New Year’s Eve musical offerings: from pricey to free

Economists occasionally devise interesting and novel ways to gauge the strength of the holiday shopping season. Some study the National Christmas Tree Association/Harris Interactive annual consumer tracking poll, which predicts consumer trends based on holiday tree shopping habits. Here's a new way: see how many venues have put together New Year's Eve packages. Dec. 31 is usually the most expensive night of the year – rivaled only by Valentine's Day. If more places are open for New Year's Eve 2

Economists occasionally devise interesting and novel ways to gauge the strength of the holiday shopping season. Some study the National Christmas Tree Association/Harris Interactive annual consumer tracking poll, which predicts consumer trends based on holiday tree shopping habits. Here's a new way: see how many venues have put together New Year's Eve packages. Dec. 31 is usually the most expensive night of the year – rivaled only by Valentine's Day. If more places are open for New Year's Eve 2…