There’s no better way to hide from New Year’s Eve than to see a concert. Some might think that staying in and having a “quiet” New Year’s is the solution, but that little plan can backfire in a depression-inducing “no-bbq-to-attend-on-the-Fourth-of-July” kind of way. With the My Morning Jacket show long sold-out, my money’s on the Blonde Redhead show at Mezzanine (mezzaninesf.com) or Birdmonster at Bottom of the Hill (bottomofthehill.com) to be Jan. 1’s topic of conversation. Here, a quick breakdown of the pros of cons of each show. The rest is up to you.

Blonde Redhead


Pro: Neither the Pixies nor Sonic Youth are in town, so who better to hang out with and wish today’s acts were as original as their '90s forebearers? Plus, there’s like a million other bands and DJs on the bill (including local faves Scissors for Lefty and video maestro DJ Mike Relm) and the whole thing goes until 4 a.m.

Con: This one’s pricier than the other option at $50 for advance tickets, and even more so if you’re springing for the “baller” tickets at $80 a pop. That said; $80 earns you line-jumping privileges, VIP access, private cocktail service and complimentary champagne. Usually those kind of New Year’s Eve perks come with some sort of
designated driver–commensurate financial sacrifice.


Birdmonster

  

Pro: $20 is all that stands in the way of you and a night with SF’s own charmingly scruffy version of a Springsteen-fronted-Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (Plus: the band clearly appreciates the comic value of the random yahoo headline—see the Dec. 15 post on their blog: birdmonster.blogspot.com—about the world’s tallest man saving those dolphins). If you must holler a request that they’ll inevitably be playing anyways, my pick: the Strokes-with-a-dash-of-Bloc Party track “Cause you Can.”

Con: Sometimes getting a cab in Potrero can be a nightmare. But getting a cab anywhere in the city on New Year’s Eve is a nightmare, so stop acting like such a grown-up and worrying about your ride home and suck it up!