The Roots

For hip-hop fans in search of a swank party on New Year's Eve, this is the place to be. Philadelphia's legendary band, the Roots, is playing an intimate show at the Florida Room, which is a rare event on numerous levels. For starters, the hip-hop innovators are used to performing in much larger venues (stadiums at times), but on this night they'll play two sets in a room that only holds 300 people. That's like having the Roots in your backyard for a barbecue — and you know they'll have some special guests in the building as well. It's also possibly one of the last times they'll be on the road for awhile as they are starting up a residency in 2009 as the television house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. They'll be performing on NBC five nights a week, which is a major nod of approval from the powers that be. So here's one last shot to check them out live before all of that madness starts. The Delano also has Atlanta-based soul singer Janelle Monae performing earlier in the evening with Bobbito Garcia on the wheels of steel.