The irresistible force with which the years pass can leave even the most confident among us unsure whether we’re living up to expectations.

Maybe that’s what’s behind our customary New Year’s vows — we want to look forward, from do-overs to breaking habits to winning fame and fortune. And it’s not without good reason; if not for all this anticipation, all this resolve, we never would have crawled up out of the mud.

But sometimes it really hits the spot to look back and make sure we remember old friends (a la “Auld Lang Syne”) and what went right. That’s exactly the feeling we want folks to leave with at our New Year’s Eve event in a few weeks.

Beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 31, Denny & The DC Drifters will be remembering the Fabulous 50s at the Paramount Theatre. Featuring the music of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, Elvis, Chuck Berry, Patsy Cline, and more, the Drifters will be breaking out that feel-good nostalgia with impersonations of the aforementioned musicians and re-enactments of life in the ’50s. Folks are encouraged to wear their best throwback outfits in order to better soak in old-school sock-hop/prom atmosphere.

And as if the music alone weren’t enough to make you feel alright, a percentage of the proceeds for this event will be going to the Convoy of Hope, a non-profit organization that has helped more than 67 million people throughout the world by sharing food, water, emergency supplies, agricultural experience, and opportunities that empower people in need to live independent lives free from poverty, disease, and hunger.

So that’s good music from the past, a good cause for the future, and an evening in one beautiful building.

I think we’re doing okay, Austin.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Visit austinareaarts.org or stop by the ArtWorks Center to pick up yours.