December is a time to enjoy traditions. December Nights -- the weekend formerly known as Christmas on the Prado -- is back. I tell you this as a music blogger because if you choose to go, you'll definitely need an after-event cocktail, and if you choose not to go, you will still need to be mindful of traffic that snarls from all directions into the park, sometimes extending all the way to state rout 94 on the south and Interstate 8 on the north. Of course, the good rock shows, like the Supersuckers at the Casbah or the Burning of Rome at Soda Bar, should be unaffected for the most part because of their start times, but plan ahead anyway. Meanwhile, the Merrow hosts a great show with most of l the Al Howard bands you could dream of, but again, plan your adventure strategically to avoid park traffice. There are, of course, plenty of shows all over -- a couple at UCSD, Brick By Brick and places like Sycamore Den, Seven Grand, Tower Bar and the Til Two that should all provide great entertainment and no major traffic nightmares to ruin your festive spirit.
Friday, Dec. 5:
- Supersuckers, Streetwalkin' Cheetahs, Screamin' Yeehaws @ Casbah
- The Burning of Rome, Gods of Science, Shady Francos @ Soda Bar
- Black Sands, Birdy Bardot, Midnight Pine, the Heavy Guilt, Rebecca Jade & the Cold Fact @ The Merrow
- First Friday with DJ Artistic and NosuckerDjs @ Bar Pink
- Phillip Phillips @ RIMAC Arena, UCSD
- Tony Ferrari @ Porter's Pub, UCSD
- Hard Fall Hearts @ Brick By Brick
- Cassanova Frankenstein, Starless, Justin Rodriguez, Dagart @ Sycamore Den
- The Dustbowl Revival, the Routine @ Seven Grand
- Moodswing King, Cedar Fire, Death Eyes, Nothinless, DJ Unite, Mr. Henshaw, Pelengue, Sesh @ Tower Bar
- Memory, SentineL, Dark Measure, Gravespell, Seraphic Disgust @ Til Two Club
- Dave Scott Duo @ Croce's Park West
- Rob Thorsen, Kiefer Shackleford, Fernano Gomez @ Dizzy's Jazz
- Buttons (Hutton from Shining Through), Julia Stine, Gilbert Ortiz, Ana Aguilar @ Epicentre
- Sage the Gemini @ Fluxx
- DJ R2 @ Gallagher's
- Pcom Party @ Hideout
- Breakthru Entertainment @ House of Blues
- Y3K, PopRx @ Humphrey's Backstage Live
- NTNT, Bakkuda @ Lestat's
- The Chainsmokers @ Bassmnt
- The Snykes, Abadeer, Voltage Control, Glass Daggers, Ink, Empty Spaces @ SOMA
- Yesterday (Beatles tribute) @ Sycuan
- Leon's Old School Karaoke Show @ Tio Leo's
- Martin & the Big Nativity Scene, Richie & his Flying Guitar, Breaker, Santa @ Winston's
Rosemary Bystrak is the publicist for the Casbah and The North Park Theatre, 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.
