Before we get to this week’s New Year’s Eve shows, let’s have a look at what else is on tap.
Where most producer/DJ acts don’t have the continuity of a single vocalist from show to show and album to album, Nero benefits from full-time vocalist Alana Watson. Watson, who was a midwife before joining forces with Nero, makes the DJ set feel more like a band— which is a important distinction. Co-founder Dan Stephens recently told YourEDM, “A lot of bands are just putting out singles and not even whole albums. Our whole album can be listened to straight through, and we’re very proud of what we’ve done with it.” Amen. // Get tickets here.
Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday: Patti Smith at the Fillmore
Dazed recently unearthed one of Patti Smith’s signature, outside-the-realm quotes, from a 1978 interview with a Japanese media outlet: “I believe this planet hasn’t even seen its Golden Age,” she says. “I’m here right now and I want right now to be the greatest time. This is my Golden Age. This is our Golden Age. I’m not there in the past, I’m not there in the future – I’m right here. This is the time to make it great....If each generation would realize the time to be great is right now when they’re alive…the time to flower is now…. anything is possible.” // Get tickets here.
Tuesday: Morrissey at Nob Hill Masonic Center
Humility doesn’t suit rock gods, and we really hate to see a giant like Morrissey have to deal with public shaming. But that’s where we are. The former Smiths lead singer recently “won” Literary Review’s “award” for Bad Sex in fiction thanks to passages like this from his work Lists of the Lost: “Eliza and Ezra rolled together into the one giggling snowball of full-figured copulation, screaming and shouting as they playfully bit and pulled at each other in a dangerous and clamorous roller coaster coil of sexually violent rotation with Eliza’s breasts barrel-rolled across Ezra’s howling mouth and the pained frenzy of his bulbous salutation extenuating his excitement as it smacked its way into every muscle of Eliza’s body except for the otherwise central zone.” Oof. // Get tickets here.
Friday/Saturday: Rancid at the Warfield
Twenty years later, Rancid’s “Ruby Soho,” “Time Bomb” and “Roots Radical” still represent three of the timeless punk singles of the 1990s. The band is currently touring to celebrate the re-issue of the album that housed those influential singles, ...And Out Come the Wolves. Time to see if the black leather we bought from Hot Topic 20 years ago still fits. // Get tickets here.
Friday: Hot Chip at 1015 Folsom (DJ Set)
DJ sets are nearly always underwhelming affairs, but Hot Chip is one of the greatest exceptions to the rule. One reason: Years ago, Hot Chip gave music nerds one of the most compelling, expansive DJ Kicks albums in history. The album included artists ranging from Grovesnor to Ray Charles to New Order, demonstrating the band's sprawling field of tastes and understanding. Hopefully attendees will get a taste of the band's exclusive single from that album, "My Piano." // Get tickets here.
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