Hate it or love, Kaaboo Del Mar is back in mid-September with a lineup that will bring out the surfer bro, pop diva and rock nostalgist in all of us. From Incubus to Imagine Dragons and Katy Perry to Robert Plant, the end of summer festival continues to get bigger and bigger (Kaaboo has even expanded to the Cayman Islands).
With such a massive, visible stage being set on Sept. 14-16, it's pretty exciting for up and coming bands when they're offered the opportunity to play. Enter Kaaboo Discovery Tour.
"This unique program will showcase some of the amazing local artists flourishing in SoCal throughout the summer. The tour will travel to three music venues and one comedy club in San Diego looking for the next big acts," Kaaboo's website reads.
Between three and four bands will perform at each Discovery Tour show (of which there are three total), and of those 11 musical acts, only three will be offered the chance to play Kaaboo.
Sounds like pretty good odds. But don't take our word for it. In 2016, local psych-pop favorites the Verigolds won a coveted slot at the music festival, competing against other San Diego bands like Kid Wilderness and Imagery Machine.
This year, however, the talent pool has expanded to (and even favored) Los Angeles and Orange County, where the majority of the acts up for consideration are based. From hip-hop and indie pop to blue collar rock & roll and garage rock, local singer/songwriters Lindsay White and Dinorah Zamora have their work cut out for them. We think they've got what it takes.
See below for the full Kaaboo Discovery Tour lineup details.
- Sunday, June 24: Sitting on Stacy, Poor Man's Change, the Extrangers and Dinorah Zamora at Moonshine Beach. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.
- Saturday, June 30: Ray Goren, Trishes and Vinyl Soul at Petco Park. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. and the show starts at 4:35 p.m. (weird). Entry is included with Padres game ticket.
- Friday, July 13: Lindsay White, Sweet Tooth, Sophia Dion and Desert Rhythm Project at Quartyard. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10.
Rutger Ansley Rosenborg has been an Associate Editor at NBC SoundDiego since 2016. Find out more here, or contact him here.