Tonight is an amazing night for music in San Diego. You probably heard months ago that Robert Smith and crew would be coming to Chula Vista and you're either the kind of person who picked up tickets to the Cure right away or you decided to skip it. No doubt, their fans will have a great time, but for those of us who prefer a smaller scale show, there are options like Titus Andronicus at Che Cafe, or the Thermals at Soda Bar. If you like something in between and still want to catch a throwback artist, the Cult is at Humphreys. My pick for the night, however, is Damien Jurado at the Casbah. The Seattle-based singer/songwriter is like fine wine and just keeps getting better with age.
Friday, May 20:
- Damien Jurado & the Heavy Light, Ben Abraham @ Casbah
- The Cure, the Twilight Sad @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Chula Vista
- The Thermals, Summer Cannibals, Colleen Green @ Soda Bar
- J Boog, Hirie @ The Observatory North Park
- Titus Andronicus, La Sera @ Che Cafe
- The Cult @ Humphreys Concerts By the Bay
- Ooklah the Moc, Josh Heinrichs, For Peace Band, Raggabond @ Music Box
- Atomic Groove FDS Kickoff @ Belly Up (Happy Hour 5 p.m.)
- Hot Buttered Rum, the Moves Collective, Second Cousins @ Belly Up
- F---ing In the Bushes with Dan Sant & Rob Moran @ Whistle Stop
- Nathan Collins Sextet @ Dizzy's
- Heather Nation, Enormodome, Mike Rudolph @ Lestat's
- Barbara Nesbitt @ Java Joe's
- "Purple Rain" @ House of Blues
- Tim O'Brien @ AMSD
- Los Hollywood, Viri y Los Bandidos, Sin Color, DJ El Profe @ The Merrow
- Alex Kirk Amen, A New Ending @ The Bancroft
- Black Salt Tone, Maka Roots & Mellow Grounds @ 710 Beach Club
- Hotline Spring @ The Loft, UCSD
- Funks Most Wanted @ Tio Leo's
- Detroit Underground @ Humphreys Backstage Live (9 p.m.)
- The Routine, Sister Speak, Bomb Squad @ Winston's
- ListenSD & Bujwah present: The Garden, Some Kind of Lizard, Shady Francos, the Monsoon @ Til-Two Club
- E-Man, Kyle Flesch @ Fluxx
- Sidney Samson and Kennedy Jones @ Bassmnt
- Lit Presents RJ's Ommio 3 Album Release Party @ Spin
- rainer + grimm @ Bang Bang
- Tiesto @ Omnia
- DJ Turbulence @ Parq
- Cognitive Frequencies & Synaptik Events Presents SUBspatial with MESCK @ Kava Lounge
- Club Musae @ Boar Cross'n
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.
