Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, August 27-Wednesday, September 2, 2026: David Byrne | FEA | GLU | NAS | La's Wasted Youth | Built To Spill | Thee Sacred Souls | Muse | The Loons | Cancerslug | MCR | Pallbearer |

23yo Gorilla Dara Loves Her Cypress Tree at San Francisco Zoo

I didn't expect to extend my trip as much as I have, but I had a bunch of stuff I wanted to see and do in the Bay Area and it's nice to have a home base that has fast wi-fi and hot showers not run by coin machines. Camping was fun for my trip up, but just setting up a bed every night can become cumbersome. It also feels like we have business to take care of up here, but I have to tread lightly, so maybe its better for another trip when Darren can be up here, too. Since I've been here so long, now it just feels like a regular week of work, so I've been alternating between listening to and/or watching the Keffe D trial and the Lindsey Clancy trial. The former is kind of a palate cleanser of the latter. I spent most of the day today packing and preparing for my drive home, though I hear San Diego has been an oven the whole time I've been gone, so I'm not in any race to be home, especially since Darren will be working an OT shift all day Saturday. I'll be home sooner or later. But in the meantime, I did this week's listings. Enjoy. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Rosey's Diary & Newsy Things: Rescued Belugas Brought To Seaworld SD | SD Zoo To Welcome New Gorilla | SD Music Hall of Fame Inductees Announced | Beach Baño Brings Council Bickering |

View of Golden Gate Bridge from Land's End/USS San Francisco Memorial

I'm still on my roadtrip and have parked myself in Hercules, CA for a few days to take care of some things with Darren's nephew. While I've been here, we hit Oakland Zoo, San Francisco Zoo, Land's End, and our last stop was Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf to see the sea lions to see if Chonkers was still around. I was also able to do laundry, get caught up on a lot of work, and catch up on sleep, too. I hear the weather in San Diego has been miserable, so I keep pushing back my return home, but I promise I'm not staying gone forever. I'd still like to see elephant seals at one of the lookout spots up here, and I was considering going to the Sacramento and Fresno Zoos on my way out, but I'll skip those if the weather is still gonna be gnarly all weekend. It's been pretty mellow here, especially close to the bay or beaches, but I also don't wanna drive the van in the middle of the day with extreme heat. 

Anyhow, it's been fun and I wanted to get started on this week's listings while I have strong wi-fi, so I'm gonna post this diary a little earlier than I usually do just to get it off my plate. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, August 20-Wednesday, August 26, 2026: The Midnight Pine Farewell Show | Morricone Youth | Cheekface | Jejune | The Film Company | The Breeders | IV and the Strange Band | Wayne Hancock |

I'm on my roadtrip and am doing my best to stay offline, so if any venues updated, I won't get it in here until later. I'm presently in Morro Bay and just extended for one more day because I liked the first site I stayed at so much and I'd rather camp with a reservation than take my chances in Monterey at the site with no reservations. Anyway, hope San Diego is doing okay without me though I hear there's been no relief in the heat, so hope you're hanging in there. I'm gonna publish early because the phone app won't let me schedule for the morning. See you all soon. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, August 13-Wednesday, August 19, 2026: Black Heart Procession | Owl Be Damned | El Tri | The Sword | Interpol | Tijuana Panthers | Noah Kahan | Black Joe Lewis | Will Sheff | ILUKA |

Grizzly Pool Party at Oakland Zoo (10.5.25)

I did it!! Thankfully it's a little bit of a slower time in San Diego right now, but I did two weeks of listings so that I can go on my roadtrip and not have to lose a whole night of my trip trying to do next week's listings, though I'm not exactly sure how long I'll be gone, so the week after might be an issue. That being said, thank you SO VERY MUCH for the amazing Venmo donations I got last week!! I started this site 20 years ago with no real mission other than to share cool shit, photos and setlists from shows, and trying to plan for upcoming shows. I've had offers to fold or sell, been trashed relentlessly for not updating my design, for not monetizing every corner of the page, for my opinions and fire/pandemic/political coverage. I've been told "nobody reads that shit," even by friends, told that it isn't work, even as it got me every job I've had in 20 years: CityBeat, North Park Theatre/Observatory, DoSD, SoundDiego, and the Casbah, a position I've had for 17 years while sidehustling the others over the years. Anyhow, I wasn't expecting the donations, but they're super appreciated. When every other site goes paywall, subscription, or membership, I've just kept doing the thing. 

All that said, I'll probably post next week's listings a day or two early while I'm camping, but didn't wanna do them all at once because they're a bit overwhelming to scroll through -- but you'll hear from me as I travel. I may go dark from socials for a day or two, but you know you can never shut me up. And fingers crossed that they can get the Timber Fire under control, or I might have to reevaluate my plans and route altogether. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Rosey's Diary & Newsy Bits: Port Designates Kumeyaay Beach | Stop Jumping Sunset Cliffs | County Hot Spots Close For Safety | Billionaires Try To Bogart Kit Carson Park | TopGolf Wants Waterfront |

Otter at Moss Landing (10.3.25)

I know it's been a minute since I've done a diary post, but I was trying to maximize the end of my late nights at San Diego Zoo and Seaworld. Darren's job changed hours, so he's up even earlier---now waking up at 4am which is when I'm usually going to sleep, so we try to make time, but sometimes we are two ships in the night. We did a nice little weekend escape to Bates Nut Farm and the Oceanside Harbor, but at least now I'll be home when he's still awake. I think the last time I wrote, I was contemplating a little road trip, and I think it's gonna happen if the wildfires can stay under control in Northern California. With that, I'll be attempting to knock out two weeks of listings before I go. We'll see how I do. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, August 6-Wednesday, August 12, 2026: The Technicolors | WILLIS | Judy Collins | Beach Bunny & The Beths | Tiki Oasis | Day We Ran | Old 97s | Kid Congo | Ani Defranco | Alela Diane |

St. Vincent & San Diego Symphony at The Shell (8.1.26)

I don't wanna say we're in the clear with the oppressive weather, but it feels to have subsided some and it doesn't feel quite as bad as it has. And frankly, seeing other parts of the country and the awful fires everywhere, I'd still rather be right here. Which is funny, because in my delusion and sleep deprivation after doing these listings, I committed to my next California road trip by booking a couple campsites up the coast. I gave myself enough time that I can cancel if necessary but still book before all the sites were gone. One of my favorite campgrounds is first-come first-served, so I'll just have to take my chances on that one, but otherwise, I think I planned a little better and am more cognizant of what I need to make it happen. All that to say, I will do my best to get listings up per usual the next few weeks, but if I can't pull them off, you know where else to look, I'm certain. It is very possible that I might start weaning the listings anyway, as it is a whole ton of labor for literally ZERO pay, and apparently LiveNation no longer sees me as a valid photographer, so I don't really even get free shows in return anymore. We'll see. In the meantime, listings are below. Stay safe out there-- I've been seeing a few friends are quarantining after getting surprise C-19 diagnoses. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.