Jon Caramanica, Elysa Gardner, Sean L. McCarthy, Jon Pareles and Giovanni Russonello

DAVID AMRAM: There’s no more suitable send-off for the Cornelia Street Café — which will close next week after 41 years as a home of offbeat poetry, jazz, cabaret and theater in Greenwich Village — than a David Amram show. A remarkable musical polymath and conservationist of beatnik culture, he has played at the club monthly for 13 years and has come to epitomize its essence. At 10:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, Manhattan; 212-989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com. (Giovanni Russonello)

AS THE CROW FLIES and THE MARCUS KING BAND: Chris Robinson has had a prolific career outside the Black Crowes, whose throwback British blues-rock made them a multimillion-selling band in the 1990s; the band announced its breakup in 2015. But hits are hits, and Robinson has put together As the Crow Flies to play them along with some cover songs — probably in jammier versions than the originals. The Marcus King Band, a Southern-rock group with a horn section, shares the bill. Dec. 30 at 8 p.m., New Year’s Eve at 10 p.m. at the Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York; 877-987-648, thecapitoltheatre.com.

A SWING SWANG SWINGIN’ NEW YEAR’S EVE: Jim Caruso, the buoyant showman who brings Broadway, jazz and cabaret talent to Monday-night open mics, hosts a holiday special showcasing fluid and charismatic vocalists Veronica Swift, Gabrielle Stravelli and Benny Benack III, and musical theater veteran Lesli Margherita. (Swift will do double duty, also performing a few numbers with the Birdland Big Band in a separate 11 p.m. set.) They’ll join forces at 8 and 11 p.m., accompanied by pianist Matt Baker, bassist Pat O’Leary and drummer Curtis Nowosad, along with hats, horns, balloons, a complimentary champagne toast and an à la carte menu. At Birdland, Manhattan; 212-581-3080, birdlandjazz.com. (Elysa Gardner)

SANDRA BERNHARD and GARLAND JEFFREYS: Singer, songwriter and Brooklyn native Jeffreys is back with the grittily astute, texturally eclectic rock he has been crafting since the 1960s, most recently for the 2017 album “14 Steps to Harlem.” After his 7 p.m. set, Bernhard also returns to welcome 2019 in her irreverent and fabulous fashion, promising a “mélange of musings, music and whimsy” she has titled “Quick Sand,” with performances at 9 and 11 p.m. At Joe’s Pub, the Public Theater, Manhattan; 212-539-7778, publictheater.org. (Gardner)

BON BON BURLESQUE: Puerto Rican-born, Bronx-bred choreographer, performer and fitness guru Marlyn Ortiz, who is also Madonna’s personal trainer, found time to co-create (with choreographer Emmanuel E. Hernandez) and direct this group of professional dancers in a show that sets traditional and neo-burlesque elements to Latin rhythms. Performances begin at 9 p.m., with DJ Miss Dakota providing music and “cigarette girls” dispensing candy; tarot card readings are also on offer. The evening starts at 8 p.m. and includes a four-hour open bar, with a three-course dinner available before the show, beginning at 5 p.m. At the Green Room 42, Manhattan; 646- 449-7792, theGreenRoom42.com. (Gardner)

CHRIS BOTTI: A genteel crowd-pleaser, Botti plays trumpet as if swimming through his band’s sound — that is, he sounds like he’s defying gravity but not achieving any kind of liftoff. More than jazz or pop, the genre that suits him best might be holiday music, so it makes sense that he’s held down a December residency at the Blue Note for the past 14 years. He appears here with a nine-piece band. At 7 and 10 p.m., the Blue Note, Manhattan; 212-475-8592, bluenotejazz.com. (Russonello)

CHARLES BUSCH and AARON TVEIT: Busch, who was long one of cabaret’s most beloved drag artists, will be “dressed as my own wonderfully androgynous self” for “New Year’s Eve with Charles Busch and Friends.” The creator and star of “Vampire Lesbians of Sodom,” “Psycho Beach Party,” “Die, Mommie, Die!” and other evocatively named, adorably outré plays and films (he also wrote the Tony Award-nominated “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife”) will hold court at 7 p.m. with his musical director, Tom Judson, and a bevy of Broadway vets: Andréa Burns, Peter Flynn and Howard McGillin, along with actress and comedian Ashley Austin Morris. The robust-voiced Tveit, whose own credits include “Next to Normal,” “Wicked” and the Broadway-bound stage adaptation of “Moulin Rouge!” will follow at 11 p.m.; the cover charge includes a two-course prix fixe dinner, dessert buffet and open bar. (Premium seats include a half bottle of champagne per party and an individual dessert.) At Feinstein’s/54 Below, Manhattan; 646-476-3551, 54below.com. (Gardner)

THE CITYFOX ODYSSEY: This 27-hour electronic marathon extends all the way through New Year’s Day at Avant-Gardner, which has a lineup of more than two dozen house and techno DJs, among them Lee Burridge, Honey Dijon, Tale of Us, Patrice Baumel and, promising a “hybrid set,” WhoMadeWho. The beats may turn minimal, but they will continue quite awhile. At 9 p.m., Avant-Gardner, Brooklyn; avant-gardner.com. (Jon Pareles)

CLUB CUMMING NEW YEAR’S EVE BALL: The East Village night spot’s co-owner Alan Cumming, the versatile actor, entertainer and eternally impish host, will join guests including singer/songwriter Jill Sobule, night-life mainstay performer Daphne Always, drag provocateuse Christeene and burlesque diva Velvetina Taylor. Festivities begin at 9 p.m., with the Club Cumming Orchestra in residence until midnight; service then continues, with DJs Sammy Jo and Darren Dryden holding forth, until 8 a.m. New Year’s Day. At Club Cumming, Manhattan; 800-838-3006, clubcummingnyc.com. (Gardner)

DARK STAR ORCHESTRA: A tribute band grounded in punctilious research, the Dark Star Orchestra doesn’t just play the Grateful Dead’s repertoire. It plays the full sets from specific nights of the Dead’s 50-year itinerary, and some audience members can probably name the original date. On Dec. 30 and New Year’s Eve at 8 p.m., Wellmont Theater, Montclair, New Jersey; 973-783-9500, wellmonttheater.com. (Pareles)

JOHN DIGWEED: After six years, the durable Williamsburg dance club Output is closing following this New Year’s Eve party that goes until 8 a.m. John Digweed — the long-running British house DJ, producer and label head — will provide the soundtrack for this farewell event, putting both the year and the club to bed. With Tara Brooks, Desna, Chilly Mox and Alex Raouf. At 10 p.m., Output, Brooklyn; outputclub.com. (Jon Caramanica)

NATALIE DOUGLAS: A witty, ebullient entertainer with a sweetly dusky, soulful voice and a winner of 10 MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets &amp; Clubs) Awards, Douglas will mark her 20th anniversary ringing in the new year with reflections on the year gone by and a mix of familiar and new material. She’ll take requests, too. “A Very Natalie New Year” unfolds at 7:30 p.m., then again at 10:45 p.m., with music direction by Mark Hartman. At the Duplex, Manhattan; 212-255-5438, theduplex.com. (Gardner)

‘EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE!'S NEW YEAR’S EVE IN NEW YORK CITY!’: Best known for collecting hilariously awful videos (and, in a related yet unrelated project, amassing the world’s largest pile of “Jerry Maguire” VHS tapes), the Everything Is Terrible performance group will present this all-ages bash featuring all-new video finds, free merchandise, a photo booth and an after-show dance party. (Those under 18 will need a parent or guardian.) At 9 p.m., Brooklyn Bazaar, Brooklyn; bkbazaar.com. (Sean L. McCarthy)

GOV’T MULE: Warren Haynes, the guitarist, singer and songwriter of Gov’t Mule, is a jam band all-star who has done long stints with both the Allman Brothers Band and the Dead. His own band plays dark, low-slung Southern rock that borders on grunge, facing down dark thoughts with bluesy determination. On Dec. 29 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 31 at 9 p.m. at the Beacon Theater, Manhattan; 212-465-6500, msg.com/beacon-theatre. (Pareles)

MACY GRAY: Twenty years ago, before the Motown-sound revival (Sharon Jones, Amy Winehouse, Leon Bridges), Gray was making music that felt right in touch with soul’s golden era but that went its own way. “Ruby,” released this year, shows that she hasn’t changed her formula much; her raspy, mischievous singing and earnest songwriting still bear charms. She performs sets at 7 and 10 p.m.; the latter includes a three-course meal with open bar. At the Iridium, Manhattan; 212-582-2121, theiridium.com. (Russonello)

DAVID GUETTA: Guetta was one of the DJ-producers who, over the past few years, helped to bring EDM into the global pop mainstream, even if it didn’t quite stay there. But underneath his big-tent anthems beats the heart of a classic house DJ. This will be his second straight year bringing in the new year in a Brooklyn warehouse. At 9 p.m., 63 Flushing Ave., Brooklyn; guettanye2019.com. (Caramanica)

CARLOS HENRIQUEZ: The bassist in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Henriquez is increasingly showing up on Lincoln Center stages as a bandleader. A master of both classic jazz and Afro-Cuban styles, he released an album this year featuring ankle-breaking arrangements of Dizzy Gillespie tunes in a Latin-jazz mode. At Dizzy’s, Henriquez plays sets at 7:30 and 11 p.m., with a stellar nine-piece band including trumpeter Terell Stafford, tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana and drummer Obed Calvaire. Tickets include a three-course meal. At Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Manhattan; 212-258-9595, jazz.org/dizzys. (Russonello)

HOP ALONG and DIET CIG: This year, Hop Along released “Bark Your Head Off, Dog,” its best and most flexible album, full of curiously detailed stories delivered with piercing singing and dynamic indie-rock and folk-adjacent arrangements. The band’s opener at this show is another sharp woman-fronted group, the wry, potent and efficient pop-punk duo Diet Cig. At 9 p.m., Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, New Jersey; 732-361-6659, asburylanes.com. (Caramanica)

HOUSE OF YESANDZERO PRESENT NEW YEAR’S EVE: Acid Pauli, known for his prolific, adventurous mixing of house and techno, leads an international roster of DJs that includes Behrouz, Mira, Be Svendsen and Oceanvs Orientalis. Guests can arrive at 9 p.m. and linger until 5 a.m. while enjoying other enticements such as a New Orleans jazz band, a body art and beauty parlor, a sound-healing lounge, fetish goddesses at the “Temple of Sacred Sin” and a midnight countdown with accompanying spectacle in each room (the most spectacular guaranteed in the Grand Ballroom). At Grand Prospect Hall, Brooklyn; houseofyes.org/NYE. (Gardner)

THE LONE BELLOW and COURTNEY MARIE ANDREWS: The Lone Bellow is a three-member band from Brooklyn with roots elsewhere: from Appalachian picking, the Band, 1960s soul, 1970s Nashville and Laurel Canyon. Its songs build from everyday events to impassioned close-harmony choruses. Courtney Marie Andrews has a striking voice, high and tremulous with reserves of power, that matches the fierce immediacy of songs that often come across as roots-rock hymns. At 9 p.m., Bowery Ballroom, Manhattan; 212-260-4700, mercuryeastpresents.com/boweryballroom. (Pareles)

HAROLD MABERN: This pianist was born in Memphis, in the cradle of midcentury soul music, but he’s been a New Yorker since the tail end of the 1950s, when bop still reigned. His experiences in both cities shine through in his richly harmonic playing and swiftly grooving music. Mabern has released four albums in the past four years on the Smoke Sessions label; at Smoke, the venue behind the label, he’ll be joined by boisterous bop vocalist Mary Stallings, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, bassist John Webber and drummer Joe Farnsworth. Tickets to either the 6:45 or 9:45 p.m. set include a four-course meal; the later option includes admission to a bonus late-night set. At Smoke, Manhattan; 212-864-6662, smokejazz.com. (Russonello)

RICH MEDINA: Since the 1990s, Medina has been a reliably knowledgeable party DJ, with a tool kit that spans house, soul, funk, hip-hop and beyond. At 10 p.m., C’mon Everybody, Brooklyn; cmoneverybody.com. (Caramanica)

TONY MIDDLETON: Since joining the doo-wop group the Willows as lead singer in the early 1950s, Middleton has wielded his textured baritone in Broadway musicals and European jazz clubs, and at the Apollo Theater, while collaborating with Burt Bacharach, Smokey Robinson, Cissy Houston and Della Reese. A frequent presence in various New York venues of late, he’ll welcome 2019 with his quartet, featuring pianist Tadataka Unno, saxophonist Eric Person, bassist Jim Cammack and drummer Dwayne Broadnax, with shows at 9 and 10:30 p.m., the latter including a champagne toast. At Zinc, Manhattan; 212-477-9462, zincjazz.com. (Gardner)

MINGUS BIG BAND: This band devoted to the repertoire of Charles Mingus captures the elements that made him so successful as a bassist and composer: his rangy power and the earnest, searching quality to his music. Assembled and managed by Mingus’ widow, Sue Mingus, this big band has held down a weekly residency at Jazz Standard for a decade now. It performs a couple of special New Year’s Eve shows at 7:30 and 10:30 p.m., both of which include a three-course meal. At Jazz Standard, Manhattan; 212-576-2232, jazzstandard.com. (Russonello)

MURPHY’S LAW: The most pummeling New Year’s Eve lineup is headlined by New York hardcore stalwarts Murphy’s Law, capping off a year in which frontman Jimmy Gestapo suffered from serious health issues. Also performing: U.S. Bombs, Total Chaos, the Krays, Ice Cold Killers. At 7 p.m., the Kingsland, Brooklyn; 718-383-1900, kingslandbargrill.com. (Caramanica)

THE NEW MASTERSOUNDS: The New Mastersounds are British fans of vintage U.S. soul and funk, a proudly retro-sounding instrumental band that devises hand-played grooves harking back to the 1960s and 1970s. For this band, wah-wah guitars, crisp backbeats and steamy electric organ never went out of style. At 8 p.m., Gramercy Theater, Manhattan; 212-614-6932, mercuryeastpresents.com/thegramercytheatre. (Pareles)

‘NEW YEAR’S EVE SPECTACULAR’: As close as you’d ever want to be to Times Square without having to stand in the cold for 12 hours, Carolines on Broadway is hosting an all-star stand-up showcase in its comfy, cozy basement club, plus you can still watch the ball drop onscreen. Performers include Yamaneika Saunders, seen on Netflix this fall as one of “The Degenerates,” Alex Edelman, named the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s best newcomer, and others. The later show includes a DJ and dancing after midnight. At 7:30 and 10 p.m., Carolines on Broadway, Manhattan; 212-757-4100, carolines.com. (McCarthy)

‘NEW YEAR’S EVE WITH MIKE YARD’: This comedian grew up with tropical holidays in his native Virgin Islands before moving to New York City in 1986. Yard has appeared on Comedy Central’s “Inside Amy Schumer” and broke out as one of the main correspondents and panelists for that network’s “The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore.” Yard also appeared this year on “The Break With Michelle Wolf” on Netflix. At 8 and 10:30 p.m., Gotham Comedy Club, Manhattan; 212-367-9000, gothamcomedyclub.com. (McCarthy)

NOTHING: The Philadelphia band Nothing has been rebuilding shoegaze from within, replacing the dreamier components with a heft borrowed from hardcore and grunge while maintaining the genre’s fundamental elegiac nature. Also: more neo-shoegaze, but less rugged, from Weekend and Teen Body. At 8 p.m., Knitting Factory, Brooklyn; 347-529-6696, bk.knittingfactory.com. (Caramanica)

JOHNNY O’NEAL: This virtuoso pianist and endearing vocalist lives to thrill. He wants to bedazzle but also to evoke a strong emotional response. He plays everything from Tin Pan Alley ballads to Stevie Wonder tunes, in a stride jazz piano style and a bluesy baritone. At Smalls, O’Neal will perform separate sets at 9:30 and 11 p.m., and just 50 tickets will be sold for each. They’ll be available only at the door, on a first-come, first-served basis. At Smalls, Manhattan; 646-476-4346, smallslive.com. (Russonello)

OTEIL &amp; FRIENDS: Bassist Oteil Burbridge was with the Allman Brothers Band from 1997 until its retirement in 2014 and has made plenty of other jam-band connections as a founding member of Dead &amp; Company, the Tedeschi Trucks Band and Aquarium Rescue Unit. His own groups lean toward funk, jazz and gospel-infused Southern rock. Burbridge’s latest Oteil &amp; Friends lineup includes Melvin Seals, the longtime keyboardist for the Jerry Garcia Band; Eric Krasno, the guitarist from Soulive; John Kadlecik, a guitarist who was a founding member of the Dark Star Orchestra, and Jennifer Hartswick, a singer and trumpeter with the Trey Anastasio Band. At the Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York, on Dec. 27 and Dec. 29 at 8 p.m., and at Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, on Dec. 30 at 8 p.m. and New Year’s Eve at 9 p.m.; thecapitoltheatre.com and brooklynbowl.com. (Pareles)

PHISH: Since 1994, Phish has been headlining Madison Square Garden on and off — mostly on — for a run of shows culminating on New Year’s Eve, jamming its way through a catalog that touches on funk, country, prog-rock, jazz and more with intricacy and whimsy. For its New Year’s Eve shows, the band sets out to top itself each year with a secret, ever more elaborate midnight stunt. Tickets for the arena itself have sold out, but Phish also offers webcast access in an array of resolutions and bundles. Full information is at webcast.livephish.com. (Pareles)

BUSTER POINDEXTER: David Johansen’s hipster alter ego will once again swing in the new year as headliner of the Surrealist Ball 2019, also set to feature Mick Rock, Alix Brown, Radio Rahill, Chances with Wolves and Yosef Munro. “Surrealist-inspired dress” is encouraged, with Rothschild’s 1972 Surrealist Ball (which inspired this annual event), Salvador Dalí, Alexander McQueen and Lady Gaga among the references listed. A premium open bar and hors d’oeuvres are available from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. At the Roxy Hotel, Manhattan; 212-519-6600, nyetheroxyhoteltribeca.com. (Gardner)

POST MALONE and LIL PUMP: End a dyspeptic 2018 with the sound of pop congealing into a slow, crawling moan. Post Malone is the most modern pop star — a rapper and singer, a child of hip-hop but not beholden to it, melancholy even when he’s celebrating. Opening this show will be Lil Pump, who represents everything Post Malone doesn’t: adrenaline, disruption, mayhem. At 9 p.m., Barclays Center, Brooklyn; 917-618-6100, barclayscenter.com. (Caramanica)

CHRIS POTTER: With a clear, almost vacuum-sealed tone, Potter plays the tenor saxophone with utter ease — and tenderness to match. Among jazz’s present-day titans, he closes a full week of shows at the Village Vanguard with the band from his lovely 2017 album, “The Dreamer Is the Dream”: David Virelles on piano, Joe Martin on bass and Marcus Gilmore on drums. Admission is good for both sets and includes hors d’oeuvres and party favors. At 9 and 11 p.m., the Village Vanguard, Manhattan; 212-255-4037, villagevanguard.com. (Russonello)

MARGO PRICE and LILY HIATT: Here’s a double bill from the Americana side of current Nashville. Singer and songwriter Price is a country classicist, harking back to the twangy guitars, honky-tonk spirit and taut, telling wordplay of Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton; she comes up with choruses like “A little pain never hurt anyone.” Lily Hiatt went into the family business — songwriter John Hiatt is her father — and she writes fervent, intimate roots-rockers about regrets, resilience and perseverance. At 9 p.m., Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-486-5400, musichallofwilliamsburg.com. (Pareles)

‘Q.E.D.'S NEW YEAR’S EVE SPECTACULAR’: Astoria’s top comedy club will not disappoint, with headlining entertainment provided by Christian Finnegan, Myq Kaplan and other comedians. Kaplan reached the finals of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” in 2010, while Finnegan graduated from joking about the week’s headlines on VH1’s “Best Week Ever” to providing a little levity for viewers of MSNBC’s “Countdown With Keith Olbermann.” Admission includes an appetizer buffet. The later show includes noisemakers and a champagne toast at midnight, with live-streaming of the ball drop from Times Square. At 8 and 10 p.m., Q.E.D., Astoria, Queens; 347-451-3873, qedastoria.com. (McCarthy)

RAVEN O: The downtown night-life fixture, who over decades has channeled pop icons from Bowie to Sinatra while remaining an androgynous, boundary-shattering exemplar of alternative cool, will offer song and commentary, accompanied by renowned jazz bassist Ben Allison. Shows begin at 8 and 10:30 p.m.; each includes a three-course dinner and a half-bottle of Cava per person. At Pangea, Manhattan; 212-995-0900, pangeanyc.com. (Gardner)

THE RUB: The Rub has been one of Brooklyn’s defining — and very fun — dance parties for a decade and a half, long enough that it recently released its own commemorative photobook, “Sixteen Years of the Rub.” Its New Year’s Eve event features DJ Ayres and DJ Eleven, the party’s resident DJs, and guest Nicole Sky (of Nina Sky). At 10 p.m., the Bell House, Brooklyn; 718-643-6510, itstherub.com. (Caramanica)

SNOOP DOGG: True story: The sole full-length album Snoop Dogg released this year was “Bible of Love,” a not-bad gospel-rap album. In this moment, he’s perhaps more visible as a TV personality: charming host of the revamped “The Joker’s Wild” and even more charming co-host of “Martha &amp; Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party.” But don’t expect any of those versions of Snoop to come out at this concert, likely to be a hits revue of gangster-rap classics and saucy modern funk. At 9 p.m., Terminal 5, Manhattan; 212-582-6600, terminal5nyc.com (Caramanica)

‘THE STAND PRESENTS NEW YEAR’S EVE’: This comedy club has remained technically homeless since closing its doors in Gramercy in June in preparation for a move to a larger spot in Union Square. In the meantime, The Stand’s owners will put on four shows in two different locations to ring in 2019. Tim Dillon, with new specials out this year on both Comedy Central and Netflix, performs during at least three of the shows. Other performers will include Jim Norton, Todd Barry, Ron Bennington, Marina Franklin, Janeane Garofalo and Vladimir Caamaño. At 8 and 10:30 p.m., SubCulture, Manhattan; 212-533-5470. At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3, Manhattan; thestandnyc.ticketfly.com. (McCarthy)

‘SASHA VELOUR’S ‘NIGHTGOWNS’: NEW YEAR’S EVE’: Nightgown began as a monthly theatrical drag showcase in Brooklyn but has since toured theaters around the world thanks to its host, Sasha Velour, and her win on the ninth season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” You may or may not hear Velour replicate her TV lip-sync performance of Whitney Houston’s “So Emotional,” but you’ll definitely experience a drag show like no other, with regular cast members Vander Von Odd, Untitled Queen and Neon Calypso, and after-party beats by DJ Hannah Lou. At 9:30 p.m., National Sawdust, Brooklyn; 646-779-8455, nationalsawdust.org. (McCarthy)

This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/26/arts/music/new-years-eve-concerts-comedy.html" id="cd7b8157-f7c9-3074-aedf-cfaa1cc7580d">The New York Times</a>.

Phish at the Garden, drag shows in Brooklyn, jazz in the Village, comedy perilously close to Times Square and more: Where to laugh, dance, mosh and jam in New York and vicinity in 2019.

New Year's Eve: A Guide to Music and Comedy Events

Politics

Local

World

News

Celebrities

Music

Movies

Entertainment

Sports 

Fashion

Beauty & Health

Relationships & Weddings

Food & Travel

Lifestyle

Domestic

International 

Business

About

Highlights

Selection Criteria

Jury

Terms And Conditions

FAQs

Pulse Influencer Awards

Courses

Careers

Explore categories

Pulse Kenya is the most followed news and entertainment platform in Kenya. It informs and engages young Kenyans around the clock and provides updates by the hour.

Jon Caramanica, Elysa Gardner, Sean L. McCarthy, Jon Pareles and Giovanni Russonello

Articles written by the author

New Year's Eve: A Guide to Music and Comedy Events