The most fun I ever had was when I was living in San Fran. My favorite New Years show was this lineup:
Primus
The Pixies
Janes Addiction
at the Civic Center
and of course in Oakland was the legendary Grateful Dead NYE show,which I attended the year before. Basically,most promoters I think are just too lazy or don't have the clout to put a really good show together at that time of year.
Bill Graham could get things done! There aren't any Bill Grahams around anymore. What a shame...