Last year, astronomical ticket prices, heavy competition, and slow sales among the highest-profile shows caused the cancellation of several events. The result was a colossal headache coupled with a financial nightmare, and promoters don’t want to relive it. Ever.

A look at New Year’s Eve 2000 festivities in major American cities revealed a major absence of big events. So far only San Francisco appears to have much happening in the way of special events to ring in Y2K+1. Even so, the highest-profile bashes there are dueling Grateful Dead-related shows that are considered traditional, even in the wake of Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995.

And even those shows are in Oakland, not San Francisco.

The Other Ones – a Dead spinoff including Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann and others – headline a show at the Network Associates Coliseum Arena, while Phil Lesh & Friends take over the nearby Henry J. Kaiser Auditorium.

George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic, and the Steve Kimock Band will open the show for The Other Ones.

Across the bay, it appears the biggest party will be at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, where chanteuse Macy Gray and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe head a lineup of mostly local bands, techno outfits and DJs.

By New York City standards, goings-on are relatively low key in the Big Apple as well. Marc Anthony will ring in the new year with a concert at Madison Square Garden. A Buena Vista Social Club showcase of Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portuondo, and Ruben Gonzalez is booked at the Beacon Theatre; Maceo Parker and Soulive are performing at Irving Plaza; and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular continues its annual run at Radio City Music Hall.

Last year, NYC saw one of the most spectacular Y2K event meltdowns. The Jacob K. Javitz Convention Center was to be the site of Celebration 2000, with a megastar lineup including Andrea Bocelli, Sting, Aretha Franklin, Enrique Iglesias, Tom Jones, and Chuck Berry to name a few.

Promoters reported that only about one-third of the 30,000 tickets available at $1,000 – $2,500 had been sold before the blowout was canceled.

In Las Vegas, Barbra Streisand kicked off Y2K with a performance at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, raking in almost $15 million, while Bette Midler at Mandalay Bay and Rod Stewart at the Rio did good business as well.

However, those success stories aren’t translating into a repeat performance for 2000: The biggest name on the desert skyline this year is Van Morrison at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Chicago? The House of Blues has a lineup of Nina Gordon, the Jayhawks and Third Eye Blind, and an assortment of blues artists at the smaller nightclubs.

Detroit? Ted Nugent, Kid Rock, Metallica and friends sold out the Pontiac Silver Dome in 1999. This year, the Nuge does his hometown gig with Sammy Hagarat the much smaller Palace of Auburn Hills.

Los Angeles? The biggest event in L.A. – which hosted one of last year’s biggest parties with the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne at the Staples Center – will not be a concert at all, but a rave.

The Los Angeles Times reports that local promoters Insomniac and Go Ventures are joining forces with San Francisco’s Cool World to host what they hope will be the largest electronic dance event in the U.S.

They’ve secured the L.A. Sports Arena and Coliseum for the show, dubbed Together As One, and are hoping for attendance of more than 60,000.

“Last year there was so much happening, everyone looking at the millennium, when this is the real one and there’s not much going on,” Insomniac owner Pasqual told the Times.

“With the rise of a new culture and the digital revolution, it will be the real attraction.”

But if it’s live music you want, there’s always Chris Isaak at the House of Blues.