Find best live music on New Year’s Eve
There are plenty of opportunities to ring in 2020 with live music, from the great Playboy Manbaby topping the bill at Crescent Ballroom to the Technicolors at the Rebel Lounge and the Black Moods holding court at Rockbar. Here’s a look at live music in Phoenix on New Year’s Eve.
Crescent New Year’s Eve Block Party
They’re shutting down the streets outside the venue for an indoor-outdoor blowout on four stages. Playboy Manbaby will transform Crescent Ballroom into a rock-and-roll planetarium with James World, Audrey Heartburn, Dwayne and the Rockhard Johnsons, Ring Finger, No Pinky and Treasure Mammal as your New Year’s host.
Outside on Third Avenue, Kalliope and the Walter Show have Sean Watson B2b Alaska, Ekonovah, Cormac B2b Nicky V, Elwer, Osutin and Lavander.
The Van Buren will also get in on the action, hosting a ‘70s disco party complete with a midnight drag queen performance, the Hi-Dreams Dj Collective and LA’s Midnight Therapy.
And last but certainly not least, the Blunt Club turns Second Avenue into the largest hip-hop nightclub in downtown Phoenix with DJ Pickster One, Melo and Element, and live art by Dumplarock and Steve Caballero.
Details: 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31. Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave., Phoenix. $15 and up. 602-716-2222, crescentphx.com.
Iration
They may be based in Santa Barbara, but the members of Iration moved there from Hawaii, which explains the island vibe. Their music is a mix of reggae, dub and rock. They’ve topped the Billboard reggae chart with three releases, “Automatic,” “Hotting Up” and their latest, a self-titled effort. They’re joined at the Marquee by Brother Ali, Bikini Trill, Tyrone’s Jacket and Barefoot.
Details: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31. Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe. $42.50-$77.50. 480-829-0607, luckymanonline.com.
Talking Stick Resort Around the World
The Salt River Grand Ballroom at Talking Stick Resort has three parties in one with an Around the World theme. The Rio de Janeiro Experience features Robbie Rivera, a Miami DJ whose Facebook bio credits him with bringing sexy back to house music, and special guest
Lavelle Dupree. The Moulin Rouge Experience has Velvet Elvis, whose Facebook page says they’re “the new face of Las Vegas party bands.” And the Shanghai Experience has Shanghai Nights.
Details: 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31. Talking Stick Resort Ballroom, Loop 101 and Pima Road, Salt River Reservation. $135 includes five-drink wristband, champagne toast and balloon drop at midnight. 480-850-7734, talkingstickresort.com.
Raven’s New Year’s Eve Gala
Meanwhile in the Showroom, Raven’s 14th annual New Year’s Eve Gala features a the Paradigm Band and DJ Brando supplying a mix of R&B, Pop, funk, hip-hop, soul and Top 40 dance hits in “an elegant celestial atmosphere.” There’s a champagne toast and balloon drop at midnight, two full bars and complementary party favors. Semiformal to black-tie attire is requested.
Details: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31. Talking Stick Resort Showroom, Loop 101 and Pima Road, Salt River Reservation. $60 and up. 480-850-7734, talkingstickresort.com.
Dueling Pianos
They’re promising a high-energy, allrequest show that’s a combination of singalongs, comedy bits, dedications, dancing and audience participation. The set list encompasses material from the ‘50s until today, including such staples as “Piano Man,” “Great Balls of Fire” and “Brown Eyed Girl.”
Details: 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31. Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino, 5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd., Gila River Reservation. $20 and up. 800-946-4452, playatgila.com.
The Black Moods
Ring in the New Year with the Tempe act most likely to send singles up the Billboard’s rock charts, if recent trends are any indication. After swaggering their way to No. 29 with “Bella Donna” in late 2018, they climbed even higher when a followup called “Bad News” peaked at No. 24 last summer. And they sound like they’re ready to do it again with “Whatcha Got,” a heavy funk-rock track released Nov. 1, the same day Apple Music shared it alongside tracks by Highly Suspect and the Menzingers on a #breakingrock playlist.
Details: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31. Rockbar inc., 4245 N. Craftsman Court, Scottsdale. $35. 480-331-9190, rockbarscottsdale.com.
The Technicolors
These guys filter classic power-pop through ‘90s Brit-pop and turn-of-thecentury rock-revivalism while bringing the hooks and harmonies in equal measure to guarantee that songs like “Neon Roses” and “Impostor!” are lodged in the listeners’ memory banks before the second chorus hits.
Details: 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31. Rebel Lounge, 2303 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. $25; $20 in advance. 602-296-7013, therebellounge.com.
Orkesta Mendoza Mambo ‘Til Midnight
Valley Bar is ringing in the new year with Mambo Espectacular. The bill is topped by Orkesta Mendoza featuring Salvador Duran with special guests Bye Bye Lullaby from Spain. The night will also feature rhumba, Cubano, salsa, cumbia, merengue and cha cha music spun by DJ Musa Mind and a performance by flamenco guitarist Kristofer Hill and a traditional Spanish midnight toast. Vintage clothing is encouraged.
Details: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31. Valley Bar, 130 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. $24. valleybarphx.com.
Last Exit Live
Last Exit Live has music on two stages with Banana Gun, Sara Robinson Band, Haley Green, the Deadbeat Cousins, the Woodworks, Japhy’s Descent and special guests. There’s a champagne toast at midnight.
Details: 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31. Last Exit Live, 717 S. Central Ave., Phoenix. $12; $8 in advance. 602-271-7000, lastexitlive.com.
ABK’s Native New Year
This Native America rapper from Detroit, also known as Anybody Killa, is on Psychopathic Records, founded by the members of Insane Clown Posse. As All Music Guide summed up the ABK aesthetic in reviewing his first album, it’s a mixture of imagery drawn from his Native American lineage with “bloodthirsty gangsta philosophy,” lacing his raps “with the usual Psychopathic stew of gallows humor, pro-marijuana shoutouts and references to Faygo soda and the city of Detroit.”
Details: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31. Club Red, 1306 W. University Drive, Mesa. $20. 480-258-2733, clubredrocks.com.
Roaring 2020 with Music United
Music United Against Teen Bullying & Suicide will greet the 2020s and pay tribute to the Roaring ‘20s at an all-ages party with live music by the Joeys (who recently won the band part of the Alice Cooper Proof Is in the Pudding contest), the School of Rock Sugar Skulls, the Branches, the Twits, Crack Rabbit and Sydney Swanson. They’re promising cover songs from the past 60 years. The performers will all be in ‘20s costumes. The Facebook event page urges those attending to get all dolled up.
Details: 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31. Pho Cao, 7436 E McDowell Road. $15; $10 ages 12 and under. 480-947-2608, phocaoaz.com.
A San Jacinto Prison New Year
For those who haven’t seen this band rock those prison stripes, you can get a decent taste of what they’re all about by checking out “Unfreedom Rock” on Bandcamp. Most tracks arrive at a gritty yet sophisticated collision of ‘60s garage rock and ‘70s soul with a lyrical sensibility that leads to moments as inspired as “Conjugal Visit,” on which they set the scene with “Not much light passes through these bars that shines as bright as this love of ours.” They’re joined on New Year’s Eve by Jason Catlin and the New East.
Details: 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31. The Lost Leaf, 914 N. Fifth St., Phoenix. Free. 602-258-0014, thelostleaf.org.