Watch CBS News

Guide To A Low-Key New Year's Eve

Looking to go out on New Year's Eve, but don't want to spend it smooshed in a club with sweaty dancers? Here's your alternative. Check out these low-key events brought to you by First Night Boston.
Fireworks
(credit: Ian Walton/Getty Images)
MIDNIGHT FIREWORKS
Boston Waterfront
Boston, MA
http://www.firstnight.org/ 

Part of the famed Boston First Night festivities is the classic Midnight Fireworks over the Boston Waterfront.

If you are walking from the city downtown or even coming over from the common after seeing the ice sculptures, you can ring in the New Year with the spectacular areal display above Boston Harbor.

We all like fireworks, I mean there always seems to be around a million people jammed into the esplanade every Fourth of July and NYE is no different. Yes the weather can make this festivity a bit more thought out, but with proper attire and a drive to see a spectacular sight, this will surely not leave you disappointed.

The best part about this NYE event is it is FREE!

You can see the display anywhere near the waterfront. The only part that one must be aware of is where you park your car, don't get towed! I suggest public transportation and a flask of something that will keep you warm while standing outside.

The fireworks are always sponsored by a local patron so you can be rest assured that this is truly a local event!

SYMPHONY HALL
301 Mass Ave.
Boston, MA
617.266.1492
http://www.bso.org 

Boston has one of the best symphony hall scenes in the country with a dedication to the art and culture matched by very few.

This NYE there will be a show that will keep with this reputation of premier events.

Bettye LaVette, legendary Detroit Soul singer will be gracing the majestic hall in Boston's South End. Anyone who has had the pleasure of hearing LaVette can't deny that she possesses a unique talent of a voice that can reach a skill only dreamt of by other artists.

Her level of nuance and inflection matched with her artistic lyrical phrasing can leave you with a new appreciation for her interpretation of classic songs.

You will most likely wonder if the songs aren't her own. She has been said to have the mastery of such famed artists as Bennett, Holiday and Sinatra.

She has been in the R&B's Top 10 along with mid chart appearances multiple times throughout 40 years of her career.

Her current exploration is in the British Rock Invasion. She explores works by the Stones, Zeppelin, The Who and Pink Floyd.

Local band Jenny Dee and the Delinquents will open up for LaVette on this amazing night of music.

Entrance can be obtained via the First Night Button or directly through the Boston Symphony Box office.

This will be a vocal performance not to be matched any where in town for NYE!

HYNES CONVENTION CENTER
900 Boylston St
Boston, MA
(617) 954-2000
http://firstnight2011.sched.org
 

At the massive expanse of the Hynes Convention Center in the Back Bay, you will sure have a pain in your right side.Improv Boston will be ringing in the new year comedy style this NYE.The event is part of the First Night Boston line up and is a great way for all to celebrate. With some much going on in the city for New Years, a bunch of comedy and "games" is a great way to send off 2010 and look for better days in 2011.

With 27 years of history, Improv Boston will perform its interactive comedy that will surely make you forget about the past year. This is an event for all ages and will literally get the crowd into the performances.

Improv Boston has spawned some the best comics in the scene today including Emmy Award winners and writers for the "The Daily Show and Real Time with Bill Maher".

They even teach the skill and art of theater/comedy through their programs and school.

The Boston Phoenix, The Improper Bostonian and The Weekly Dig have all voted Improv Boston as a "Best of Boston" and it is surely deserving of this title! The entrance is free with the First Night Boston button.

Let's get the New Year started with a laugh!

BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
700 Boylston Street
Boston, MA
(617) 536-5400
http://firstnight2011.sched.org 

Amongst the literary masters in the Boston Public Library will be another master of legendary reputation.In the main branch of the public library, Fernando Otero, Argentinean composer and pianist will be performing as part of the events scheduled for First Night Boston.

Gifted as a child, Otero was urged to use the influences of his native Buenos Aires into his work and it has been a whirlwind since.

Skilled in classical, popular and jazz styles of music, Otero has wowed the Latin music community and the world over. His current debut of Pagina de Buenos Aires evokes his roots through a tango instrument called the bandoneon.

Using the influences of the Tango and Latin music, Otero makes something truly magical and totally his own. His sense of composition is reminiscence of Astor Piazzola while still staying freeform in nature.

Pianos, violin compliment the bandoneon to make a night of music to end the year with.

Otero easily captures the heart and soul of his homeland and recreates its to a new entity for the world to witness. He is a true artist in his talent, soul and passion.

Entrance to this performance is part of the First Night Boston button program. Don't miss it!

THE PARAMOUNT THEATER
44 Charles Street
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 720-1152
http://firstnight2011.sched.org 

If you are looking for a multimedia experience to mesmerize and surprise you for NYE, get to the newly remodeled Paramount Theater.Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips perform "13 Most Beautiful...Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests" commissioned by the Andy Warhol Museum and Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

This performance is a music paring with movie images from Warhol's Screen Tests from 1964-1966. Warhol filmed the famous and anonymous that visited his art Factory with such visitors as Nico, LouReed, Edie Sedwick Dennis Hopper and many more.

These film images played out with black and white and no sound are masterpieces in themselves. Wareham and Phillips are former members of the group Luna who had great success between 1992 and 2005 and made 7 successful studio albums.

Wareham also fronted Boston band Galaxie 500.

Britta has a previous career in film prior to joining Luna in 2000. She appeared in the movie "Satisfaction" (with Julia Roberts, Justine Bateman and Liam Neeson) and voiced 80's cartoon character, JEM.

Wareham and Britta bring out the musical characters of Warhol's imagery with a multimedia passion and subtle touch that you would think Warhol did it himself.

New York based chanteuse Nina Nastasia will open the event.

Entrance can be had by the First Night Boston button. Get more than just your 15 minutes of fame this NYE by not missing the magical Paramount Theater and the sublime artistic performance inside.

Shawn Sixx is a producer for CBS Radio Boston's WZLX. He is also a contributing writer for AMP Magazine and Ryan's Smashing Life.
View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.