Things To Do In San Diego: Wednesday, August 31 - Wednesday, September 7, 2022: Labor Day Weekend | Elvis Costello | Jackson Browne | Murder By Death | Dream '22 | Caifanes | Booty Bassment | Peter Hook |

Peter Hook & The Light (Taken 11.8.2016)

The last time I saw Peter Hook & The Light was one of the darkest nights in American politics in my lifetime.

Everyone was excited to be at the House of Blues and it was a great release after a tormenting presidential election cycle. It gave everyone a chance to stop watching the pundits and constant news and predictions about who would win the presidential election, and too many of us were confident that Hillary was going to win that night. 

And then the mood shifted. Polls were closed. People started staring at their phones. People were crying. I was crying. How the fuck did TFG win? How could so many Americans trust this sexist, racist conman-manbaby to be the president of the United States of America? Did enough men hate women so much that they couldn't vote for one for president? Was it her specifically? Did enough women hate themselves to subject themselves to just ignore all the things he'd proven to be? 

It was dark. We're still paying for it today. It is unbelievable that TFG fuckface hasn't been indicted on any criminal charges. It is insane that people we know and interact with and in some cases, are related to, could still support such a prick. 

But here we are. 

And it isn't Peter Hook's fault and he was a pure light that night when the night was such a downer. I have to hope that when he hits Humphrey's on Tuesday that he can help a lot of people expel the demons that linger from that night, if only for this one night. 

There are a lot of amazing shows this week. And I'm going to be honest, I'm working at the Pavement show on Wednesday (which is why listings are through Wednesday instead of Tuesday this week), so I will do my best to get listings done on time next week, but it's a holiday weekend, it's the final weekend of Nighttime Zoo, and I haven't spent nearly enough time with my family, at the beach, or just lazing around the house. All of which sound entirely delightful when we're under an excessive heat watch for our region through at least Monday. Do what you gotta do. I know I will. 

Stay safe out there. 

CoVID-19: San Diego Drops To Low Community Risk Level Then Back To Medium | Student Loan Debt Relief | San Diego Excessive Heat Warning Through Monday |

 

Aisha & Kaja (Taken 7.29.22)

This is all last week's information, but I thought I'd publish just so I can move forward. I've been having some pretty great days but I had to rein in some nonsense. Last week I spent a few hours just unsubscribing from email lists. It was out of control. It's only gonna get worse leading up to midterms, so it had to be done. I know where I stand on issues and don't need daily reminders of how bad shit is with these nutjobs across the country. It's too much and is just far too toxic. I feel lighter, I'm sleeping better, and I'm getting better at compartmentalizing the things that I need to so my life has a little more balance and joy. 

I hope you do the same. 

Stay safe out there. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Wednesday, August 24 - Tuesday, August 30, 2022: The Killers | Echo & The Bunnymen | The Kabbs | Steve Earle | Wavves | Scary Pierre | Courtney Barnett | River Whyless | Death Bells |

Courtney Barnett (Taken 10.3.2018)

There are some really amazing shows in town this week and in the before times I would've eaten it all up but I've gotten so comfortable doing my thing that I couldn't commit to anything. Like The Killers tonight. I would love to go to the show, especially because I've been seeing that they do some Smiths jams with opener Johnny Marr, but logistically I couldn't pull the trigger. Same for Courtney Barnett. In fact, I think this will be the first time she's played San Diego in her career that I'll be missing. Maybe it isn't too late, but for right now, my priorities are elsewhere. 

I will say that on Tuesday night, a friend invited us to dinner at Ponce's Del Sur and it was my first time eating in an indoor restaurant in something like 30 months. They have great ventilation, spacing at the bar, it wasn't crowded because there was an event on their outdoor patio, and we got to hang out with Devlin. I'm not rushing back to dining in most places, but it seemed relatively safe, especially since just Tuesday, San Diego dropped to the "low community risk level". And besides, it's Ponce's. I was DD because I knew I had hours of work ahead of me to do all these listings, but everyone seemed to have a good time, and after having been suffering in bed from allergies all day, it was nice to get out of the house for a few hours, even if I didn't visit my animal friends at the zoo. 

I didn't really hear any music goss this week, but I did get a notification that Wonderfront has changed their ticketing, so anyone who had already bought three-day passes got upgraded to this newer "Wonder Pass" tier, and 3-day pass prices have been reduced by $80 to $279. Two-day passes are sold out, and single day tickets are expected to sell out this week. Wonder Passes can be purchased for $499 with upgraded amenities. Get all the info here.   

Have a great week and keep being safe out there. Fingers crossed, boosters are coming soon. 

Update: I'm going with my sister and nieces to see The Killers after all thanks to an old high school friend who works with the band (Thanks, Fiddy!) My little gorilla friend will have to wait to see me until tomorrow. 

COVID-19: Blah, Blah, Blah | UK Approves Targeted Vaccines, Will US Follow? | Biden Signs Inflation Reduction Act |

Lemur (Taken 8.19.22)

I have adjusted my priorities.

I do my job. I sleep. I go places. I shop. But this shit is FOR REAL! Amiright? We did the deal, but then there was/is a major government insurgency and people travel and then with COVID and you're like, duh, I told you so, but then you get COVID and you fight all the things and then someone you know who was anti-vax and has had COVID 2 or 3 times and suddenly they need insulin because now they're diabetic but they cannot see the forest for the trees and you want to wish them the best but also, perhaps if you got the vax, you would not be dealing with this bullshit. Or at least not this extreme? 

It doesn't really matter. I'm at the age that people just start dying anyway. I see these stupid pre-roll ads on YouTube and this 20 something is talking about aging and all I want (besides skipping her stupid ad) is scream in her face that nobody wants to hear about anti-aging creams or potions from a 20 year old. Bitch! Get my age and I'm just the beginning. See my mom! She will slaughter your stupid anti-aging creams and bullshit. Find love and you'll maybe live forever. Like my mom. 

I deleted COVID data this week. I just can't. Not today. You know what's up. I can't be the only fight and I'd rather spend my time at the San Diego Zoo. 

Be safe out there. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Wednesday, August 17-Tuesday, August 23, 2022: The Bellwether Syndicate | Shakey Graves | En Vogue | Surefire Soul Ensemble | BeerX | The Head And The Heart | Kid Cudi |

The Head And The Heart (Taken 8.2.2019)

I don't think we're done with the pandemic, but it seems life is moving as if it is so and it's interesting to see how differently it is being handled by artists and particularly their management. On the one hand, bands who were playing small venues before the pandemic came right back to those small venues to test that their fan base was still there and seeking them out. Then there are other artists who could play smaller venues who somehow think during the pandemic that their fans just couldn't wait to see them and thus overbooked themselves...playing venues waaaaay too big for them and then crying about it when they're not moving tickets. I've always believed venues should let you know what their calendars look like moving forward, but it isn't the venue's duty to make your fans for you...if people don't know you or haven't heard you, it is on you to make them know you...not my job to introduce you to the world and sell 500 or 700 or 1200 or 2300 tickets for you. Artists need to check themselves, check their management, and come back to this reality and book appropriately. The Head and The Heart selling out two nights at Humphrey's is amazing, but some of these bands coming through are just shooting way too high. Come back to earth in this 'post-pandemic' world or start working on getting Tik-Tok famous. 

Also, if you're here reading my nonsense, thank you. For my friend that gave me a big fat Venmo tip for my work, thank you, especially. Your tip will get us an amazing takeout dinner at our favorite spot and that is kinda everything. xoxox 

COVID-19: CDC You're On Your Own! Good Luck! | Killer Whale Nakai Dies Of Infection At Sea World | TFG Proves Once Again To Be A Fucking Loose Canon Criminal Of The Highest Order |

 

Orca at Sea World (Taken 2.20.22)

Everytime I think I'm going to post, I get caught up with something else or some new big news drops and I just never get around to it. Over the past couple weeks, the CDC has loosened COVID-19 guidance so pretty much everyone interpreted it to mean that COVID is over and you can just resume life, when in reality, you still need to isolate if you're sick or testing positive. The end. This shouldn't be this hard. We also learned of TFG's house/resort being searched by the FBI and goddamn if he isn't the most corrupt fucking human on the planet and it is so embarrassing that I have family who are MAGA nutjobs. Whatever happens, charges need to be brought on this fucking crook so that he is never allowed to run for office in this country again. 

But what I wanted to talk about was Sea World. They lost another orca, 20 year old Nakai, apparently due to an infection. I am going to defend Sea World here. I'm not an animal expert, but some mom posted video after the death showing a couple orcas "fighting". Sea World veterinarians said this behavior is normal and called raking. If we're going to argue about the value or harm of animals in captivity altogether, then what are you even doing here? But if we can look at this is how it is and all we can do is do better for the animals, you'll notice almost all animals exhibit this behavior-- gorilla brothers Frank and Monroe wrestle and "fight" all the time and one of them recently had an enormous gash on the shoulder, from the other's teeth while roughhousing. Just yesterday, the elephant brothers were tusk in tusk and trunk to trunk "fighting" for dominance while they waited for dinner. My sibling cats wrestle all the time over balls, beds, and just to terrorize the entire household while everyone is asleep. In a perfect world, animals would live abundantly in their natural habitats, but this isn't that world. Northern White Rhinos are functionally extinct. Far too many animals in captivity have counterparts in the single or triple digits in the wild - leopards and Somali wild ass immediately come to mind -- and I support accredited wildlife facilities that are part of the AZA (Association of Zoos & Aquariums) whose goals are "promoting species conservation and animal welfare" as well as educate the public and learn from the animals in their care to help their counterparts in the wild. 

I was heartbroken when I heard another young orca died in Sea World's care, but even in captivity, animal care specialists can't 100% control conditions and outright prevent animal incidents, nor should we expect them to do so. 

Stay safe out there.   

Things To Do In San Diego: Wednesday, August 10-Tuesday, August 16, 2022: She Wants Revenge | Tones and I | The Regrettes | Shamir | Creepy Creeps | Trombone Shorty's Voodoo Threauxdown | Tchotchke | Robert Plant & Allison Krauss | MUNA | Durand Jones |

Today I saw a friend post about being completely non-functional during the daytime and I was feeling it and comforted that I'm not the only one. I looked over at my air conditioner wondering why it was not cooling the room, even after sundown, and one of my jerk kittens had stepped on it and set the temperature to 79. 79!! Now it's back to 64, unfortunately as low as it goes, and I was finally able to get this week's listings done. They may not have all the music news and announcements - I tend to get a lot of updates on Thursday and Friday after I publish, but check back and there will be more, I'm sure. 

Stay safe out there. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Wednesday, August 10, 2022: Lost Dog Street Band | WINGTIPS | Imagery Machine |

 

Okay, okay. So what happened was that on Monday I was having some cocktails and trying to organize my photos from this year and so I stayed up super late. That meant I slept in super late on Tuesday and then I did work and I didn't even go to the zoo, and then I tried to start doing my listings and my computer was painfully slow so I went to restart it and of course, there were a bunch of updates and those took forever. In fact, they were still updating when I finally decided to give up and go to sleep. So today you're just getting tonight's listings. I can't not go to the zoo today for my own physical and mental health, so I'll get around to the full week's listings tonight when my apartment isn't 82 degrees with the air conditioning on. Note that tonight's Casbah show has been moved to Whistle Stop so Casbah will be closed tonight. 

Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: | Monkeypox Declared US, State, County Emergency | President Biden Tests Negative After 'Consequential Isolation' | Pandemic Drove Us To Drink More Beer |

 

Indah and Kaja at San Diego Zoo (Taken 8.6.22)

I've been meaning to post all week, but I'm actually trying to live my summer, too, so I'm limiting my online time. Plus my apartment is so damn hot, it just feels better to be out at the Zoo in the cooler shady areas than hoping our a/c can fight the heat.

But I did want to write briefly because today is the 10 year anniversary of the night me and Darren met, so even though he's working today, we've been kinda celebrating all week. It's a really big deal for me, after a life of crappy, emotionally abusive relationships, to find someone who loves me and respects me and treats me like a queen and I feel like we've only just begun. I'd say I can count our big fights on one hand, but none have ever been big enough to be big, nothing that I can particularly remember being so mad about we didn't immediately make up. He's been an amazing friend and partner and love, and I just wanted to acknowledge how grateful I am for that magical night at Soda Bar that changed my life forever. 

Beyond that, this week I went to the Father John Misty show on Wednesday and I'm still going to the San Diego Zoo everyday. They're open until 9 through Labor Day, after that we'll have to see how life shakes out and if I can get my ass in gear earlier in the day to pop over. I wanted to at least get this week's data up, though you're on your own for the big need-to-know news of the week. 

Stay safe out there. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Wednesday, August 3 - Tuesday, August 9, 2022: Petite Amie | Father John Misty | Tiki Oasis | Jon Snodgrass | Glass Spells | Sum 41 | Man Man | ArtWalk Liberty Station | DAY.MVS XL | Rostam | John Reis |

Me & Father John Misty (circa May 2012)

Like everyone, I'm so sick of COVID-19. I hated my isolation a couple weeks back, I hate that the virus is still everywhere, and I hate that people are knowingly positive and just out in the world living as if they're fine, because that means people like me, responsible for taking care of my dad in palliative care and having a teen just over a week out from going back to high school and a partner who doesn't get paid if he gets sick, can't actually live normal lives. When I think about all the amazing shows I've missed this year, it's pretty depressing, but it's the way it's gotta be for me so long as this carries on.

So I'll be doing my thing, but there are a lot of fun things happening this week, so if you're healthy and living your carefree best life, get out there. 

As always, I'll update these listings if anything comes up that I missed. 

Be safe out there.