Sometimes if you “do it” long enough you “do it” well. Like a rock band. KISS comes to mind, as well as lots of danceable stuff.
So for New Year’s Eve: Got there. Done that. Here’s the tried and true, for a decade or two, then some relative newcomers who could do worse then to emulate them:
— By sheer standards of people dancing, to unabashedly dance tunes, over years of consistency, you go to the Smilin’ Moose. They are adding a second ringing in of 2022, at 3 a.m. to keep it rolling forward, as they like so many Hudson area clubs are staying open until 4 a.m. This isn’t your Daddy’s New Year’s at the old Dibbo’s, where they would never shut down until … If? When? Brunch and far beyond.
— Dick’s might usher you out a bit earlier, using an often hastily called last call, but that is OK because their music is again, Starting Back At 4 p.m., led by the latest duo fronted by gentleman Josh. Later, the tunes take on a creative often-mixed-song DJ sound. A good dozen hours of tune based enjoyment.
— The Bungalow Inn in Lakeland digs even deeper into their vault of history with another show by Gary LaRue, enabling a waltz-size dance floor to be filled. A great list of wines is there, as always. Like Dick’s, there are food specials too, so you may still need to make reservations.
— The Gas Lite in Ellsworth has all such things, so it might be worth it to go south of my home-base border town to live it up. They’ve also had your back by keeping the latest hours possible all through the holidays and come the Eight O’Clock Hour on NYE, there’s the holiday rarity of a rock band, Coconut Tiger, and theirs with a touch of glam. It is also billed as Alicia’s birthday, so there are two things to wish her, so stop in. And while there, try out the special holiday dart tournament. Prizes for more than only Alicia.
— T-Buckets near Somerset has entered into the fray in a big way with what they play — as this newer club starts the eve early with karaoke (with DJ) — which though only a few years into existence has made its mark. And with the frequent girth of their prizes too, as a bonafide contest rides on into January/February. With price of champagne going up world-over due to short supplies, and that long NYE tradition being put on the back-burner by some venues, what is cooler as an option to ring in the New Year then with a pizza party, (of course at midnight, and I bet the chef is going to really be hopping to it come 11:40 p.m.)
But for the sheer length of such contests, at more than half a year, The Nutty Squirrel in River Falls is the One. One. Like the Metallica song, which you just might hear. Every Wednesday night there has been a series of prizes starting at $50 for first place, and then you go back at the end of every month for a shot at $300, and the grand finale is tonight and you won’t want to miss it because the anointed one will earn $1,200! You do have to have qualified on one of those earlier Wednesdays to go for the big money. So take a Shot In The Dark, via Ozzy, because here is an inside tip: In the past the sound system has been loud enough to overpower a mere mortal singer, but if you have the vocal chops as far as your own volume and can rise above it … Four figures can await.