Want to engage in celebrating New Year's Eve without red carpets and bottle service? Good news—live music exists, with the sole intent of distracting you from everything but having a fun, loud, and dancey time. Whether you're into orchestral interpretations of Motown, retro rock, or local hiphop, there's something for you in this list of shows you should buy tickets or make reservations for ahead of time. For even more options, check out our complete New Year's Eve calendar, and, if you'd like free tickets for New Year's Eve parties, make sure to get the Stranger Things To Do mobile app (available now on the App Store and Google Play) and enter our New Year's Eve giveaway.
ROCK (& ROLL) & POP
'80s Invasion New Year's Celebration
Take off your Clubmasters and get a good look at the biggest '80s music fanatics in town: '80s Invasion. They're an '80s cover band (natch), and they're not afraid to tell you all about it, or sing a few songs to describe their constant nostalgia. Join in on their New Year's Eve celebration, sure to be very neon.
Bread and Butter, Great Spiders, and Head Band
Shake it out for the new year with rock revivalists Bread and Butter, Great Spiders, and Head Band.
Hell's Belles with Black Sabbitch
World-famous all-female AC/DC tribute band Hell's Belles kick off the new year with a night of loud, wild rock and roll, with an opening set from Black Sabbath obsessives, Black Sabbitch.
New Year's Eve Disco: Saturday Night Fever
The Backdoor will be turning the clock back on New Year's Eve for a night soaked in disco, burlesque performances by Queen Queen Shmooquan, live music from Johnny and the Moles, and plenty of champagne to get you dancing.
Shelley & The Curves New Year's Eve Party
Swing in the new year with hours of pop and rock classics sung by Shelley & The Curves, preceded by a prime rib and salmon dinner, and a champagne toast at midnight, at this ninth annual event.
Thunderpussy with Porter Ray and J GRGRY
At their root, Thunderpussy are a driving rock and roll group whose jams land smartly this side of “bar band.” Rockin’ like they do alone would fantastic, but they bring a dash of cheeky theater to their shows that makes for hella fun. MIKE NIPPER
JAZZ & SOUL
Joey Jewell's Sinatra at the Sands, with Jim Kerls' Swingin' Sixties Orchestra
The classiness of Sinatra's mob-approved croon tunes will never dissipate, and Joey Jewell will do his best to honor that classiness in his rendition of a full Vegas melee, with Jim Kerls's orchestra bringing the swinging sixties to a loud, layered, big-band jazz reality. As Dan Murphy of KIXI Radio said, "The show is smart, funny, and a wonderful tribute to the lost art of livin' it up. You'll feel like you're in 'The Big Room' at the Sands and life is good."
Jose "Juicy" Gonzales Trio
Prep thyself for the new year with an evening of smooth, complex jazz from Jose "Juicy" Gonzales and his trio, including Michael Marcus on bass and Matt Jorgensen and drums.
New Year's Eve Classical Soul of Motown
Witness the Seattle Symphony parade through the New Year with Broadway stars Capathia Jenkins and Darius de Haas, and guitarist Michael Nicolella, as they play orchestral interpretations of Motown and soul classics.
Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band
Poncho Sanchez, whose band won a Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album in 2000, is one of the foremost, if not the biggest, percussionists in Latin jazz right now. He will perform with his air-tight band, drawing from a decades-long repertoire.
Stephanie Porter Quintet
Well-respected and long-gigging jazz singer Stephanie Porter takes the stage with her quintet, joined by special guest and renowned trumpeter Fred Radke.
Tiffany Wilson's New Year's Eve
Larry Mizell Jr. praised Tiffany Wilson's voice as "simply beautiful, expressive soul (thankfully light on the neo- trappings) with the subtle neckrolling swagger of 90's R&B." See her with SeaMonster's house band, Funky 2 Death.
PUNK & METAL
Abney Park with Soul of the Gypsy's Temple and DJ Jordan B
Start the new year off the most peculiar way possible with an evening of post-apocalyptic steampunk outfit Abney Park, with burlesque servers, Soul of the Gypsy's Temple, and DJ Jordan B.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Yes, I know, they're cheesy in the extreme and not even actually from Siberia, but Trans-Siberian Orchestra's jolly blend of electric-guitar shredding and Christmas music is like the flu: It comes around every year and it's extremely catchy. That being said, if I'm going to be afflicted with pinch-harmonic-inflected cheer, then I'm at least going to focus on the upside. Which is, TSO formed from the remains of the excellent and under-appreciated power-metal outfit Savatage, whose interpretation of Edvard Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" probably sparked the whole classical-music-meets-metal fad. Now if only they still had Alex Skolnick from Testament in the band. JOSEPH SCHAFER
HIPHOP
Ayo Dot & The Uppercuts, Power Laces, and Northern Shakedown
Get loud this New Year's Eve with a party at the Hard Rock, soundtracked by hiphop soul-rockers Ayo Dot & The Uppercuts, Power Laces, and Northern Shakedown, with free party favors and a complimentary champagne toast at midnight.
Black Umbrella NYE with Sam Lachow & Raz Simone
Hometown heavy-hitters Raz Simone and Sam Lachow headline a year-end local hiphop showcase, with Romaro Franceswa, King Leez, Malitia Malimob, Fatal Lucciauno, and Jake Crocker, and hosted by Simone's artist collective and music management company Black Umbrella.
FUNK & ELECTRONICA
Beats Antique with Thriftworks
Get to your ethnotronic-groove happy place tonight. Oakland troupe Beats Antique embrace musical influences from the Middle East, Africa, Central Europe, East Asia, and London to create hybrids to which folks can shake their dreads and swing their gauged ears. DAVE SEGAL
I Will Keep Your Ghost, GEMS, Zoolab, Neu Yeuth
Get weird for the new year with experimental livetronica outfits like I Will Keep Your Ghost, GEMS, Zoolab, and Neu Yeuth at this Red Hook and Bulleit sponsored party.
BLUES & FOLK
11th Annual Hayride to Hell New Year's Eve Bash
In the grand tradition of every new year, Highway 99 brings back bluesy rockers The 44's with guest vocalist Laura Chavez for the 11th annual Hayride to Hell, a loud and raucous New Year's Eve party for blues and country crowd.
Eldridge Gravy & The Court Supreme, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, DJ Paces Lift
You can always count on Eldridge Gravy & the Court Supreme for a GOOD god-damn time; they never fail to brang it, swang it, and then hang it out to dry. I’d rate ’em as some kinda Seattle institution. Seriously. MIKE NIPPER
Redneck Girlfriend, Shivering Denizens, the Black Crabs
The self-billed "Loudest Country Band in the World," Redneck Girlfriend's metal-as-spurs rockabilly will thud a countdown to the new year, joined by outlaw rockers Shivering Denizens and upbeat country trio The Black Crabs.
