San Diego is packed with street fairs throughout most of the year, but nothing truly says summer in this city like the OB Street Fair & Chili Cookoff, if for nothing more than the cross sections of locals who intermingle throughout the streets of Ocean Beach and the mix of bands that are chosen to represent our beer drinkin', sun-bleached hair havin', flip flop wearin' masses. Do yourself a favor and park along the river trail in Mission Valley and ride your bike in. When your day is done, you'll be adjacent to Valley View Casino Center for Magic 92.5's every-band-on-the-roller-rink-playlist Summer Jam, or perhaps you scored tickets to the very sold out Pierce the Veil show at the Observatory. My pick for the night, however, is Good Old War at the Casbah. I'm not sure how the band pulls off their songs acoustically now that they're down a member, but I've loved these guys for a long time and I'm sure they've got it dialed in. Besides all of this, we have to give a special shoutout to the Big Love for Candye Kane celebration. She rocked this town for decades, and friends, family and the music community will join together to celebrate her life and legacy at the Belly Up starting at noon.
Saturday, June 25:
- OB Street Fair & Chili Cookoff with Vokab Kompany, the Routine, Bang Pow, Bassics, City Side, Bad Science Fiction, Mango Habanero and more @ Newport & OB Pier Parking Lot
- Magic 92.5 Summer Jam with Vanilla Ice, Salt N Pepa, Rob Base, Color Me Badd, Candyman, Tone Loc, the Jets, Young MC, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five @ Valley View Casino Center
- Good Old War, Empty Houses @ Casbah
- Pierce the Veil, I the Mighty @ Observatory North Park (sold out)
- Special Duties, Potato Pirates, Revolt-Chix, the Hathcocks @ Soda Bar
- Rio Peligroso, Fictitious Dishes @ Bar Pink
- Birdy Bardot, Dani Bell & the Tarantist, David J @ Leucadia Roadside Park
- Big Love for Candye Kane: A Musical Celebration @ Belly Up (12 p.m.)
- Red Not Chili Peppers, Fooz Fighters, Nirvanish @ Belly Up (8 p.m.)
- The Rockademy @ Music Box (10 a.m.)
- Big Mountain @ Music Box (9 p.m.)
- Unwind Yourself @ Whistle Stop (5 p.m.)
- Booty Bassment with Dmitri & Rob @ Whistle Stop
- Sculpins, Dhatura, Fadrait, Mandoshanks @ Ken Club
- Which One's Pink @ House of Blues
- Venom Inc, Necrophagia, Dark Measure, Morphesia @ Brick by Brick
- Buck-O-Nine, the Penetrators, Oceanside Sound System @ The Hideout
- Uprising, Velour, Reason to Rebel @ The Bancroft
- John Hollenbeck Claudia Quintet @ La Jolla Athenaeum
- Lucid Season @ Shaper Studios
- California Guitar Trio @ AMSD, Sweetwater Union High School
- Nebula Drag, Beira @ Tower Bar
- OB Street Fair @ Winston's
- M Machine @ Bassmnt
- Big D's Birthday Rock Party @ The Black Cat
- Chachi @ Brick by Brick
- Gregory Page Bon Voyage Show @ Lestat's
- Zero to Billy @ Java Joe's
- Forgotten Gods, Cryptic Languages, Garth Algar, No Trust @ The Merrow
- Saved by the '90s @ 710 Beach Club
- Full Strength Funk Band @ Tio Leo's
- Butts Ta Nuts with Jason Waterfalls, Abjo, Julz @ El Dorado
- Jayceeoh @ Omnia
- Joe Maz @ Parq
- Funk Diego @ Kava Lounge
- Davy Knowles, Mother Grundy @ Ramona Mainstage
Rosemary Bystrak is the publicist for the Casbah, the content manager for DoSD, and 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.
