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2001 Get Out and Stay Out A Guide to the Best New Year's Parties and Concerts A DISPUTED PRESIDENT acts up, the dotcom revolution goes bust, Gary Condit learns all the wrong lessons from Bill Clinton--Sept. 11!--here comes a real recession, kiss the Bill of Rights goodbye--all excellent reasons to celebrate with a flourish this Dec. 31. This is a year that definitely deserves to be exorcised in a hail of high-velocity confetti. The last day of the year also represents our first chance for a genuine year-end blowout unsullied by unseemly arguments about the mathematics of the calendar--at last, the first real New Year's of the new millennium. The response has been surprisingly strong. San Francisco and San Jose are both hosting some serious multidimensional extravaganzas--from Coolworld's Planet New Year 2002, with its endless parade of top DJs at the Cow Palace, and Ruby Skye's equally intriguing Resolution II, to San Jose's Digital Soul Party at the Cactus Club and the budget-minded Cheap Ass New Year's Eve at the Usual, which salutes the arrival of 2002 with pizza and beer. This year, Metro's New Year's Guide offers options: geographical, musical and demographic; from Santa Cruz through Silicon Valley to San Francisco and Oakland. All events take place Dec. 31 unless otherwise noted. Jump the Gun What: Joe Sharino Band New Year's Eve Eve Show with noisemakers, balloons, rock standards by the indefatigable Joe When: Dec. 30 Details: 8:30pm at the Cocoanut Grove, 400 Beach St., Santa Cruz; $30/$35; 831.423.2053. The Buzz: A tradition for those who can't stand the crowds on the big day itself The Good News: Sharino fanatics can go again on the 31st at the Westin in Santa Clara Eat, Be Merry but Don't Drink What: First Annual Silicon Valley Sobriety Ball Who: The Downtown Alamo Club, which helps 12-steppers and rehabbing alcoholics offers a chance to socialize on the biggest party night of the year without the temptation of free-flowing champagne Details: Call 280.1019 for info. What: First Night Santa Cruz Details: 3pm-midnight in downtown Santa Cruz; $12/$6 youth, ages 6-18; free for children 5 and under; 831.425.7277. The Good News: Dance, stage shows, street artists, comedy and live musicians The Draw: No booze; aimed at families Which Begs the Question: Why doesn't downtown San Jose follow suit? What: Radio Disney Noon Year's Eve Party Extravaganza Details: 10am-noon; free noon-4pm; some rides have fees. San Jose McEnery Convention Center, 150 W. San Carlos St., San Jose; 408.277.5337. The Buzz: Indoor carnival rides and games, information booths, entertainment and children's activities by Radio Disney Silicon Valley Live What: Salsa Party Who: DJ El Matancero and Orquesta Sorpresa Details: Alberto's, 736 W. Dana St, Mountain View; 650.968.3007 What: Almaden Feed and Fuel Who: Live sounds from Faultline, plus appetizers, party favors and a champagne toast Details: 9pm-closing; Almaden Feed and Fuel, 18950 Almaden Rd., San Jose; no cover; 408.268.8950. What: New Year's Eve at the Brit Who: The Sofa Kings Details: Dinner packages: $49.95 per couple for regular dinner package; $250 per couple for VIP package, includes bottle of Dom; Britannia Arms Almaden, 5027 Almaden Expwy., San Jose; 408.266.0550 What: British Bankers Club Who: Megatones, plus dinner buffet and champagne toast Details: 9pm at the British Bankers Club, 1090 El Camino Real, Menlo Park; $25; 650.327.8769 What: Fanny & Alexander Who: Hollywood Plus: Party favors, a balloon drop and a champagne toast Details: 8pm at Fanny & Alexander, 412 Emerson St., Palo Alto; $20/$25; 650.326.7184 What: Fibbar Magee's Who: Rooster Details: Fibbar Magee's, 156 S. Murphy Ave., Sunnyvale; $5-$10; 408.749.8373 What: Hedley Club Who: Swing jazz with Hot Town Jubilee Details: Hedley Club, Hotel De Anza, 233 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose, 408.286.1000 What: Blues New Year's Who: Little John Chrisley Goodies: Hats, horns and midnight champagne Details: JJ's Blues, 3439 Stevens Creek Blvd., Santa Clara; $12; 408.243.6441 What: King's Head Pub Who: Engine Room and Dangling Mangoes Extra: Large buffet Details: King's Head Pub, 201 Orchard City Dr., Campbell; 408.871.2499 What: Transvestite New Year's Who: Performer Marisela, plus Angela and guests; not to mention party favors and champagne countdown Details: The Lido, 30 S. First St., San Jose; $12 What: Mountain Charley's Who: Sweet Relief Details: Mountain Charley's, 15 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos; 408.395.8880 What: #1 Broadway Who: The Hitmen Details: #1 Broadway, 102 S. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos; $20; 408.354.4303 What: Quarter Note Who: Dryer Details: Quarter Note, 1214 Apollo Way, Sunnyvale; 408.732.2110 What: Off the Hook Who: Crank Case Details: Off the Hook, 2369 S. Winchester Blvd., Campbell; 408.374.3257 What: Scruffy Murphy's Who: Tiana Noyes and the Boys Extras: Drink specials, party favors and a champagne toast Details: Scruffy Murphy's, 187 S. Murphy Ave., Sunnyvale; 408.735.7394 What: New Year's Pool Why: No cover, cheap games, champagne Details: South First Billards, 420 S. First St., San Jose; 408.294.7800 What: Euro-Trash New Year's Eve Jazz Party Why: Best name Details: 8pm at Turmerik, 141 S. Murphy Ave., Sunnyvale, 408.617.9100 What: 104.9's Cheap Ass New Year's Eve Who: Ones and Zeros, Triple Seven, the Restitution, Wrekhouse, the Blind and Disquiet Working-Man's Extras: Free pizza and midnight beer toast Details: The Usual, 400 S. First St., San Jose; $10.49; 408.535.0330 Silicon Valley DJ Parties What: Dine, Dance and Drink Party Who: DJ Brother Reese, plus champagne toast and party favors; dinner packages Details: 8pm at the Agenda Lounge, 399 S. First St., San Jose; 408.287.4087 What: Backbeat's NYE 2001>2002 Who: DJ Suavecito, DJ David De Almeida and DJ Adolf, plus after-hours appearance by David Coleman and Sen-Sei Details: 6pm-6am; Backbeat Nightclub, 777 Lawrence Expwy., San Jose; $95 dinner and dance package; $50 dance package; $25 twilight package; 408.241.0777 What: Digital Soul New Year's Eve Who: DJs Josh Werner, Richard Summerhayes, Melanie, D'Lux, Mark Campbell and Huey spinning house in one room; DJs Proxy, Hak, Das, Siphon and Genome dishing out drum 'n' bass in the other Details: 8:45pm at the Cactus Club, 417 S. First St., San Jose; $15 adv.; 408.491.9300 What: New Year's Eve With DJ Tim Plus: Party favors, balloon drop and a champagne toast Details: 8pm at Fanny & Alexander, 72 N. Almaden Ave., San Jose; $20/$25; 408.287.1737 What: Icon New Year's Eve Plus: Multiple dinner packages; music by DJs King Raffi and BB Hayes; champagne toast, party toast and balloon drop Details: 8pm at Icon Nightclub, 260 California Ave., Palo Alto; call for prices; 650.289.0222 What: 2002 Red, White & Blue New Year's Eve Bash Who: DancePlex, plus continuous champagne and falling balloons Details: 8pm-2am; Polly Esther's, Culture Club and Club Expo, 396 S. First St., San Jose; $30/$40; 408.280.1977 What: Sports Page Who: DJ by Brian, a buffet and a champagne toast Details: 8pm at the Sports Page, 1431 Plymouth Ave., Mountain View; $12 single/$20 couple; 650.961.1992 What: St. Stephen's Green Who: DC Adam Plus: Four-course meal and raffle Details: Dinner at 6:30pm, music at 9pm at St. Stephen's Green, 223 Castro St., Mountain View; $30/$35; 650.964.9151. What: VooDoo New Year's Eve What For: Complimentary beer, wine and selected spirits, plus a champagne toast Details: VooDoo Lounge, 14 S. Second St., San Jose; $75; 408.286.VODO. Recession, What Recession? What: Café Primavera Why: Four-course meal, champagne at midnight; plus music by Alfie Dreyfuss and His MVP band, with songs by Wally of Wally's Swing World Details: 8pm at Café Primavera of Los Gatos; $100; 408.271.0836 What: Fairmont Hotel Who: Gala dinner designed by Jimmy Lo of Pagoda's Details: 9pm at the Fairmont Hotel, 170 S. Market St., San Jose; $125 per person; 408.998.3060 What: Gala de Salsa Who: Orquesta Borinquen Perks: Champagne toast, party favors, balloon drop and hotel and dinner deals Details: 8pm-2am at the Doubletree Hotel, 2050 Gateway Pl., San Jose; $37 door; 408.280.6269 (408.453.4000 for hotel packages) What: 10th Avenue Jazz Band Perks: Room, buffet dinner, New Year's Day jazz breakfast Details: 8pm-1am (8-9:30am on Jan. 1) at the Arena Hotel, 817 The Alameda, San Jose; 800.966.1236. Economic Stimulus: $259 per couple Snob Appeal: Limited to just 100 jazz fans What: Joe Sharino Band's New Year's Eve Ball Perks: Package One includes gourmet dinner, wine, dessert, champagne, party favors and dancing. Package Two throws in an overnight stay at the hotel Details: Westin Hotel, 5101 Great America Pkwy., Santa Clara; 408.998.2277 How Much Am I Helping the Economy?: $299-$399 per couple What: New Year's Gala Who: San Francisco Symphony, conducted by Edwin Outwater; plus Peter Mintun and Soul University Details: 9pm at Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco; $87-$145; 415.864.6000 Good News: Party favors and balloon drop Bad News: Wandering mimes in the lobby What: An Evening in Venice Snob Appeal: Six-course dinner, formal attire, two seatings, masks, jazz by Forte Details: 6 and 8pm at Spago Palo Alto, 265 Lytton Ave., Palo Alto; $125-$150; 650.833.1000 Highway 17 Warriors What: The Catalyst Who: Superbooty Details: 9pm at the Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz; $35/$40; 831.423.1336 Who: The Firebirds Details: Dinner, 6:30pm, music, 9:30pm, at Henfling's Tavern, 9450 Hwy 9, Ben Lomond; $30 includes prime rib and lobster feast; 831.335.1642 What: Paradise Island Who: The Cool Jerks, Broken English and DJ Cut-a-Rug And More: Casino games, balloon crop and a glass of champagne Details: Dinner at 7pm at the Cocoanut Grove, 400 Beach St., Santa Cruz; $89 dinner and dance/$59 dance and dessert; 831.423.2053 Way, Way Out of Town What: New Year's in Las Vegas Who: Ministry of Sound, plus Paul Oakenfold, Scott Hardkiss, Statis Revenger and Rober Oleysyck; plus look for Guns N' Roses at the Hard Rock Hotel Details: House of Blues Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas; call 702.632.7600 for tickets or go online at www.ministryofsound.com East Bay Extras What: Gala Concert Who: San Francisco Chamber Orchestra Why: Classical favorites (Mendelssohn to Beethoven) conducted by Edgar Braun; includes a turn in the spotlight by 14-year-old violin showoff Nathan Olson Details: 8pm at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Ave., Berkeley; $15 donation; 510.845.8542 What: New Year's Eve Dance Who: Ritmo y Armonía y Fito Reynoso Details: La Peña, 3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley; $20/$22; 510.849.2568. What: Organic New Year's Eve Rising Who: Funky Tekno Tribe Why: Uberschall (a Blue Man Group offshoot) plus acrobatics by Abravida and multiple DJ sets by Donal Blaude, Mark Farina and King Britt Details: 8pm at Ibiza, 10 Hegenberger Rd., Oakland; $80; 877.769.1688. What: Afro-Cuban New Year's Who: Changuito, Giovanni Hidalgo and Maraca Details: 9pm at Yoshi's at Jack London Square, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland; $75; 510.238.4555. What: Shipboard New Year's Who: Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, with the Swing Session Details: Aboard the U.S.S. Hornet, Hangar Deck, Alameda. What: Phil Lesh and Friends Who: With Ratdog, Crusader Rabbit, DJ Logic and Derek Trucks Band on New Year's Eve Details: Dec. 30 at 6pm, Dec. 31 at 6pm at Henry J. Kaiser Arena, Tenth and Fallon streets, Oakland; Sun $35/Mon $60; 510.238.7765. What: Pajama Jam Why: A screening of Grease, plus oldies tunes and prizes. Details: 7:30pm-2am at the Parkway Theatre, 1834 Park Blvd., Lake Merritt, Oakland; 510.814.2400. San Francisco's Giants What: Coolworld's Planet New Year 2002 Who: Del the Funky Homosapien, Bad Boy Bill, Christopher Lawrence, WishFM, Planet B, Kevens with the Marlyes, Mystre, DJ Bizz & DJ Huey 2.4, Greg Sandler & Joey Mazzola, St. John, David Garcia, David Savoir, Rick V., DJ Dollar, Rudy G, RJ Rauser, Thomas Trouble, Madame Mercury, Simon Apex, Armann the Brainchild, Gianni, Reckless Ryan, Torque, DJ Hill, DJ Ellusion and Liquid and many more As if That Weren't Enough: A spiritual countdown ceremony (visualize the dropping ball) and a fireworks display The Bad News: It's at the Cow Palace, in the wake of the Dickens Fair; "global conscious booths" Details: Cow Palace, South San Francisco; $35/$45/$50 at the door: 408.998.TIXS. What: Resolution II: NYE 2001>2002 Who: DJs Derrick Carter, Julius Papp and M3, plus Trapeze World, Earth Circus light imagery and a snow show Extras: Champagne or Red Bull toast, party favors, hors d'oeuvres and coffee after midnight Menu Alert: Black pepper oysters with caviar, crawfish and corn beignets with papaya lime dipping sauce Details: 7pm-6am at Ruby Skye Nightclub, 420 Mason St., San Francisco; $100 entire evening/$50 after 12:30am; 415.693.0777 What: Sea of Dreams 02: Dive-Ocean Who: Lost at Last, Brain Garden, Fox Gluf and DJs Lorin, Norm Stradley, Laird, Mr. Sandman, Kris Nova, Alaric, Goz, Shill, El Gato, CyberVixen and Obodayo Weirdness Factor: Musical and visual excursion through dream worlds into 2002: light show, cabaret and opera singers, interactive installations, circus performers, giant inflatable sculptures featuring members of Teatro ZinZanni and Cirque du Soleil, a 1909 pipe organ which will be played at midnight, vegetarian food, chai, a smoking patio, tarot readings; costumes encouraged Numbers: Three floors, three ballroomns, nine "dreamscape environments" Details: 9pm-4am; Regency Building, 1300 Van Ness, San Francisco; $60 advance; 415.978.2345 What: Ball by the Bay Who: Double Funk Crunch and guest DJs Ellen Ferrato, Rafael De La Cruz, David Harness, Dylan, DJ Seven and DJ Life Details: 8:30pm-1:30am at Pac Bell Park, San Francisco; $150-$300; 415.615.0002. Perks: Open bar, dinner and dessert buffet, VIP tour of the dugout Rumor: Proceeds go to help sweeten the Giants' offer to Barry Bonds What: Bubble Party Who: British electropop pioneers Human League, plus Steve Masters M3, Kaskade and more Details: 8pm-2am at BACKFLIP/Phoenix Hotel, 601 Eddy St., San Francisco; $75/$89; 415.339.7444. What: Galactic, with Karl Denson's Tiny Universe Details: 8pm at the Warfield, 982 St., San Francisco; 88.50/$56.50; 415.421.TIXS Fan Base: Funk followers What: Jam-band specialists String Cheese Incident, with Keller Williams Target Audience: Deadheads with a purist streak If You Can't Wait: The band also performs Dec. 28-29 at the Graham Details: 8pm at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco; $32.50/$60; 408.998.2277 What: Les Claypool's New Year's Eve Frog Out Who: Les Claypool's Frog Brigade and Deadweight Cross-reference: Primus Details: 9pm at the Fillmore, 1805 Geary at Fillmore, San Francisco; $55; 415.421.TIXS What: Mos Def Fan Base: A hip-hop New Year's Details: 8pm-2am; Justice League, 628 Divisadero St., San Francisco; $75; 415.289.2038 San Francisco Club Crawl What: Pimp 'n' Ho Party Who: Remedy spinners Norman Stradley, B.B. Hayes, Jerry Ross and more Details: 9pm-6am; Big Heart City, 836 Mission St., San Francisco; $40; 415.646.0803 What: Bimbo's New Year's Eve 2002 Who: Casino Royale, the 365 Club Orchestra and DJ California Kid Anachronism Alert: Special appearance by the "Girl in the Fishbowl"; cocktail attire required Details: 8pm at Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus Ave., San Francisco; $50; 415.474.0365 What: Zen Guerrilla Who: Drunk Horse, Hotwire and Titans Details: Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., San Francisco; $15; 415.621.4455 What: New Wave New Year's Who: DJs Damon and Jules, plus Shifty Paul Details: Cat Club, 1190 Folsom St., San Francisco; 415.431.3332 What: New Wave City Who: DJs Shindog and Skip Details: Covered Wagon, 917 Folsom St., San Francisco; 415.974.1585 What: On and On Who: Oldskool vs. nu school with DJs Forest Green, Eva, Megatron and more Details: 9pm-6am at Cellspace, 2050 Bryant St., San Francisco; $14/$19 What: Countdown New Year's Eve Who: DJ Michael Anthony Extra: After-hours part till 6am at Hotel Triton Details: 8pm-3am at Club Bas, 383 Bay St., San Francisco; 415.441.3885 What: Massive Selecter NYE 2002 Who: DJs Cool Chris, Tom Thump and more Details: 9:30pm-4am. $15/$25 at Club Six, 60 Sixth St., San Francisco; 415.863.1221 What: Ascend New Year's Who: DJs Scott Carrelli, Queen Agnes B, Rodrigo and more Details: 9pm at the DNA Lounge, 375 11th St., San Francisco; $40; 415.626.1409 What: Marathon New Year's Who: DJs Adrian, Charlotte the Baroness, Tracy and Ruban Mancias Details: 9pm at the Endup, 410 Sixth St., San Francisco; $40; 415.357.0827 What: Ipecac New Year's Eve Who: The Melvins, Tomahawk and Dan the Automator Details: Slim's, 333 11th St., San Francisco; $50/$60; 415.522.0333 Fan Base: Punks What: Sno-Drift New Year's Who: Mark Farina, plus Keebo, DRS, Harris Cho, Jes-Dub and Frank Domingues Details: 9pm-midnight at Sno-Drift, 1830 Third St., San Francisco; $60/$75; 415.431.4766 What: 26 Mix Goodies: Potluck dinner at 8pm; New Year's Eve favors and champagne Details: 26 Mix, 3024 Mission St., San Francisco; 415.826.7378 What: Uniting Souls and Compression Who: DJs John Howard, Ad Lib, Golden Child vs. Fuse One and more deliver Drum 'n' bass, renegade house and funky breaks Details: 314 Folsom, San Francisco [ Silicon Valley | Metroactive Central | Archives ]