The biggest party night of the entire calendar (a.k.a. New Year's Eve) is upon us. Anywhere and everywhere you go tonight is bound to have some kind of shindig going on.
Scottsdale will have the swankiness going on with chic affairs at the W Hotel and Mondrian, downtown Phoenix rocks the urban vibe thing at Stoudemire's and PHX Nightclub, and there's always the ultra-crowded Fiesta Bowl Block Party in Tempe.
But if you're in search of some celebrations that are a bit more under the radar than whatever two-bit party the neighborhood gin joint will be putting on, we've got the lowdown on some killer underground fetes (the kind you won't find listed on our competitor's Web sites).
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The Epic Red Cup Massive NYE Extravaganza
The Location: "The desert outside of Phoenix."
The Details: Runs from 7 p.m. until 9 a.m., with a $5 admission. Call 480-593-6784 for directions.
The Lowdown: A DJs of WarsawPact Entertainment and Cosmic Sea Productions are putting on this secretive celebration somewhere out in the boonies. It sounds like it's going to be pretty crackalackin' throwdown featuring a line-up of turntablists that includes Norman Van Ness, Metatron, Spyder, Nick Synergy, and Psytek.
Here's how one of its organizers is describing it:
"Me , Spyder and the usual gang of lost souls are gonna go out to the desert with too much firewood, too much booze, too much sound and too much, well, you know the drill...pretty much burn shit, get fuckered and play loud music on my new drivers and amps until the sun rises or they run us off."
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"Maybe 2009 Will Be Better" New Year's Party
The Location: The Compound, southeast corner of Farmer Avenue and University Drive in Tempe.
The Details: Runs 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.
The Lowdown: The Drunken Immortals will provide the hip-hop, and Steppchild will serve up the rock 'n' roll at this house party hootenanny. A slew of local artists will also be showing off their latest works, including Casebeer, Lalo Cota, Pablo Luna, Sentrock, Dumper, and Reid Richardson.
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Resolutions
The Location: Fifth Ave. & Madison Event Center, 441 W. Madison St.
The Details: $20 before 10:30 p.m., $25 after 10:30 p.m. Call 602-919-2327 for more info.
The Lowdown: Dance your ass off as 2009 dawns at this all-night rave that boasts a large array of DJ talent. The line-up includes perennial rave favorite Tranzit, as well as Cik, Mayhem, Cruz, Kilsek, Bacteria, and dozens more.
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N.Y.E. PHX
The Location: Antique Market, 1601 N. 7th Ave.
The Details: Runs 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. and admission is $10 after 10 p.m.
The Lowdown: The funky works of downtown Phoenix artist Bobby Castaneda will be on display as a slew of bands and DJs will perform. Plus, the first 100 peeps through the door get free bottles of champagne. The Ghouliez, Ronnie RockWell, Borismo, and BC/AD will be on the decks, while Babaluca, Coats & Villa, Monstressors, and Hooves provide live music.
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New Year's Eve Super Jam
The Location: PHX Music Venue, 3619 W. Camelback Rd.
The Details: Runs 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. and admission is $6 before 11 p.m. Call 480-232-5678.
The Lowdown: Hip-hop and Latin jams will be blasting all night, courtesy of DJs Private, Magic-D, and Miss Allstar. Meanwhile, a $1,000 midnight balloon drop, laser light effects, and other madness are planned. -- Benjamin Leatherman
