Best Bets: Send off 2022 with Blue Man Group, Preacher Lawson, American English, Local H
Preacher comedy
Comedian Preacher Lawson, who gained national notoriety on NBC's “America's Got Talent,” starts a five-show run at the Chicago Improv, 5 Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg, ending with a late-night New Year's Eve performance complete with favors and a champagne toast at midnight. $28 seats for 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 29, and 9:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30; $39 for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31; and $50 for the 10 p.m. New Year's Eve show at improv.com.
The BoDeans
The high-energy Wisconsin-born BoDeans bring nearly 40 years of chart-topping hits (“Closer To Free,” “Fadeaway,” “Dreams”) to the Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles, for a year-ending performance. $59-$89 at arcadalive.com. 8:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30
Blast from the past
American English, Chicago's premiere Beatles tribute band, helps ring in the new year with favorites from the English band's vast catalog of hits at the Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake. $37-$50; RaueNOW member tickets start at $25.90. events.rauecenter.org. 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31
Local H
Alt-rock band Local H (“Bound for the Floor,” “Hands on the Bible”), which rose from suburban Lake County in the late-1980s, aims to cap off your 2022 at Chicago's Bottom Lounge, 1375 W. Lake St., Chicago. The duo - Scott Lucas and Ryan Harding - recently celebrated the 20-year anniversary of the groundbreaking release “Here Comes the Zoo,” so fans can expect some faves from that album along with more than three decades' worth of gritty, powerful rock. $30 at bottomlounge.com. 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31
A Blue Man New Year's
The Blue Man Group has added additional New Year's Eve performances at the Briar Street Theatre, 3133 N. Halsted St., Chicago. Tickets start at $49. Masks are encouraged. (800) 258-3626 or blueman.com/Chicago. 2, 5 and 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30, and 1, 4, 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31
New Year on the Pier
One of Chicago's glitziest New Year's Eve parties takes place in the Aon Grand Ballroom on Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. Open to revelers 21 and older, the party includes a live band, DJ, appetizers, drinks, champagne toast and fireworks. Tickets range from $139 to $230. navypier.org. 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 31
Canine competition
Thousands of dogs representing more than 200 dog breeds will compete for top honors during the International Kennel Club of Chicago's The Great American Dog Show at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, 1551 Thoreau Drive, Schaumburg. General admission tickets are $15 for kids 12 and younger, $20 for seniors and $25 for adults. VIP admission is $35 for kids 12 and younger and $50 for seniors and adults. ikcchicago.com. Friday through Sunday, Jan. 6-8