Angeles became the dance music hub in the States, and that was never bigger than New Year's Eve, with competing parties bringing in elite world-class DJs like Paul Oakenfold, Deep Dish and Paul Van Dyk. This year again sees more world-class talent coming through, with John Digweed at Avalon, among others. But for a big-ass soiree, the annual Together as One at the Los Angeles Sports Arena is the celebration. Among the musical highlights will be a DJ set by Pendulum, as well as Diplo and Major Lazer.
Taylor Hill, FilmMagic
Sea of Dreams
San Francisco
Another long-running dance music extravaganza, Sea of Dreams is a multi-media feast for the senses, mixing attractions like CirQULARIOUS, a floating sideshow/cabaret, a visual artists showcase and gourmet food trucks with a top-notch bill headlined by Thievery Corporation at San Francisco's Concourse Exhibition Center.
Sea of Dreams
LatinContent / Getty Images

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ashley

hi
i wold like some mucic.
ashley-

December 30 2010 at 11:45 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
gabriela

8 REASONS TO AVOID TAO LIKE THE PLAGUE

EDC WAS A DEATH TRAP
I've been to five Insomniac Events, including EDC this year. Forget the girl who OD'ed, just remember the laweekly videos of people being crushed, stampeded, and bloodied? I was in that! You can't see me, but I was stepped on for ten minutes, unable to get up, and my shoulder was bruised and fricked up for five weeks. The sports arena is really no different, and I don't trust anyone doing a rave in an arena, but especially Insomniac. frick you Insomniac!!!

IT'S frickING RAINING
Look outside. This is the rainiest December in years! It's going to be fricking freezing, even if it doesn't rain. Don't be fooled by the indoor SPorts Arena. They can only put one stage inside, it can only hold a couple thousand people, and the rest are going to be under leaky flimsy tents. TO get from one place to another, you have to walk through mud. You will spend two hours waiting in line to get in, minimum. Unless you really love standing around in a miniskirt for hours shivering, stay the frick away.

TRAFFIC BLOWS DONKEY BALLS
Before you stand around waiting in line, remember you are going to have to sit in traffic for another two hours on the way in and the way out. And the guy next to you is going to blast spitty music all night. And there's no way to get out. You can't even turn around it's such a clusterfrick.

GO VENTURES EVENTS ARE FULL OF CRIMINALS
Undercover agents arrested 300 people at Go Ventures raves this year, and that's ONLY what was caught. Imagine all the other meth-heads, pickpockets, taggers and gangbangers they DIDNT catch! Dont be fooled by the new 18+ either, with this rule MORE ghetto kids show up, they just wait outside, gathering up and tearing down fences. at monster massive there were hundreds of drugged out kandy ravers who successfully mobbed the main entrance! When the fire marshalls see the gatecrashers taking control of theevent the whole show gets shut down. Even people who bought tickets sneak in because the lines are so slow.

THE LINEUP IS A RIPOFF
The trance artists are the weakest TAO has ever had. It's puny compared to this year's EDC or Ultra lineups. The greedy spits at Insomniac are holding out on you and you don't even know it! The electro and dubstep stages are a straight rip off of Hard Summer and HARD Halloween.

THEY WILL OVERSELL IT
The last two GO Ventures parties inside the Arena (Monster Mssive and TAO last year) both reach capacity early in the night. They shut the doors, and you have to wait in a long booty line, hoping someone will come out so you can take their place. This is the same bullspit they run every year.

IT'S IN THE GHETTO
When you have to park and walk through Compton and Watts to get to the party, you realize that your spit is not safe. Every time they have a rave at the coliseum/sports arena, the local thugs have Christmas with your cars. Due to the mass amounts of crime, the police stations are overwhelmed, you may have to wait 6-7 hours just to file the report of your broken window/ missing stereo/ missing car. While your waiting, how about getting mugged & raped too? Double whammy!

NO REFUNDS
Ask anyone you know who already bought a ticket -- it's printed on the ticket NO REFUNDS. When the event is canceled due to weather, or shut down due to public hazards or gate-crashing toddlers, you'll be out in the cold and rain at 11:30 next to a homeless guy at the beginning of 2011, looking at the useless ticket in your hand that you wasted$80 on.

IT ENDS EARLY
OK, so this more than 8 reasons after all. Raving is all about staying out late partying, so why do they end at 2:00? That also means music will shut down before that! Doors are at 6:00, but who's really going to get there that early on a workday? This is new year's eve and girls like me need to get ready. By the time you actually get inside you probably will have missed all of the acts that you wanted to see. DJ Reza gets a better time slot than Jack Beats? Who actually wants to see THAT fat frick at peak time?

THERE ARE WAY BETTER PARTIES ELSEWHERE
For starters, Hollywood is full of great clubs where you can get your new years rave on well past 2am: GIANT has a killer trance lineup if your 21, HARD is 18+ at the music box for electro & house hipsters, the raveonettes and autolux are playing with tons of djs at the standard, digweed at avalon, etc. there are also great drum and bass (hive & tech itch) and underground house (sublevel) in downtown, bootie la at echoplex, and the EPIC NYE rave w/ moby ferry corsten and afrojack in san diego are all better options than the nightmare that is tao. I dont care where you go, just dont go to the sports arena!


So now you know. TOGETHER IS DONE. spread the word, please re-post!

December 30 2010 at 12:41 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply