Over the years, I've had the pleasure of attending many radio-sponsored holiday shows. Naturally, these lineups are packed with current artists who top the charts of the sponsoring station's format and so every year, inevitably someone will say it is the "best lineup ever." However, for tonight's Wrex The Halls (read our show preview here), I'm hard-pressed to think of any of these types of shows in recent history that has had a better lineup than this. Queens of the Stone Age are going to rock so hard, Vampire Weekend's last album is one of my most listened-to this year, and Cage the Elephant have proved that they can play hard and have fun while having a more "grown up" sound with new material. Throw in Arctic Monkeys, whose latest hits seem to be on every channel you turn, Alt-J with their massive leap into alt-radio and J Roddy Walston & the Business finally getting some love, and this is a show worth trolling Craig's List. And if all that isn't enough, San Diego's own Silent Comedy is on the bill. So honestly, this is a great show, but if, after all that, you'd rather stay small, Escondido will be amazing at Casbah, X will rock the Belly Up, and the cast of Professor Blastoff should be awesome at the Irenic.
Sunday, December 8:
- 91X Wrex The Halls featuring Queens of the Stone Age, Vampire Weekend, Cage the Elephant, Arctic Monkeys, Alt-J, the Silent Comedy, J Roddy Walston & the Business @ Valley View Casino Center (Sold Out)
- Escondido, Sam Outlaw, Derren Raser @ the Casbah
- X, the Blasters @ Belly Up
- Casbah Presents: Professor Blastoff feat. Tig Notaro @ the Irenic
- A Mayfield Affair, Jamestown Revival @ Lestat's
- Enchantment Under the Sea Holiday Promenade & Canned Food Fundraiser @ Bar Pink
- Hayden, the Palace Ballroom, Nothingful @ the Soda Bar
- Fates Warning, Artizan, Symbolic, On Descent @ Brick By Brick
- Hundred Caliber, Given the Day, Made of Dishonor, Within Ourselves @ House of Blues
- Stellita (10:00 am), Mimi Zulu (7:00) @ Humphrey's Backstage
- Gaby Moreno feat. David Garza, Irene Diaz @ the Griffin
- Jose Sinatra Hosts O.B.-o-ke @ Winston's
Rosemary Bystrak writes about the San Diego music scene, events and general musings about life in San Diego on San Diego: Dialed In. Follow her updates on Twitter or contact her directly.
