Good work on ABC's part to snag Carrie Underwood, Thomas Rhett, and Cody Johnson for the broadcast! They could have easily been on CBS instead, given that they are all country artists.
Where was I on New Year's Eve this year? Not in front of a TV! I drove 75 miles in-person, to watch the Idaho Potato Drop LIVE in downtown Boise!! The broadcast aired on KTVB-7 as it always does. Too bad Boise State choked themselves in the Fiesta Bowl. Had they won, the atmosphere would have rivaled Times Square. It was still a nice fireworks show (~ 5 min.) In fact, it was my first time ever going out on NYE. I had always spent it in front of the TV.
Not this year 🎉🥳 I watched Times Square from a downtown bar. Very lively and safe on NYE. Usual drunks at the bars but a lot of families at the drop. Albeit I'm sure 2026 will have a lot more security given what happened in New Orleans.
Once I got back to the hotel room, I was able to catch the KING 5 Space Needle show on the laptop just in time (just before 1AM MT) - and it was a clear sky, all the fireworks could be seen! Even Jim Dever was amazed. The last couple of years have had terrible cloud cover in Seattle.

I was talking with mom over the phone after I got back to the hotel. She mostly watched Nashville on CBS (she's a big country fan), but because Carrie was on Rockin' Eve, she stayed there and watched the tape-delay drop at 11:59 PT...