It’s that time of the year again. You know, where the year ends. Maybe you’re unwilling to brave the hypergentrification of Oakland to get your annual Les Claypool fix (c’mon, Primus!) or you just really have no clue what to do this New Year’s Eve. Either way, we’ve got you covered with five things to do in SF as the countdown begins and 2013 ends.
Calexico at the Fillmore
Appeal favorite Calexico returns to SF for a night of music straddling the borders of the expansive and the restrained. The sextet brings a bit of global flair to the typical New Year’s Eve celebration, where you’d be just as likely to hear the western tinges of say, Ennio Morricone as you’d hear the syncopated percussion of a djembe.
What: Calexico at the Fillmore
When: NYE: doors: 8pm, show 9pm
Where: the Fillmore: 1805 Geary Blvd.
Cost: $79.75; purchase tickets here
Danny Brown at Mezzanine
Forget the weird stage antics you may have heard about and give a listen to his latest LP, Old. The rapper looks and sounds as fresh as can be on self-effacing tracks like “Lonely” and “25 Bucks,” featuring haunting vocals from Purity Ring. Danny Brown is a true performer, commanding the stage as effortlessly in his rhymes as with his brash stage banter. With Brown as your guide into 2014, the future looks bright, almost neon.
What: Danny Brown at Mezzanine
When: NYE: 9pm
Where: Mezzanine: 444 Jessie St.
Cost: $45-85; purchase tickets here
Moby at the Fort Mason Center
Moby may look more like your Bikram yoga instructor on a juice cleanse but that doesn’t mean the man can’t throw down for New Year’s Eve. Joining him to DJ the night away is EDC Discovery Project winner Alex Sibley and the incomparable Aaron Axelsen, who bring their iconoclastic style to a party that’s apparently widely recognized to be one of the best in the country.
What: Moby at the Fort Mason Center
When: NYE: 9pm
Where: Fort Mason Center: Marina Blvd. and Buchanan St.
Cost: $150-$200; purchase tickets here
New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball with the San Francisco Symphony
Typical high-profile New Year’s Eve parties tend to either cost way too much for not much of anything (shouts-out to that Applebee’s in Times Square charging like $395 to throw down) or celebrating some random decade because nostalgia’s really hip right now. Taking a timeless concept and making it even better is the SF Symphony, which will be playing the classics. Guests will be able to dance on the actual stage of the Symphony Hall and really, what’s cooler than that?
What: New Years Eve Masquerade Ball with the San Francisco Symphony
When: NYE: 9pm
Where: Davies Symphony Hall: Grove St. between Van Ness and Franklin
Cost: $85-$195; purchase tickets here
The Melvins and Red Kross at the Great American Music Hall
The Melvins are riding high on a 30th anniversary tour that has taken them all over the country and reestablished the punk pioneers as exceptional performers. The equally energetic Red Kross have also been turning heads since reuniting in 2006. 2012’s Researching the Blues and their recent spring tour with Dinosaur Jr. prove that the quartet is here to stay and happy to ring in 2014 with you.
What: The Melvins and Red Kross at the Great American Music Hall
When: NYE: doors: 8pm, show: 9pm
Where: Great American Music Hall: 859 O’Farrell St.
Cost: $40 general admission, $64.95 admission and dinner; purchase tickets here
