Rancho Santa Fe Review |

San Diego summer concert guide: 42 shows you won’t want to miss

Year in and year out, the advent of summer in San Diego is predictable for music fans in at least two key ways.

Some of the highest-profile concert tours of the season will bypass us, so you’ll have to go to Los Angeles to catch performances by the Rolling Stones, Usher, Olivia Rodrigo, Kenny Chesney, Megan Thee Stallion, The Black Keys, Laufey or Childish Gambino.

Happily, several major tours have already come here this year, including those by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Chris Stapleton and the Billy Joel/Sting double-header at Petco Park.

Moreover, so many tours are headed this way this summer — to stadiums, clubs, concert halls and amphitheaters — that there’s no need to travel past the county line to be overwhelmed by the number of options. Or by the potential expense of attending.

Average concert ticket prices in 2023 rose to $130, up from $90 in 2018 and $111 in 2022. Service fees can add as much as 32 percent to the face value of a ticket. Of course, VIP ticket packages cost much more (up to $600 per person, plus fees, for blink-182’s June 30 Petco Park show, and up to $870, plus fees, for Santana’s Aug. 30 concert at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre).

Another factor is “dynamic pricing” — based on real-time customer demand when tickets go on sale — which can see prices double or triple between the few minutes it takes to select a ticket online and to complete the purchase.

On Thursday, the Justice Department sued Live Nation Entertainment, which owns Ticketmaster. The suit seeks a judicial ruling to break up the company, which the DOJ alleges has illegally maintained a monopoly in the live entertainment industry — an industry long dominated by Live Nation and Ticketmaster.

Soaring prices inspired the Transparency In Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act, which on May 15 was passed 388-24 by the House of Representatives. It would require event ticket-sellers to disclose the total cost of tickets upfront to consumers, including such so-called “hidden fees” as service charges.

“After years of bipartisan work, we will now be able to enhance the customer experience of buying event tickets online. We look forward to continuing to work together to urge quick Senate passage so that we can send it to the President’s desk to be signed into law,” reads a joint statement from Republicans and Democrats on the House Energy & Commerce Committee and the Innovation, Data & Commerce Subcommittee.

With or without such a welcome law, the volume of live-music events here and across the nation appears set to grow ever larger.

To help you choose, these are our picks for some of the likely highlights in this summer’s San Diego concert season. Upcoming shows at the San Diego County Fair and The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park will be previewed in upcoming issues of the Union-Tribune’s Friday Night & Day section.

For the sake of expediency, our 42 choices do not include performances that are already sold out. So, take a bow, Bonnie Raitt, Foo Fighters, Vampire Weekend, Chris Thile, Natalie Merchant, Kamasi Washington, Fuerza Regida, The Decemberists, Hozier, Jessica Pratt, Cowboy Junkies, Buddha Trizie, Imagine Dragons, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, et al.

Mon Laferte

The best-selling Chilean artist of the 21st century, Mon Laferte is a devoted social activist and a borders-leaping musician. Her work over the years has ranged from pop, folk-rock, trip-hop, electronica and reggaeton to cumbia, ranchera, mariachi, bolero and banda. “Mon Laferte, Te Amo” — a documentary of her 2021-22 world tour — will debut on Netflix in August. As a follow-up to her March 10 concert in Tijuana, Laferte performs an outdoor show tonight in the shadow of San Diego’s Petco Park. 7 p.m. today. Gallagher Square at Petco Park, 100 Park Blvd., downtown. $66-$166. ticketmaster.com

North Park Music Fest

Back for its third year, this two-day, three outdoor-stage festival will showcase more than 20 bands and solo artists on Friday and Saturday. The Friday lineup is headlined by Particle Kid (the periodic stage name of Willie Nelson’s son, Micah) and 2017 Grammy-winner Fantastic Negrito (born: Xavier Dphrepaulezz), who at times suggests the offspring of Prince, Howlin’ Wolf and D’Angelo rolled into one. Saturday’s bill will be topped by a reunion by the popular San Diego band Louis XIV and a solo acoustic set by Ty Segall. 4 to 10 p.m. Friday; noon to 10 p.m. Saturday. North Park Mini Park, 3812 29th St., North Park. $50 per day, $60 for two days. northparkmusicfest.org

Also recommended

Friday: Jordan Davis, Gallagher Square at Petco Park

Friday: Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, The Music Box

JUNE

Tedeschi Trucks Band, with Little Feat

Co-led by singer-guitarist Susan Tedeschi and her husband, former Allman Brothers six-string dynamo Derek Trucks, the Tedeschi Trucks Band audaciously mines a rich vein of blues, rock, soul, funk, country and other homegrown American styles.

Their similarly rootsy opening act, the pioneering Little Feat, was formed in 1969 before either Tedeschi or Trucks were born. Little Feat this month released its first new album in 12 years, “Sam’s Place,” named after Sam Clayton, the group’s Fallbrook-based percussionist and singer. 7 p.m. June 8. Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheater, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego State University. $39.50-$99. ticketmaster.com

Alison Brown

Grammy Award-winning banjo master, composer and band leader Alison Brown grew up in La Jolla, just a few miles from the site of her June 12 concert at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center. Her June homecoming show is a benefit for the Rotary Club of La Jolla, whose president is Brown’s mother, Barbara.

The first 100 ticket buyers can attend a pre-show Q&A, hosted by Jamie Deering, the CEO of Lemon Grove’s Deering Banjos. Brown and her bluegrass-to-jazz band’s concert will include her song,” Banjo Homecoming Rag,” which will be accompanied by projections of vintage images of San Diego. 7 p.m. June 12. Baker-Baum Concert Hall, Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. $100-$250. theconrad.org/events/23-24-rotary-club

Soft Machine

Is this a record? Since making its San Diego debut at Balboa Stadium in 1968, the pioneering English psychedelic jazz-rock band Soft Machine has performed here, well, never.

Now led by guitar wizard John Etheridge — who replaced former Vista guitarist Allan Holdsworth in Soft Machine in 1975 — the group’s latest iteration is on tour to promote its absorbing 2023 album, “Other Doors.” The 13-track collection includes a fresh take on the moody “Joy of a Toy,” a standout track from Soft Machine’s self-titled 1968 debut album. With former Stephane Grappelli guitarist Etheridge at the fore, Soft Machine’s return here — after 56 years — seems as improbable as it is welcome. 8 p.m. June 15. TERI Campus of Life, 555 Deer Springs Road, San Marcos. $25-$45. (858) 356-4546, tericommongroundscafe.com

Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band

One of the most accomplished and versatile musicians anywhere, Brian Blade has been the drummer of choice for Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones and for such jazz giants as Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Charles Lloyd and Joshua Redman. His Fellowship Band, which he has led since 1998, has created a singular blend of jazz, gospel, country, folk-rock, soul and more.

There is a spiritual undercurrent to Blade’s music and an emotional intensity in even its softest moments. That his Fellowship Band’s long-overdue area debut includes not one, but two concerts on Juneteenth seems like a doubly fortuitous way to kick off the Athenaeum’s 2024 summer jazz concert series. 6 and 8:30 p.m., June 19. Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room, Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. $40 and $45. (858) 454-5872, ljathenaeum.org

Gregory Porter at the 6th annual San Diego Smooth Jazz Festival

At 6 feet 4 inches tall, Gregory Porter is a towering presence on and off stage. The Bakersfield native earned a full scholarship to San Diego State University as a football player. A 1990 pre-season practice injury, which ended his college gridiron days, led him to focus on singing here at jazz clubs and a leading role in San Diego Repertory Theatre’s 1998 production of “It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues.”

One of the finest jazz, soul and blues singers of his generation, Porter performs with fire, finesse and impeccable taste. He makes every word count without ever showing off. His combination of vocal passion and sophistication places him heads and shoulders above the other performers at this year’s San Diego Smooth Jazz Festival, where he’ll co-headline on June 23. 3:30 p.m. June 22 and June 23. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, 222 Marina Park Way, San Diego. $70-$260. sandiegosmoothjazzfestival.com

Java Joe’s Reunion Show

Jewel and Jason Mraz are just two of the many then-unknown young troubadours who launched their careers performing at Java Joe’s, a cafe that occupied nine different San Diego locations between 1991 and 2018. The high regard in which its founder, Java Joe Flammini, is held by so many area musicians is demonstrated by the talent-packed lineup that will celebrate his legacy at San Diego Folk Heritage’s second annual Java Joe’s Reunion Show.

The concert will includes five duos — Gregory Page and Jack Tempchin, Page and Frank Lee Drennen, Jeff Berkley and Calman Hart, Lisa Sanders and Brown Sugar, and Bug Guts, which teams Scott Ireland and his wife, Rosebud — along with solo performances by Carlos Olmeda, Lindsay White, Shawn Rohlf, John Katchur, former San Diego Padres’ infielder Tim Flannery. Flammini will be in attendance for the show, which will be hosted by veteran musical satirist Jose Sinatra. 4 p.m. June 30. San Diego Oasis, 17170 Bernardo Center Drive, Rancho Bernardo. $25-$30. (858) 613-0858, sdfolkheritage.org

blink-182, Pierce The Veil

Triple play! After performing two rapturously received concerts here last year at Pechanga Arena, the Poway-bred pop-punk band blink-182’s reunion tour with guitarist, vocalist and group co-founder Tom DeLonge is headed to Petco Park.

Expect some snarky onstage comments about the San Diego Padres, along with such blink favorites as “Rock Show,” “What’s My Age Again?” and “Stay Together for the Kids.” The lineup also includes the San Diego band Pierce the Veil, making this a double homecoming. 7 p.m. June 30. Petco Park, 100 Park Blvd., downtown. $80-$220; VIP packages are $450-$600. ticketmaster.com

Also recommended:

June 1: A Tribute to The Zeros, Casbah

June 6: The Coronas, Casbah

June 8: Cafe Tacuba, Caifanes, North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre

June 11: Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Soma Live

June 11/12: Rachel Z, Omar Hakim & Jonathan Toscano

June 12: Parliament-Funkadelic, featuring George Clinton, with Blu Eye Extinction, Belmont Park Beach House

June 12: Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Observatory North Park

June 17: Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio, Belly Up

JULY

The Aristocrats

Dazzling musicianship, pinpoint dynamic control and quirky humor have long been the hallmarks of The Aristocrats, whose concerts often elicit both smiles and awe. Featuring English guitarist Guthrie Govan, American bassist Bryan Beller and German drum wiz Marco Minnemann, this rock-and-way-beyond power trio achieves musical velocity and nuance in equal measure.

Their latest release, “Duck,” is a concept album about “a web-footed Antarctic Island native fleeing a penguin policeman all the way to New York City.” The fact that The Aristocrats are an all-instrumental band makes this concept — possibly inspired in part by Frank Zappa’s “Penguin in Bondage” — all the more intriguing. 7 p.m. July 11. Ramona Mainstage, 626 Main Street, Ramona. $28. (760) 789-7008, ramonamainstage.com

Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives

A five-time Grammy Award-winner and a 2022 Tennessee Musicians Hall of Fame inductee, Marty Stuart was all of 14 when he became the mandolinist in bluegrass legend Lester Flatt’s band in 1972. He further burnished his reputation as the guitarist in Johnny Cash’s band — San Diego’s Jim Soldi replaced him five years later — and through his subsequent work with violinist Vassar Clements and acoustic guitarist Doc Watson.

Stuart launched his solo career in the mid-1980s. For fans of honky-tonk, gospel and country-rock, he and his aptly named band, The Fabulous Superlatives, are as good as they come. 8 p.m. July 12. Sycuan Live & Up Close Theater, Sycuan Casino Resort, 5469 Casino Way, El Cajon. $69-$79. (619) 445-6002, sycuan.com

Lake Street Dive, with Celisse

It’s been 12 years since the Boston-bred Lake Street Dive made its San Diego debut at Queen Bee’s, and the band has lost one member and added two more in the interim.

But its blend of vintage pop and rock, classic Motown soul, country, jazz and more remains as inviting as ever. Ditto the group’s polished ensemble work and captivating vocal harmonies, which are fueled by lead singer Rachael Price and bassist/singer Bridget Kearney. Expect to hear some new songs from Lake Street Dive’s new album, “Good Together,” which will be released June 21. 8 p.m. July 26. Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at SDSU, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego. $40.50-$70.50; VIP packages are $211. ticketmaster.com

Charles McPherson 85th birthday celebration

A San Diego resident since the 1970s, Charles McPherson has been one of the jazz world’s most highly regarded alto saxophonists for more than 50 years, first as a member of bass giant Charles Mingus’ band, then as a solo artist and band leader in his own right. Bebop remains his greatest musical passion, but McPherson isn’t resting on his laurels.

His arresting new album, “Reverence,” was recorded live in New York last year and finds McPherson injecting every note he plays with deep feeling and an unmistakable degree of conviction. It comes as no surprise that his two May and two June concerts at La Jolla’s Conrad Prebys Performing Art Center sold out well in advance.

Fortunately, he has two more performances coming up here at Lou Lou’s Jungle Room, just three days after he turns 85 — and nine days after his birthday concert at New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center. 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. July 27. Lou Lou’s Jungle Room at the Lafayette Hotel, 2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. $75. loulous.turtabletickets.com

Outlaw Music Festival, with Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp

Willie Nelson is 91. Bob Dylan turned 83 on Friday. They are now on the road with John Mellencamp, 72, for the first concert tour the three founders of the annual Farm Aid benefit shows have done together since 2009. The opportunity to see either Nelson or Dylan in the autumn of their years is a welcome one.

The opportunity to see these two American music icons share a stage with their respective bands, and join voices for a song or two, seems just about priceless. 5 p.m. July 29. North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, 2050 Entertainment Circle, Chula Vista. $53.45-$167.50; platinum and VIP prices range from $223.20 to $523.20. livenation.com

Also recommended

July 6: Curtis Taylor Quintet, Museum of Making Music

July 11: Dark Star Orchestra, Humphreys Concerts by the Bay

July 11: The Church, Afghan Whigs, Observatory North Park

July 12: Clive Carroll, Dizzy’s

July 14: Alejandro Escovedo, Belly Up

July 16-20: Joshua White, The Jazz Lounge

July 29: Sara Gazarek, The Jazz Lounge

Dweezil Zappa ‘The Rox (Postroph) y Tour’

The eldest son of the late music legend (and former La Mesa resident) Frank Zappa, ace guitarist and band leader Dweezil Zappa has devoted himself to performing his father’s wildly adventurous music on concert stages around the world.

For his first tour with his band since March 2020, Dweezil will focus on music from two of Frank Zappa’s most popular albums — both released in 1974 — the double-live disc “Roxy & Elsewhere” and the studio outing “Apostrophe (‘).”

The set list is likely to include “Penguin in Bondage” and “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow,” an edited version of which gave Frank Zappa his first Billboard Top 100 hit. Dweezil’s new band includes 27-year-old guitar virtuoso Zach Tabori and young keyboardist Bobby Victor. 8 p.m., Aug. 2. The Magnolia, 210 East Main St., El Cajon. $45-$97. VIP and platinum packages are priced from $185.85 to $329.20. (619) 651-2004, livenation.com

Tinariwen

Carlos Santana and TV On The Radio’s Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe are just a few of the admirers and collaborators of Mail’s Tinariwen, the guitar-driven desert blues band from Mail that in 2012 won the Grammy Award for Best World Music.

The group’s founding members are Berber nomads who met more than 40 years ago at a refugee camp in Algeria. After waging a guerrilla war against the Malian government, which had taken possession of their tribal territories, they turned to music as a full-time vehicle for their revolutionary zeal and quest for peace. In concert, Tinariwen crafts music that is foreign and familiar, hypnotic and cathartic. 8 p.m. Aug. 11. The Music Box, 1337 India St., downtown. $37-$77. ticketweb.com

Lainey Wilson

A standout performer at the 2022 edition of San Diego’s Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival, Lainey Wilson has seen her star rise ever higher since then. On May 16, she won Entertainer of the Year and Female Artist of the Year honors at the annual Academy of Country Music Awards — a year after earning five trophies at the 2023 edition of the ACMs. In February she won her first Grammy for “Bell Bottom Country,” which was voted Best Country Album.

A Louisiana native, Wilson is a potent live performer and an accomplished songwriter who has co-written hits for Luke Combs, Ashley McBryde and others. She is likely the only country artist whose concerts have included spirited covers of Jean Knight’s “Mr Big Stuff” and 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up?” 7 p.m. Aug. 23: North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, 2050 Entertainment Circle, Chula Vista. $43 to $327. VIP packages are $360. livenation.com

Tower of Power

Tower of Power is on a roll. Two years after teaming up with the San Diego Symphony for the first orchestral concert in its six-decade history, the Oakland-bred funk and soul band is returning with what — depending on whose counting — is either the 50th or 51st lineup of its career.

Now on board is new drummer Pete Antunes and new singer Jordan John, who was all of 16 when he played a jam session with Prince. Antunes has especially big shoes to fill. He replaces Tower of Power co-founder David Garibaldi, whose propulsive funk chops and jazzy syncopations set a very high bar. 7:30 Aug. 30. Humphreys Concerts by the Bay, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. $70. ticketmaster.com

Santana, with Counting Crows

Former Tijuana guitar-slinger Carlos Santana will turn 77 in July, but he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. The pioneering Latin-rock band he leads — featuring his wife, Cindy Blackman Santana, on drums — continues to tour regularly. And its leader has released new recordings over the past year with Run DMC’s Darryl McDaniels, producer and drum great Narada Michael Walden, as well as with Santana’s son and nephew, Salvador and Jose Santana.

For good measure, at his most recent residency at Las Vegas’ House of Blues this month, the mustachioed guitarist has been mixing his classic songs with some choice cover versions, including Michael Jackson’s “Whatever Happens,” The Voices Of East Harlem’s “Right On, Be Free” and The Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues.” 7 p.m. Aug. 30. North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, 2050 Entertainment Circle, Chula Vista. $67.20-$354. VIP packages are priced from $374 to $870. livenation.com

Also recommended

Aug. 6: Pokey LaFarge, Belly Up

Aug. 8: Junior Brown, Ramona Mainstage

Aug. 9-11: Baja Beach Fest, Rosarito Beach

Aug. 14: Summer Dean, Casbah

Aug. 17: Talib Kweli, The Music Box

Aug. 23: Adama Bilorou, Dizzy’s

[email protected]