Ready for a ton of excuses to push aside your holiday chores? There's plenty going on to keep you up late, and cause a hangover in the morning.---

Let's check it out.

Friday night is quite full, thanks to OK Go headlining the X96 Nightmare Before Xmas party at The Complex. If happy power-pop, flying confetti and bell solos are your thing, be there. From the Complex's location, you'll probably be able to smell the patchouli wafting over from The Depot, where Grateful Dead tribute band Dark Star Orchestra will be firing up a set replicating a past Utah show by the Dead. You can watch for me selling veggie burritos out of a van in the parking lot after the show.

Over at Club Vegas, it's a memorial concert for Dimebag Darrell, the Pantera guitarist who was shot on stage by a nutjob. Expect some serious guitar mayhem. In Ogden, standup comic Paul Morrissey is headlining a couple shows at Wiseguys.

Saturday night, you can join the one, the only, the ridiculous assclown that is The Jersey Shore's Pauly D, who will be manning the turntables for A Very Jersey Christmas at the Salt Palace. Sugarhouse Coffee is hosting an art adoption party at its new location, where you can find some screaming deals on artwork from some of SLC's best contemporary artists.

At new venue the Sugar Shack, metal madmen Killbot are hosting a CD release party, and Bar Deluxe has a night full of the delicious Slippery Kittens burlesque crew, putting on a holiday hootenanny.

Finally, when you're looking to chill on Sunday, you can pop into The State Room where long-time Utah fave Jerry Joseph is playing with Wally Ingram.