Del Mar Racing Announces Summer Concert Series

When I was growing up, one of my favorite things to do was to go to the racetrack. My grandpa had trained and raced horses at Caliente long before I was born, and though he'd eventually lose all his horses, he never lost the love of the track. He was a farmer, always in his tan long-sleeve button down work shirt and work pants with a scruffy face of stubble and his hole-ridden straw work hat. That is, unless it was a day at the races, in which case he'd shave, slather on his Old Spice, a long sleeve button down dress shirt and dress pants, and his fancy boots and hat. It was joyful. Sometimes it would be the whole family at the races, sometimes just Tata, my dad, and me. I'd race with him to the paddock, because he always had to see the horses before they'd race, and he and my dad would teach me how to handicap.

Memories are sweet and I'll cherish them forever, but it's 2018, and I have to say that I'm only halfheartedly sharing this year's Del Mar Summer Concert Series. I'd be an asshole if I didn't share shows that are so popular to San Diegans, but I feel like horse-racing will go the way of bullfighting in the next generation. And I'm not a vegan by any stretch, so perhaps that makes me a big fat hypocrite, but I feel like if I'm going to post a link to the concerts, I should also post a couple links to the very real and ugly side to horse racing.

If you do choose to attend the summer concerts, they're free with the cost of track admission ($6) so long as you arrive before the final race. Shows are standing room only and 18+.

2018 Del Mar Summer Concert Series:  

7/20- Psychedelic Furs 
7/21- Iration
7/27- Steel Pulse
8/3-Matisyahu
8/10- Aloe Blacc
8/11- Reggae Fest with Ziggy Marley
8/17- Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
8/24- Tribal Seeds
8/31- Café Tacvba
9/2- Ice Cube

2016 Del Mar Summer Concert Series Announced!

In case you missed it, yesterday the Del Mar Summer Concert Series lineup was released. Formerly Four O'Clock Fridays, these concerts have grown massively, back from when entry to the track was still $3.50 to the still very low price of $6 for StretchRun tickets. Of course, you have to arrive before the last race or you get jacked for full price concert admission ($20) and parking usually increases, too. You can plan ahead and buy tickets to concerts, special races, the weekend events, parking and more here. All shows are 18+ and standing room only. I honestly don't know that I'll make it to any of these, but CWK, Fitz, Girl Talk, and Chromeo are always amazing live performers. 

2016 Del Mar Summer Concert Series

2016 Summer Concert Series

Friday, July 22nd
Cold War Kids

Friday, July 29th
Fitz and the Tantrums

Saturday, July 30th
Ziggy Marley

Friday, August 5
Girl Talk

Saturday, August 6th
Brian Setzer's Rockabilly Riot!

Friday, August 12th
Chris Young

Saturday, August 13th
311 & Matisyahu

Friday, August 19th
Thievery Corporation

Friday, August 26th
Pepper

Friday, September 2nd
The Wailers

Saturday, September 3rd
Chromeo

NOTE: Concerts are 18 and up. Pre-paid tickets, complimentary tickets and season passes will not be accepted for concert admission after the last race.

Del Mar Race Track Announces Summer Concert Series

It feels like the San Diego County Fair just kicked off, but as soon as it wraps up on July 4, it is time to usher in the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club's 2012 racing season. This also means that the Del Mar Summer Concert Series will be back and this year with 12 different shows, more concerts than they've ever had before in one season. Here are the goods for this year's bro-heavy series:

7/20: Wavves
7/27: Dashboard Confessional
7/29: Tucanes De Tijuana
8/3: Steel Pulse
8/4: Cake
8/10: The Offspring
8/17: Michael Franti & Spearhead
8/18: Ben Harper
8/24: Jimmy Cliff
8/31: Ozomatli
9/1: REGGAE FESTIVAL FEATURING ZIGGY MARLEY PLUS BEER FEST
9/5: Party in the Paddock w/ TBD

All concerts will be held at the Seaside Stage. The improved venue offers better sight lines, the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop and better access to concert-goer services and amenities.


All 12 performances of the Del Mar Summer Concert Series are free for fans attending the races. The Seaside Stage is a non-smoking venue. For Friday shows, as is the case with attending the races, patrons under 18-years of age must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Following the last race, concert prices are $20. No reserved seats, standing room only so get here early. Concert starts after the races.

not so newsy news bits...

I haven't posted newsy bits in a while...I figure you're all up to date via Twitter and Facebook, right? Well, just in case you're not, have your head in the sand, or your work has blocked every social media site, Google, and blog except for sd:dialedin, here are some things you might've missed in the past few weeks. Too bad the really good juicy stuff I have to keep to myself. I hate secrets.

1. Del Mar Racetrack released their concert schedule for the summer. You can always refer to the Del Mar Scene website

7/23: Pinback
7/30: Common Sense
8/6: The B-52s
8/13: The Soft Pack
8/14: Jimmy Cliff & Matisyahu *
8/20: Ozomatli
8/21: Weezer *
8/27: Super Diamond
8/28: Craft Microbrew Festival & Local Music Showcase **
9/3: The English Beat
9/4: ZZ Top *

-This year the Four O'Clock Friday Concerts will be held at the Seaside Stage next to the Seaside Terrace Cabana.
* Saturday Concerts are held at the Infield Stage.
** Local Music Showcase is held in the Infield Pavilion Stage.

The concert is free with track admission. Following the last race, concert prices are $20. Make sure you get there before the last post to save yourself some cash. Concert starts after the races.

2. It's already old news, but the 91X Morning Show got the axe. You can read Mat's blog about it here. Best of luck to him in any future endeavors. At least now I'll probably get to see him at more shows since he doesn't have to wake up at 4 am.

3. There will be no Street Scene this year. Really?? Didn't we all know this last year? Regardless, several news outlets felt obligated to resurrect the issue that kinda feels like kicking a dead horse. So just to reiterate, no Street Scene in 2010.

4. If you missed it, the U-T/SignOnSanDiego put together a great list of free summer concerts. Save it to your bookmarks. Sara also has a list that includes summer festivals.

5. A few weeks ago I wrote about Seth Combs leaving CityBeat. I didn't follow up, but Peter Holslin was named the new music editor and I believe this week's issue is his first at the helm. The online version was being a little wonky, but they reported on the juicy tidbit that Radio Room is being sold to Scot Blair, owner of Small Bar and Hamilton's. All the info is here, but that should certainly make for a helluva beer crawl between Hamilton's, Bluefoot, Toronado, Ritual, Small Bar, Soda Bar, Blind Lady, and now whatever the Radio Room is to become.

6. Finally, 944 Magazine's music issue is coming out and guess what site was named the number one music blog in San Diego? Kinda cool. Check it out here.

Things have certainly been chaotic lately, so if you're missing any features, or there's specific content you'd like to see, please feel free to comment. I have a backlog of photos and videos that I haven't and probably won't post, but if there's something you know I caught that you want to see, just ask. I'll try and get Hockey and Alpha Rev videos up soon, as well as photos from OK Go, Shout Out Louds, et. al.

Remember you can always follow me on twitter @sddialedin, fan or friend me at Facebook, or check out my contributions at SoundDiego. If you're interested in advertising on this site or hiring me for work (open to just about anything these days), shoot me an email at sddialedin at gmail.

A Week In Review: August 31- September 4, 2009

Several months ago I got this crazy idea in my head that I was going to move this site to WordPress. It still might happen just as soon as the thing in my head can be actualized and it becomes worth the time and effort. But as I sought guidance and was convinced it wouldn't take that long to do, I chilled out on updates on the site. Now I find myself still using my original Blogger template with months of photos (dating back to May, to be exact) and a whole bunch of stuff between then and now that I just never posted about. I mean, it's not like I stopped going to shows and taking pics, but I've just been brief about those updates.

Now that it's looking more and more like my move to WordPress is postponed at best, and since I think I'm finally inspired enough out of my writer's rut, I wanna get back to the old days, when I wrote like nobody was reading, if you don't mind. I may never get back to most of those 4 months of photos, but I don't want to keep putting off the present because of the past. I was trying to break my writing into digestible, tagable, and web-searchable nuggets, but fuck it. My brain doesn't work that way and it's been so long since I've really wanted to write, so now you get a deluge.

With that said, last week, once recovered from Street Scene was a pretty good one. Click 'keep on reading' to read all about it.

Bad Veins at The Casbah, 2.1.09




My post-Street Scene adventures started on Sunday when I went to Jimmy's party with Josh Damigo. Jimmy hosts open mic at Lestat's and it was a beautiful day among warm people. I recognized a few faces- photographer Steve Covault was there, with his new bride Sweet Joyce Ann, Sara Petite, and others had gathered to celebrate the birthday. Dat Phan was there and naturally when at a party, one doesn't leave a conversation with a comedian. He had us in stitches until it was time to go. On the ride home I snapped Josh singing along to his music. Next time he better be careful or I'll shoot video.



Monday was eaten up with projects and stuff and just as a break, I walked over to Lestat's to catch Josh for a couple songs during open mic, which is where that video for "Indescribable" that I posted last week came from. I stopped into Lou Jones, too, but Tuesday was another early day for me so I didn't stay long. Let me tell ya, though, if you ever want total extremes, go to Lestat's for Open Mic Mondays, then to Lou Jones to visit Chrystal on Metal Mondays.

Tuesday night was all about the Casbah for me. LoveLikeFire from San Francisco opened the night and sadly my photos are beyond terrible. But they're really great with a highly energetic female guitarist vocalist up front.

I was there for two more bands living on the Dangerbird label that for me, so far at least, can do no wrong (Silversun Pickups, Eulogies, Dappled Cities). On this night, it was Bad Veins and Division Day who are co-headlining the tour. As I mentioned last week, I've been listening to both albums religiously and I was not disappointed by the live performances. Bad Veins, being just a two piece, rely on prerecorded beats that are usually played through a reel to reel, but "she" broke the night before so they were bummed they had to iPod the stuff, but I don't think it made a difference to the crowd.



I'm not gonna lie. The crowd was much thinner than I expected. And much, much smaller than I'd hoped. These are some incredible bands doing really great things and I guess me saying so can't get someone like Daye convinced that it's ok to miss Big Brother. I especially felt bad for Division Day because my city wasn't very courteous to them when they played Bar Pink during NPMT. In fact, apparently there were some not nice words from the drunks at Pink that night when DD said they were from L.A. Maybe Bar Pink should charge a $20 cover to anyone with a True North stamp on their wrist as a filter.

Regardless, the band performed a great set and hopefully will be back soon. I noticed Bad Veins is booked at Soda Bar in October, so perhaps more shows will excite more people about them.



Since I was pretty sure the few photos I took sucked (as evidenced above), somehow I convinced the boys in Bad Veins to pose for me after the show so at least I could get them with some light.



Wednesday I took it easy, going to dinner at Tita's Kitchenette, a filipino place in National City with Jake, but deciding that a night at home wasn't a terrible plan. Plus I had work to do. When I talk about 'work', btw, I'm still not working, but I'm hoping some shit falls into place soon and the 14 or so hours a day I'm online actually turn into the kind of work that pays money. So there that is. Haven't brought that up in a while, have I? Money or not, an email inbox with hundreds of emails crying for attention, to me, is still work.

Naturally Thursday I was ready to hit the nightlife again, so I was back at Casbah for Local Natives and Heartless Bastards. If the show didn't sell out, it was pretty damn close, but I was there to see Kelcey and the band once again. This was my third time seeing the band (this time without the girl), and they're the kinda band where you almost shouldn't check out their music beforehand, because while their EP is good, it really does no justice to their live shows. I especially dig when the band busts into 4 part harmonies. They just got picked up to tour with White Rabbits which makes so much sense because they're so percussion heavy. Maybe Britt Daniel will jump on board when they put out a full length and get them the attention they deserve. Though I should say they're touring their asses off and when they're not, they're playing Spaceland residencies and such, so it's not like they're being ignored.



Heartless Bastards headlined that night and while they sounded great...man, does that chick have a powerful voice, or what?...I was more into chatting with Local Natives and Andy in the back bar. No photos. I don't think I could've gotten through that crowd anyway. I had gone to the show with Jeff and he loves Heartless Bastards and was stoked they played an extra long set. From Casbah, we checked out Expressway To Yr Skull, Mario's Thursday night thing over at Soda bar, and as Soda Bar goes, bands were still playing, though no appearance by Crocodiles as listed.

Friday was tough because as much as I wanted to see The Styletones at X1FM, it's been a couple years since I've seen Pete Yorn and I'm really digging his latest record, Back & Fourth. I also had an afternoon meeting with a label rep who gave me an advance of Break Up, his album with Scarlett Johansson that comes out next week (9/15), so I had even more incentive to go. When I got to the track, we stopped by the 91X booth, and got hooked up with wristbands for the patio and even got a pair of tickets to The Honey Brothers.

We had time to kill and bet on a couple races. (My girl, Kicking Vixen held on to her lead for the first half mile before burning out). 3 races later and we found our spots on the patio to wait for Pete. And wait. And wait. It was about 7:45 before he finally started, but it allowed for more people to see him and he kept gushing about how playing Del Mar is his favorite gig of the summer. Judging by the 21 song, hour and a half set that he played, I would say he was being truthful, and it was worth the wait. And maybe the wait wasn't even that long, but we were surrounded by those loud-talking track drunks who brag about how much money they won or lost in their khakis and polos and it was just nauseating. Unfortunately it is to be expected. What can ya do?

Anyway, I was pleased because Pete played a variety of music from all of his albums, focusing mostly on his new album and then reverting back to his debut, musicforthemorningafter, a lot, but also throwing in some tunes from the in-betweeners. Since we were in this VIP patio, we were above and behind the stage. Here was our view:


After the show I looked for setlists but no luck, but someone who did get one was kind enough to let me take a picture. A couple notes: "Social D" is Social Development Dance from the new record. Bizarre Love Triangle is the New Order song, played more like Frente's version but not quite that slow. Fans should know that "Chain" is "Life on a Chain" and "Crystal" is "Crystal Village". Super great set.



From the track, we stopped by Subtext but had already missed Swim Party's set. It was my first time in the gallery, however, and the building is beautiful, as is the driveway/common area where the band played. We hung out for a bit to chat with friends for a while before noticing it was already past 10:30.

We headed to Bar Pink to check out The Weight and fortunately for late band sets, we arrived before they started with time to spare. I wrote about them last week, too, so I don't need to say much more except that they're "from Brooklyn", which means they're all from all over the place...the singer having lived in Athens and Atlanta, and everyone else from Connecticut, Jersey, PA, wherever. As they said, "Nobody in Brooklyn is from Brooklyn, unless you're Puerto Rican." I guess I expected them to look a little less Brooklyn and a little more countrified like their sound, but what do I know.

Their set was incredible and it was nice to bump into friends who were just at the Bar to hang out gushing about the band by the end of the set. Comparisons to Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, The Band, and The Rolling Stones were thrown around. I have their record "Are Men" (as in "The Weight Are Men") and if any of those musical influences turn you on like they did me or Andrea or Tim, go pick it up or buy it off iTunes.



After their set I introduced myself because it's what I do when a band's publicist takes the time to write me a personal email about a specific show and I couldn't help but adore how Joseph said hi and gave me and awkward hug, then immediately excused himself for sucking at conversation and for not being good at talking with strangers. I asked him about the tour, about their hometowns, and incidentally, he doesn't suck at conversation.

We stayed a bit for Bartender's Bible but the bar got packed quickly, and usually I can tell the A/C is on there, but that night it was out or too crowded to feel a thing, so we decided to bounce. We decided to check out Ruby Kitchen and got burgers, though we were disappointed that the "late night comfort food" menu has been suspended for now.

With that, I'll close out. I want to write about Saturday in a separate post because it was that awesome. And shit. Did I just write until the sun came up again? Dammit. See you tonight at the SDMA's.

Del Mar Racetrack Announces Summer Concert Series

I know the County Fair has only just begun, but racing season is just on the horizon and Del Mar Thoroughbred Club has announced this year's summer concert series. Gone are the days of 4 o'clock Fridays (now the first post is at 3) but the amazing music returns no matter what you call it. Also note, there are a couple weekend shows. More info here.

July 24 - G Love & Special Sauce

July 31 - The Wailers

August 7 -- The Airborne Toxic Event

August 14 -- Common Sense

August 21 -- Pinback

August 28 -- Super Diamond

September 4 -- Pete Yorn

Infield Shows:
Saturday August 15- The Flaming Lips, The White Dwarfs
Saturday August 22- Steel Pulse
Sunday September 6- Roots, Rock, Reggae Festival

Wednesday, July 16, 2008: Opening Day At Del Mar

There's a certain buzz this time of year in San Diego. I don't know how much it has to do with the ponies at Del Mar, but I'd guess that's definitely a part of it.

I'm going to admit right now that I've never been to opening day at the track. I mean, c'mon, we all know it's not my style to wear 'pumps' and act all high-falootin at any event, ever, but it still gets me excited. Back in the day (like the 1950s), my grandpa used to raise and run horses at Agua Caliente. He was a farmer through and through, always in a long sleeve khaki shirt with rugged khaki bottoms. His hands and face were weathered from being on his land, growing numerous crops, but in my lifetime, cutting back to watermelon and sweet white corn. I've yet to ever taste watermelon or corn as sweet as my Tata's- but when we'd go to the races- my grandpa pimped out.

It was those weekends that he lived for. Sometimes we'd head down to Tijuana to watch the ponies run; he taught me how to handicap (though choosing "the pretty outfit" seems to have just as much luck when it comes to me betting). On really special weekends, however, we'd go to Del Mar- way before it was the yuppy hotspot and that grandstand didn't exist- and we'd pack our coolers and head to the infield to hang out, enjoy the sun, and watch the races.

Even when he was in his late 70s, he never bet on a horse unless he saw their mannerisms and behavior in the paddock. So as soon as one race ended- which we'd watch from the infield finish line, just to the left of the main handicap board- we'd haul ass through the tunnel to go see the horses as they pranced around the paddock. I had a few favorite jockeys- Chris McCarron, Alex Solis, and Gary Stevens- but he always knew which horses to bet on.

So, while I might not be at opening day, there's something in the spirit of the track that always takes me back to the days when my Tata would actually shave, put on his dress clothes and boots, slap on a gallon of Old Spice, and try and teach his granddaughter about the beauty of horseracing. That said, I welcome another season of horseracing where the turf meets the surf.

Del Mar Race Track Summer Concerts Announced

I was checking out the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club's site today and noticed they already announced the summer concert schedule. The Friday shows are all part of 91X's 4 o'clock Fridays. The Saturday shows happen after the final race (around 4ish usually).

Fri, Jul 18 Gavin Rossdale (Bush)
Fri, Jul 25 Super Diamond
Sat, Jul 26 Gnarls Barkley
Fri, Aug 1 Pinback
Fri, Aug 8 The Bravery
Sat, Aug 9 Reggae Fest ft. Ziggy Marley
Fri, Aug 15 Special Guest
Fri, Aug 22 Black Francis (The Pixies)
Fri, Aug 29 Steel Pulse
Sat, Aug 30 Devo
Wed, Sep 3 The English Beat

"And Away They Go": Opening Day At Del Mar

Growing up, one of my favorite family activities was heading to the races. In his younger days, my grandpa owned horses that raced at Caliente in Tijuana. Many years after his horses were long gone, his passion for thoroughbreds never diminished. Tata was a farmer and as a result, his daily apparel consisted of long sleeve khaki shirts and long khaki pants, scruffy beard, and his old stetson hats that had a distinct sweet smell, the combination of sweat, Prince Albert in the Can, and his Old Spice. When he'd kiss me as a child, I would throw tantrums, the rough of his beard cutting into my face. His uniform never changed, except on race days.

On Race days, my family would load up a cooler of snacks and beverages, lather on the sunscreen, and head to the races. While we were all sporting shorts and flip flops, Tata was dressed in his long sleeve blue button down shirt, nice slacks, his leather boots, and his "good" hat, his face as smooth as a baby's bottom from his straight razor shave reserved for track days only. We'd head to the track and into the infield, finding a nice area in the grass, equidistant from the tv monitors by the pond and the betting windows. My dad and tata would sit handicapping with the Daily Racing Form while my mom, sister, brother and I mostly picked the ponies by their names, or in my case, if I liked the name of the horse and found that Gary Stevens or Chris McCarron (or in my Tata's accent, "Macaroon") were riding it. Part of my grandpa's ritual was to race through the tunnel to the Paddock to see all the horses, then race back to place his bets, and my sister and I would join him, trying to keep up with his speed walk.

The track is a lot different now, it's a much fancier affair these days, but there's still a place for the kids in flip flops and shorts, too. (In fact, check here for the stuff you can still take into the track...it doesn't have to be an expensive trip.) Tata is no longer with us, but I still feel him with me when I stand adjacent the odds board watching the horses cross the finish line from the infield. I won't be at opening day today, but I will definitely be at the track at least a couple times this summer.

My dear friend Andrea, however, will be there today after her busy weekend at the Village Hat Shop, selling tons of hats to people heading up for opening day. The U-T Street crew were there and you can watch the video here.

If you, too, are a fan of the ponies, I highly recommend creating a profile with the DMTC site. Throughout the racing season, you will receive newsletters, e-mails, and at least two or three times a season, complimentary general admission tickets.