We were looking for a New Year’s Eve celebration with a Michigan flare, but not the same old party and boy did we find it when we combined the Chelsea Alehouse and Jets Pizza. These venues are as different as night and day, which is exactly why it was so much fun.
Chelsea Alehouse and Jets Pizza for New Year’s Eve
When the Chelsea Alehouse posted their New Year’s event on their Facebook page we jumped on it. We were looking for something different and this party included live music by the Ben Daniels Band. We’d wanted to see them perform for a while, so it was perfect. Plus there was a nacho and sushi bar, food is key to surviving a New Year’s Eve celebration. The next thing you know, Jets Pizza in Chelsea announces they also are having a party and it is a fundraiser for Syrian refugees in Greece with live music from Brother Red Squirrel and DJ tunes by Dan Potter. Well, hell, what do you do? You only live once right? We figured we could party surf between venues and get the best of both.
Jets Pizza, Dan Potter, and Brother Red Squirrel
We arrived in Chelsea around 7:30 and got our New Year’s Eve celebration started at Jets Pizza. They recently added a new room adjacent to their main restaurant. I think it was unofficially being called the rumpus room. The room is very fun with paintings on the wall to give you a feeling like you are in Middle Earth.
Dan Potter had his sound rig setup and jamming a funky mix of techno and classic rock. It was pretty wild to hear songs like Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion” or the Doors “All Night Long” set to an undercurrent of techno beats and electronica. When not handling DJ duties, Dan also does live and studio engineering. He definitely got the party started.
Jason Povlich got on the mic and thanked everyone for coming out, talked a bit about the latest mission to provide shoes for the refugees in Greece, and then introduced Brother Red Squirrel.
Brother Red Squirrel instantly reminded us of Michael Hedges with intricate and lyrical phrasing. He was accompanied by a stellar percussionist whose name we missed. Together they had the crowd at Jets mesmerized and thoroughly entertained. A great treat for this New Year’s eve celebration.
Quick, run across the parking lot to the Chelsea Alehouse!
Chelsea Alehouse and the Ben Daniels Band
The house was pretty full at the Chelsea Alehouse when we walked in. We got a couple of tasty Little Jaunty IPAs and then went to check out the nacho and sushi bar. Wow! The beer was great and the food spread was really tasty. The Ben Daniels Band took the stage shortly after we arrived and got the party off to a great start with their blend of blues, folk, and rock. Ben has a great voice which reminds you a bit of Dave Matthews. The band is stocked with solid musicians. We really enjoyed the fiery lead guitar of George Merkel.
The band played a nice mix of upbeat and a few slower tunes to get folks out on the dance floor. Things got a little crazy when Ben’s dad showed up with his guitar and raised the roof with some good old rock and roll music.
We have more pictures of the parties at Jets Pizza and Chelsea Alehouse in your gallery!
Happy New Year!
Many thanks to the wonderful people at Chelsea Alehouse and Jets Pizza for letting us bounce between parties and giving us a super fun way to ring in the new year.
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