I'm not gonna lie here: I was actually quite excited about 91x's Sun Fiesta, an outdoor concert planned for tonight at Petco's Park at the Park. I've been to numerous iterations of the radio station's SunFests and X-Fests throughout the years, but I have to also admit that when the show was canceled and headliners, the Head and the Heart, were moved to the Observatory North Park, I wasn't too bent out of shape about it. The venue has become one of my favorites over the past several years, both when I worked there and in the years before and after my stint, and getting to see one of my favorite live bands of all time is just icing on a delicious cake. The band dropped a new record this year and they're always evolving and changing, while still delivering those epic anthems of hope in what can sometimes be overwhelming times. SYML opens the show and it's gonna be a good one, just please don't stand right in front of me. Around town, Elvis Costello plays Pechanga Casino if you're up for a trek to Temecula, Mystic Braves rock the Casbah, and Soda Bar gets rowdy with Bad Cop/Bad Cop.
Friday, Aug. 2:
- The Head and the Heart, SYML @ The Observatory North Park
- Elvis Costello & the Imposters, Blondie @ Pechanga Resort and Casino
- Mystic Braves, Thee Allyrgic Reaction, DJs Mikey Turi & Andrew McGranahan @ Casbah
- Bad Cop/Bad Cop, Dog Party, Pity Party @ Soda Bar
- Carlsbad Music Festival (various locations; read our preview here)
- The Stranger (Billy Joel tribute) ft. Mike Santoro, Graceband @ Belly Up
- Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue @ Del Mar Racetrack
- C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band @ Museum of Making Music
- Action Beat (the Ex), Gritos, Binge (ex-NerveControl), OpeningBell @ Whistle Stop
- We Are Your Friends Indie Dance Party @ Blonde
- Sluka, Underground Lounge, Wily Savage @ The Merrow
- Rascal Flatts, Morgan Evans @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
- Point Loma Summer Concerts @ 1049 Catalina Blvd (free, 5:30 p.m.)
- First Friday with DJ Artistic, Cros1, Johaz @ Bar Pink ($5 after 11 p.m.)
- The Ripening, Blind Mountain Holler @ Panama 66
- Hip Hop vs. Punk Rock with Flaunt, Badluck Cortez, Apollo, PunchCard & Resident Djs Sesh, Mr Henshaw, Unite & El Dj De TJ @ Tower Bar
- Lana Rebel & Kevin Mayfield, Julia Sage & the Bad Hombres, Tormenta Rey, Gary Hankins, DJ Brendan Malone @ Black Cat Bar
- Billy Bio, Cutthroat, Gut Punch, Jumped In @ Brick By Brick
- JD Crawford @ Grand Ole BBQ & Asado
- Electric Waste Band @ Winston's
- Spencer Yensen & the Fever, Andrew Barrack @ The Holding Company
- Gilbert Castellanos @ Plaza Bar, Westgate Hotel
- Power of Love (Jimi Hendrix tribute) @ Seven Grand
- Hunter Phelps @ Moonshine Beach
- Georgia Chrome @ Moonshine Flats
- "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" in Concert @ Embarcadero Marina Park South
- These Handsome Devils, Thieves Like Us, Shadowplay @ Music Box
- Resinators @ De Oro Mine Co
- Bay Faction, Fashion Jackson, Hate Drugs, Ritt Momney @ Voodoo Room, House of Blues
- The Black Lillies, Farm Truck @ Ramona Mainstage
- Darryl Williams @ California Center for the Arts, Escondido
- Rock en Espanol with Zenith @ Border X Brewing
- Bonneville 7 @ Pour House (5 p.m.)
- Rituals: Coldwave Dark '80s Postpunk EBM Industrial @ Space
- Last Option @ Bancroft Bar
- JohnnyGo Figure, Revival @ 710 Beach Club
- The Janice Edwards Trio @ Martini's Above Fourth
- West of 5 @ Wildwood Crossing
- Ian Patrick Cler Trio @ Riviera Supper Club & Turquoise Room
- All-Vinyl Happy Hour w/Monsieur Turbeau @ The Office (6 p.m.)
- Bump City Brass @ Tio Leo's
- James Kelly Band @ Renegade
- The Writhers, Order of the Fly, Ash Williams @ Himmelberg's
- The Groove Mercenaries @ Humphreys Backstage Live (9 p.m.)
- Nemesis @ Navajo Live
- The Verge, DJ Moniq @ V Lounge, Viejas Casino
- Finesse, DJ Moniq @ Lobby Bar, Viejas Casino
- En Stereo Total: '80s and Rock en Espanol @ Manhattan Bar
- Rock the Yacht Party Cruise @ Hornblower Yacht (8:30 p.m.)
- Trill Fridays @ Bassmnt
- Autograf @ Bang Bang
- Lil Duva @ Parq
- Guy J + Dosem @ SPIN
Rosemary Bystrak is the publicist for the Casbah 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.
