In spite of its outdated reputation for $4.99 lobster buffets, Las Vegas is an expensive city, especially when it comes to entertainment. Even aging singers who would have a difficult time selling $30 tickets on tour can easily charge $100 in Vegas, since they know that tourists arrive desperate to be entertained and prepared to splurge.
It's a night when diners order lobster instead of salmon, and restaurateurs serve it to them at an inflated price. It's a night when clubs triple their cover charges, but partiers line up anyway. It's a night when homebodies, especially parents, are so eager to treat themselves to an evening out that they don't mind being fleeced.
Thankfully, New Year's Eve in Milwaukee offers entertainment options for both those who have saved for a once-a-year indulgence and those partying on a budget. Here's a look at a small assortment of ways Milwaukeeans will be welcoming in 2008, arranged loosely from priciest to cheapest. Midnights @ The InterContinental Hotel, 7 p.m. Packages from $125-$499
One of this year's most extravagant New Year's Eve events, this gala revolves around a novel concept: Every hour, the party's motif switches to mirror the culture of a different city celebrating their new year that hourthe music, hors d'oeuvres and cocktails will adjust accordingly. There will also be plenty of music throughout the hotel, including alternative rockers The Gufs, local rockers Northern Room (the ideological successors to The Gufs, in many respects), cellist Janet Schiff and soulful Madison rapper Rob Dz.
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The Robert Cray Band @ Potawatomi Bingo Casino, 11:59 p.m. $60-$75 ($95-$110 w/ buffet dinner and champagne) Robert Cray, one of the true greats of modern blues, vexed purists in the '80s by smuggling traces of pop and soul music into his records, but Cray ultimately won over most critics with his adroit songwriting and emotive guitar work. Tonight, Cray's velvet-smooth, lover-man persona will come in handy, as plenty of blues fans will be looking to pass this concert off to their spouses as a romantic evening out.
$55-$85 You wouldn't necessarily know it from his failed sitcoms or his infuriating Sierra Mist commercials, but Jim Gaffigan is actually very funny. In recent years, audiences have taken notice, drawn in by a frequently replayed Comedy Central stand-up special in which the comedian assails Hot Pockets. Food humor often conjures thoughts of Weird Al Yankovic or Kenny Bania, the insipid “Seinfeld” comedian with an extended routine about Ovaltine, but with his dim yet genial smalltowner shtick, Gaffigan milks laughs out of even the most exhausted subject matters. It's a wonder, though, why a comedian who has made a career ridiculing our country's unhealthy eating habits doubles as the spokesman for an ultra-sugared, nutritionally vapid soda like Sierra Mist.
Beer In The New Year @ East Side Bars, 9 p.m. $20-$25 Here's an ideal package for heavy drinkers looking to leave their cars behind: $20 or $25 gives you access to significant drink specials at four East Side bars (the Miramar Theatre, the Uptowner, the Tracks and Red Dot) and admission to two buses that will shuttle between those bars while supplying free beer. Among the DJs performing at the bars are DJ Pain 1 and V100.7's DJ Eleazar; the drink specials include $3 tall Bacardi and Cokes and $2 shots of Goldschlager.
The Harlem Globetrotters @ The Bradley Center, 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. $14.50-$136.50
The winningest team in basketball, and also the only one to regularly solve mysteries with Scooby-Doo, the Harlem Globetrotters return to Milwaukee for their annual New Year's Eve performance. Amix of comedy routines and athletic displays set to a real game of basketball (albeit one overseen by a flustered, easily distracted ref), Globetrotters games are a great way to tucker out the young ones before dropping them off guilt-free at grandma's for the night.
Retro Dance Party @ Mad Planet, 9 p.m. $10 As usual, Riverwest offers some of the cheapest New Year's Eve options. For this year's NYE, Mad Planet supplements its popular Retro Dance Partya euphoric mix of dance and pop songs from the '80s and early '90s usually reserved for Friday nightswith snacks, party favors and a midnight champagne toast.
Reggae 101 @ Club Timbuktu, 8 p.m. $10 The African-themed Club Timbuktu is Riverwest's onestop cure for seasonal affective disorder, and New Year's Eve finds the club in even more festive spirits than usual. Five DJs will cover every conceivable sub-genre and offshoot of reggae music, while the kitchen supplies an African and Caribbean buffet. Cover includes party favors and a champagne toast.
The Wildbirds @ The Cactus Club, 10 p.m. As a general rule, Bay View doesn't go out of its way for New Year's Eve. For the most part, the neighborhood's many corner taps and hipster hideouts treat the night like any other, perhaps throwing in a champagne toast as an afterthought. The Cactus Club in particular is a refuge for those just seeking alcohol and live music, not party hats and noisemakers. Tonight they've booked The Wildbirds, an excellent Appleton band that spins dirty blues rock into tidy pop songs.
Aluminum Knot Eye and DJs @ The Circle ACafé, 8 p.m. $5 Sadly, for most of the year, the Riverwest rock 'n' roll hub Circle ACafé has been dark, opening only for periodic weekends and special occasions. Lest its patrons forget that the café is still kinda-sorta open for business, though, Circle Ais throwing a colorful New Year's Eve bash. It starts at 8 p.m. with a trio of bands (acid-punks Aluminum Knot Eye and garagerockers The Gut Reactions and The Goibbledoimbs) and continues until 5 a.m. with a succession of DJs: DJ Warlock, Lemonie Fresh, The Junk Shop and The Brains.
$4.50 (kids), $8.50 (adults) One of the more novel locales to ring in the new yearand also one of the most family friendlyis Mitchell Park's Floral Show Dome, which reinvents itself as a holiday-themed village square for the evening and hosts a succession of musicians, comedians and magicians.
Reilly @ The House of Guinness, 5 p.m. Free In America, Irish music is often associated with St. Patrick's Day, but it's actually the perfect New Year's Eve music, too: Like the holiday itself, it's merry, boisterous and lends itself to drinking. Milwaukee Irish-rockers Reilly celebrate the holiday early at the House of Guinness in Waukesha, playing a set that will wrap up by 9 p.m. Even the toast has been moved up it'll happen at 6 p.m., which will be midnight in Ireland.
Milwaukee New Year @ Red Arrow Park Free ANew Year's Eve option that becomes more inviting with each passing year, as the city's Downtown grows fuller and livelier, Red Arrow Park opens up its ice-skating rink for the evening and sets off a fireworks display at midnight. It's simple, yes, butespecially for families (and especially if the weather stays on the mild side)it's a perfect, cheap, lowstress night out.
Dance the Night Away Club Noise presents the seven deadly sins of New Year's Eve By Jenn Danko
Has a year of decadence come and gone already? I know, we're as surprised as you. With so many opportunities for sinning and so little time left, Milwaukee's club scene is making a mad dash for one last romp to close out 2007. Good thing we're off the clock this New Year's Eve. It's one of the few Midwest locales that keeps the party going 24 hours strong. We recommend getting a taste of naughtiness at a number of local venuesafter all, the talent is deep and the clock is timeless. The question is, how many sins do you (err, can you?) commit by 10 a.m. New Year's Day?
Vanity
Three Who wants their 3TV? Milwaukee Street's underground EDM bastion is hoping you do, with a talented cast of seminal selectors. Local favorites Fortune, Jonn Hawley, Maddoktor, Homewrecker, Surge, Diesel and Crisgo Disco (to name a few?) bring the local club cats their first taste of a multimedia NYE. Guests can get on the reels with an '80s-induced “Girls on Film” experience that includes a party Web cast shown live throughout the night. An interactive video system tapes the all-night NYE affair, which will be available for yearlong viewing at iwantmy3tv.com. An additional blog and photo gallery ensures that guests max out their star-power. Partygoers pay $20 for a cash bar, hors d'oeuvres and the posh experience of the newly remodeled Zoo Lounge. Starring as the host of an NYE party? Slink in after 5 a.m. for the free pizza and party buffet. At this point, cameras will be far from your mind. 722 N. Milwaukee St., (414) 225-0003 or www.iwantmy3tv.com for more information. Doors open at 9 p.m.
Lust
Decibel/Deepbar Deep in its lair waits a sinful affair of sensuous beats and early a.m. treats. The double-dip with which Decibel/Deepbar prepares to break its NYE cherry involves a decadent evening of underground EDM, house and hip-hop that teases and tempts every palate. Anacron, Bounce the DJ and DwooD warm up the main room with popular dance, party rock and mash-ups; inside Deepbar, it's the underground likes of E-Rok vs. Samonik, DJ Dong, Jude Raw, DJ ShortRound, J.C. Disco and more taking crowds into 5 a.m. For the service set, arrive after 5 a.m. for an exclusive VIP,when the food and drink pour freely and Milwaukee's finest EDM DJs take the party into the light of day. For a true experience in decadence, consider opting for the $700 platinum package that includes admission and table for eight, one premium vodka bottle of choice, one bottle of Louis Roederer champagne, an open bar and a complimentary buffet from 8 to 10 p.m. General admission: $20 all night. 1905 E. North Ave., (414) 272-DEEP or www.decibelmke.com for more information. Doors open at 8 p.m.
Wrath
CO2 No need for anger; CO2 is inviting you to give this NYE at its second annual “Cure in the New Year” event. The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation gala gives guests the chance to put a little nice into their holiday naughty. With pink wristbands available in advance for $5 each (proceeds benefit the Komen Foundation, of course) and $15 at the door, partygoers can partake in an evening of drinks and beats while supporting a worthy cause. Those still looking to glam up their night can take advantage of $100 and $250 all-you-can-drink packages, which include everything from premium open bar and bottles of X-Rated Liqueur to Rose champagne and Pepe's Rockn' Taco Shack buffet. As for the music? Why B and Kid Cut Up take their No Requests party live. 715 S. Fifth St., (414) 383-0000 or vip@co2ultralounge.com for more information. Doors open at 8 p.m.
Gluttony
Stellar Spark V More means more at Milwaukee's largest NYE partyand this year, Stellar Spark V delivers its most sparkling lineup to date. With more than 60 DJs dazzling the docket and six rooms of sound, the annual Rave/Eagles Club affair hardly sacrificed quality for quantity. This year, the diverse roster of EDM talent includes standouts such as Rectangle (turntablism/ hip-hop), Colette (house), John B (D&B/electro) and the filthy hotness of Denver electro house seductress Lea Luna. Her electric mix of big-room club, house, progressive, rock and electro landed her in the booths of Avalon New York and B.E.D. Miami, to name a few. This NYE she joins a seemingly endless bill of DJs and musicians that keep the party going until 4 a.m. General admission: $25 in advance, $35 at the door. 2401 W. Wisconsin Ave., (414) 342-RAVE or www.therave.com for more information. Doors open at 8:30 p.m.
Greed
Moct Bling in the New Year with some hedonistic help from Milwaukee's finest party DJs. Baltimore club-kids The Glamour headline with good-time go-to guys Why B & D-On, and E. Rich & Faraz Farzam. With mash-ups and disco, hip house and bootlegs, loud colors and louder attitudes are welcome all night. Consider cashing in on the “Big Pimpin'” package for $250, which includes a table for four and a premium bottle of liquor. “Lil' Pimp” your NYE with a premium couples package of booze, beats and complimentary buffet. Everyone else: $20 gets you the ultimate good-time get-down. Do you dare to join the mile-high club? 240 E. Pittsburgh Ave., (414) 273-6628 for more information. Doors open at 9 p.m.
Sloth
Stonefly Stretch out and enjoy the smoothest sound of NYE on an organic ride of live sound and easy beats. Kairo Communications presents its low-down version of Stonefly's New Year's Eve party, including the selfstyled grooves of Jail, J. Todd, Element, Growing Nation, King Hell Bastard and more. An even $15 grants guests access to Milwaukee's best UG hip-hop and live rock all night long in the no-frills digs of Riverwest. Arrive early for the best seating. 735 E. Center St., (414) 264-3630 for more information. Doors open at 10 p.m.
Envy
Red Light The boys of the Scoreless After Two and Epiphic collectives are hoping you have EDM envy this New Year's Eve. With fewer and fewer underground dance events going off, why say, “I wish I would have …” No worries, Kris Kleinbeck will have no trouble guilting you into this all-night affair of deep, underground house. Make your friends jealous with the $15 cover charge and dance until 2 a.m. With Karl Almaria, Faraz Farzam, DJ Dong and Kleinbeck himself. 1758 N. Water St., (414) 272-2050 for more information.
