Thumbs up or down? Chicago weighs in on first ‘Rockin’ New Year’s Eve’

For the first time ever, Chicago was included in the live nationwide broadcast of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, and that milestone was breathlessly touted in every publication, including this one. I was genuinely excited to see the Windy City shine, especially with Chance the Rapper hosting, but like many others, I was disappointed by how it unfolded.

Rather than feeling like a true showcase of Chicago talent and culture, the segment came across as disorganized, with too many unfamiliar faces onstage and no real focus on performances that would highlight the city’s incredible musical heritage. Though Chance did lead the countdown, the broadcast didn’t feature the kind of lineup I thought we deserved.

I had hoped to see even more local icons, people like Jennifer Hudson, Common or Billy Corgan, take the spotlight for a performance, but that didn’t happen. And after the fireworks exploded over the Chicago River, Seacrest was trying to bring Chance back to the mic, but he was already celebrating with friends and family instead of properly closing out our segment.

The one genuinely memorable highlight were the fireworks dramatically lighting up the Chicago River. Photographer Barry Butler captured that spectacle better than any national TV coverage, and those images felt like the moment our city truly shined. And that’s my two cents. Others weigh in below:

1. Wonder why we couldn’t have Jennifer Hudson? I didn’t recognize a soul on that stage except for Val.

2. J-Hud and Common would have been amazing.

3. Not representative of a great city. Third rate… flyover. No diversity. Mid-representation. We have so many great bands, etc.

4. The broadcast missed on capturing the celebration in Chicago. Too many times Chance was only there to introduce performances from Vegas. Should be more rooted in what we do and how we do it in Chicago.

5. Also, the broadcast really missed the magic of the big ball drop moment. We should’ve had a lot more crowd shots, which have historically been the soul of this program. Make us feel like we are there. They opted for celebrity focus while the hosts talked over the fireworks.

6. It was such an embarrassment. Except for the fireworks.

7. There was nothing to cover! A rapper onstage with his entourage of friends and family.

8. Seacrest’s show wasn’t going to put a bunch of nobody’s on tv.

9. Then the mayor gets up there acting ghetto.

10. The crowd was small bc there was no one to see.

11. Not even a cheesy Blues Brothers act.

12. What about Billy Corgan? Duh.

13. Could have been better.

14. Sadly, not enough to see. I agree with all previous comments. All the acts were from New York, Las Vegas and Nashville when we started watching, not Chicago. The countdown and fireworks, but for the introduction of Chance's parents, was underwhelming. It could have been so much more.

15. Underwhelming.

17. It was actually embarrassing I thought. And very telling how little time Chicago actually got versus Vegas.

18. Weak.. trying too hard to showcase Chicago… amateurs.

19.  Thank goodness for beautiful overhead shots with fireworks on display that overshadowed the poor unimpressive lineup.

20. Jones Band and so many Chicago based bands should have been the answer!

21. The female singing with Chance couldn’t carry a tune and the shots the TV got of the river and the fireworks were inconsequential. Someone immediately afterward posted a much more compelling shot looking downriver at fireworks going off multiple bridges, the outlines of the river and buildings, and two L trains crossing a bridge from different directions.

22. It was filler. Poi dog would have been good. Local John Vincent. Pearl Jam. Plenty of options Chicago based.

23. Weak coverage by the network. Was way over-hyped by the locals, starting with the mayor.

24. Boring.

25. Terribly disappointed.

26. It wasn't great. Not enough local coverage. Not enough Ryan and Val. No Kenzie and Roman.