Photos: Courtney Barnett at Observatory North Park, December 5, 2021

Courtney Barnett at Observatory (Taken 12.5.21)

I have to start all of this by saying that I have missed a lot of really great shows in 2021. Everyone has to weigh their own risks, but with my dad sick and visiting him in the hospital and being around my nieces who are in school and soccer and out and about in the world, I just wasn't ready to put myself into the thick of shows again. I missed Silversun Pickups. I missed Middle Kids. I missed Julien Baker. I've missed a lot. 

But now Darren and I are fully vaccinated and boosted, as is my sister and our parents. Nova is fully vaccinated, as are my nieces (finally). We have good N-95s. We've agreed not to drink at shows. We agreed to go to shows that require vaccines or negative tests, and for this particular show, masks were required for the whole audience, regardless of status, except while actively drinking or eating. So we took our chances and went to the show. 

Despite the show being sold out, I was thoroughly impressed by the efficiency getting in. We parked in the garage with no problem. My tickets and photo pass were waiting for me at will call. The vaccine verification was easy peasy. I have a clear backpack to hold my gear and made it through security with no delay. We chose to skip the opener, so I can't say how it was earlier in the evening, but it was simple for us. Since we wanted to limit our time in the venue, we stayed for about an hour of the show - enough time for me to shoot and to hear some of our favorites before we had to get the kid home early enough to not have a sluggish Monday at school. It was a little bit of a bummer for her; getting there late didn't afford the best sightlines, but after she said she was glad she went, too. "I forgot how many of her songs I know!"  

And of course, Courtney Barnett is amazing. I was trying to think and I believe this is my 8th time seeing her live. I remember interviewing her before her first Casbah show and saying something to the effect that this would be the smallest venue I'd ever get to see her as she kinda shyly just smiled, and that quickly came to fruition as I have gone on to see her a couple times at House of Blues, a couple times at Observatory, at Pappy and Harriet's, at Outside Lands and a couple others. Her new album, Things Take Time, Take Time, showcases her pattern of brilliant songwriting, of being a wordsmith in message and timing. 

I will say as I was waiting for her to come onstage, I had butterflies. I haven't shot a show at a proper venue since I got my new camera. They had the lights down and a fog machine wafting and I was just watching the cloud slowly filter over the crowd and having immense anxiety in my head: this is exactly how an aerosolized virus spreads. But I had to fight that down, try to have a little faith in my fellow humans, and enjoy an inspired show. A note for venues: despite it being winter, you need to keep your ventilation systems running on high. If it's too expensive, add more fans or build Rosenthal-Corsi boxes. Ventilation isn't always about temperature, especially in the midst of a pandemic. Today San Diego's R-eff tipped red, meaning cases are "likely increasing," to be expected after Thanksgiving, but there are mitigations to keep people safer and we should be doing everything possible to keep numbers down and businesses open. 

We made it a little more than halfway through the show. Someday I'll get back to showing up for openers. And making it all the way through the encore. But for my first time back, I'll say it was a success. It's at least a start.  

Here's the setlist as posted on stage:

    Avant Gardener
    If I Don't Hear From You Tonight
    Sunfair Sundown
    Small Poppies
    Elevator Operator
    Need A Little Time
    Nameless,Faceless
    Turning Green
    Depreston
    Rae Street
    History Eraser
    Here's The Thing
    Write a List of Things (to Look Forward To)
    Nobody Really Cares (If You Don't Go To The Party)
    Pedestrian At Best
    Oh The Night
    Before You Gotta Go

Courtney Barnett followed up her San Diego performance with an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel on Monday night. Watch her performance of "If I Don’t Hear From You Tonight".    

Casbah Presents: Japanese Breakfast @ Observatory San Diego | October 4, 2021 | All Ages | Tickets On Sale Friday |

 

Japanese Breakfast Press Photo

Casbah presents Japanese Breakfast

Observatory San Diego

October 4, 2021

All Ages

Tickets on Sale Friday at 9am

Casbah presents Julien Baker at the Observatory North Park!

Casbah presents Julien Baker 

with special guests DEHD & Katie Malco 

Observatory North Park

November 2  All Ages  7pm

Tickets on sale Friday, April 9 at 10am

Save This Ticket Link 

It's been a hot minute since I've had any good music news around here, which is why it makes me so excited to share that Julien Baker will be performing at the Observatory North Park. The show is set to take place on November 2, 2021 and will be an all ages show. 

Julien's 2021 release, Little Oblivions, has been getting some serious repetitive plays in our speakeasy and the opportunity to hear it live is enough reason for all of us to get vaccinated and get our collective shit together to squash this pandemic, so we can all be in the same room at the same time listening to this amazing performer live. I've had the pleasure of working at both of her sold out shows at The Irenic (R.I.P. venue) as well as catching her show with Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers at the Observatory as one third of Boygenius and she is an absolutely stunning live performer who can captivate an audience into dead silent admiration. Little Oblivions is getting all the worthy praises and this show is certain to sell out. Make sure you've got your Ticketmaster login all set up with your credit card when the show goes on sale this Friday at 10am. 

Meanwhile, don't expect shows at the Casbah in the immediate future regardless of the new orange tier and the ability to host live music to vaccinated people at a really small capacity, but don't forget the bar is opening Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 6-10pm to serve cocktails, tacos from Salud, and live DJs in the house. It will all be outside on the patio and Razzmatazz Room. COVID-19 safety protocols require a mask for all guest to be worn at all times except when seated and actively eating or drinking. Consider it a test drive and be on your best behavior so they can continue and expand to longer hours and more days in the future. 

Photos: Sharon Van Etten at Observatory, 2.28.2019

I wrote about an old Sharon Van Etten experience at Habitat House for SoundDiego and then had the super pleasure of seeing her at the Observatory on February 28th. Life happens, so unfortunately I wasn't able to catch the opener and I really wanted Darren there, but he had a soccer game at the same time. So it was just me, flying solo, loving the show. At the beginning of the year, she dropped her first record since 2014, Remind Me Tomorrow, and mixed up a handful of new cuts with her old favorites. Additionally, she'll return to her role as Rachel on Netflix's The OA when the second season comes back on March 22nd. Lots of photos after the jump.  

Photos: Aurora, Talos, and Kingsbury at The Observatory, 2.23.2019

With San Diego's music scene constantly thriving, there are hundreds of shows I have to miss every year, but I also get the privilege to go to so many--and as it has it, sometimes more than one on any given night--and sometimes I get to go to shows that weren't necessarily on my radar, but I get nudged or turned on to it by a friend and after the show realizing how bummed I would have been to have missed it. Such was the case on Friday night when I went to the Observatory to see Aurora, Talos, and Kingsbury. It was such a mesmerizing show from start to finish, so much so I couldn't be pulled away when it went past 11pm and I knew I'd be missing King Tuff at the Casbah (though we made it in time for 1-1/2 songs and plenty of after show bevvies.

Friday started with Kingsbury, a "synth-pop princess" from LA, whose powerful voice had me thinking about powerful '80s women like Terri Nunn of Berlin or more currently, the sisters of Haim. She's super rad and made a pretty strong impression for the crowd of people filtering in during her set.

I had listened to Talos' latest record one time through before this show, and I was excited they turned out to be a 5-piece because one could imagine the sound being more synthesized or made with fewer players and more pre-tracked sounds. Instead, we got the fury of a full band, though heavily cloaked in hazers and complete backlight.

Headlining the night was Norway's Aurora. She came out in a layered chiffon dress that bounced around and itself was part of the show as she athletically jumped and twirled and made use of the entire stage given to her, after awhile kicking off her shoes and even later, pulling off her socks so she could be completely free. Her voice is stunning when she sings and super sweet when she's graciously thanking the crowd or explaining the context of a song. You should definitely watch her KEXP session and if she ever comes back this way, make it a priority to catch her live.  I'm a bit out of practice with the Canon, but check out some more pics after the jump.

Livenation Takes Over Observatory

An end of an era and a new beginning for The Observatory.

Pollstar: Live Nation Announces Exclusive Booking Deal With Observatory Venues In Santa Ana, San Diego

Photos: Rex Orange County at the Observatory, 11.12&13.2018

On November 12th and 13th, Rex Orange County played two sold out shows the Observatory North Park. As regular listeners of Sirius XMU, we were well aware of the hype from the easy, breezy "Loving Is Easy," but I had no idea how insane and devoted his fans were. There's something deep that they're connecting with, whether it's the self-deprecating lyrics ("I said that I don't mind if you hate me 'Cause baby if I were you I would probably hate me too"), his average-white-guy and therefore accessible appearance, or his aw-shucks demeanor, but on both nights, the crowds lapped it up, sang along to every lyric, and participated with every request, like shining cell phone flashlights overhead and completely losing their shit when the confetti machines blankets the crowd. I left the show feeling like I'd never seen anything like this...but then just days later caught Billie Eilish and she had a similar fan response, which makes me just think kids are just dying for something with which to connect and right now, Rex and Billie bring it. I only had a photo pass the second night, but took some phone ones from the first night, too. They're all after the jump.

Photos: The Fratellis at the Observatory, May 4, 2018

Here's another post that got caught in my drafts but never posted. This was back in May at the Observatory with the Fratellis. I can't remember anything particularly noteworthy of the night. Not to say the band wasn't great---they were and are--but I remember racing to get to the show on time, feeling a little flustered once I actually arrived, and then seeing a show with great lighting all in the shade of a kinda ridiculous fedora/Panama hat kinda bummed me out. I'm no stylist, I'm defnitely no fashionista, but if men never wore hats on stage again, I'd be super okay with it. I guess that and chewing gum are my two big stage peeves. That's neither here nor there. The band is super energetic and it's definitely infectious with their audience. More pictures are after the jump. 

Photos: Bishop Briggs, Matt Maeson at The Observatory, May 5, 2018

Two months seems to be my pace of uploading photos these days. I'm sorry for that, but I'm my own worst critic, I guess. These photos are from the sold out Bishop Briggs and Matt Maeson show at the Observatory on Cinco de Mayo. It was a particularly fun day...we walked to the North Park Fiesta (though it was kind of a bust, Nova got to do free pony rides around a parking lot). We had dinner at El Comal who were understandably slammed, so I got about three bites of my dinner before I had to ditch them to get to the show, running the few blocks of University to get there.

It was my first time catching Bishop. I think her other time in town was X-Fest and maybe another I missed, so I didn't have any expectations, but I'd been on a powerful woman kick lately, and she is certainly that. She enters the stage like a boxer, with her single "White Flag," and never lets up. I love an artist who is incredibly intense while singing, or with Bishop, practically running laps from one wing of the stage to the other, then being softspoken, humble, appreciative and consumed in the adoration of her fans. It was also her sister's birthday, so she let the crowd in a singalong, laughed, joked, and performed a perfect show. More photos, including opener Matt Maeson, are after the jump. 

Photos: Cigarettes After Sex at Observatory, April 30, 2018

Let's talk Cigarettes After Sex. This was another one that I was begging to shoot. I had seen them at The Hideout when there were fifty-something tickets sold, then I worked when they played The Irenic and I remember being so tired that I didn't stay for the whole show and certainly didn't try to bust out my camera. Then some strings were pulled to let me shoot at the Observatory and I realized the whole show was going to be shrouded with massive hazers and I'm thinking, "please, just let me get something, anything". Darren was able to come and we'd been listening to them so much it was a super nice date night and their music is certainly sexy-time music. But my biggest regret of the show was that after I was done shooting, I ran to West Coast to use the bathroom and grab more drinks, and completely missed their cover of REO Speedwagon "Keep On Loving You". Damnit. Fortunately, two days after the show, singer Greg Gonzalez had performed a session for SiriusXMU that included the song and it's such an amazing take on the song (which, I should admit, was a favorite when I'd listen to KyXy with my mom as a little girl). Anyway, the show was incredible, though I have to say was better that it was not on a weekend because the crowd was cool to be chill and quiet instead of the weekend warriors who might have ruined the whole thing had it been on a Friday or Saturday. They're also a band that I would love to see get enormous, but I'm also selfishly hoping a venue like the Observatory is as big as they'd play because they're not an arena or stadium type band. But I love them, and I did my best shooting, but with the whole band shrouded in darkness, it's a whole lotta Greg. More pics after the jump.

Photos: The War On Drugs at the Observatory, April 15, 2018

Nova was away for a lot of the weekend, so I spent several hours trying to catch up and upload photos from the past few weeks. Then I about had a full meltdown when I realized there were shows as far back as February that I never uploaded. So bear with me as there will be a ton of photo posts this week. By my count, there are about 35 shows I never posted.

So let's start here with The War On Drugs. The band played both weekends of Coachella and we stayed close to home for the most part that first weekend because we love watching the YouTube stream of the major stages. As we watched the band on our TV that Friday night, I was still trying every avenue available to me to get a photo pass but up to that point it was still a hard no. I don't know what strings were pulled but more than a few awesome people worked to my benefit, so that by Sunday evening, I got an approval and was one of just two photographers to shoot the show. Of course, that makes me all the bigger loser that I never posted these, but I'm trying not to be so insecure about my photography, because there are few things I love more than being behind a camera.

So here are some of the shots. I tried to whittle it down to a couple dozen but when you shoot upwards of 300 shots a band, I find I have lots of favorites. This show was amazing. I don't think I'd seen The War on Drugs since their Casbah show a few years back, and while sometimes I can get bored when a band just breaks into heavy noodling, there's so much going on on the stage and in the music that once I was done shooting, I found myself just kinda closing my eyes and getting lost in the music. More photos after the jump.

Photos: Built To Spill, Afghan Whigs, Ed Harcourt at Observatory, May 9, 2018

Built To Spill, Afghan Whigs, Ed Harcourt at Observatory, May 9, 2018

More photos after the jump.

Photos: Flogging Molly, Jon Snodgrass, Scott H Biram @ The Observatory, March 14, 2018

I always mean to post photos the day after a show, but stuff comes up and then I feel like nobody really cares anymore anyway, but real people go out of their way to make it possible for me to be able to shoot, so eventually I acknowledge the photos deserve to see the light of day, even if they're spotty and hazy from my dirty camera. That said, I hadn't intended to go to the Flogging Molly show, and then I realized Jon Snodgrass was opening and though I knew it was sold out, I had to ask anyway, and so I got to be one of the lucky ones in the photo pit. I've been missing the openers at the Observatory a lot lately because they tend to come on at 8 and I always feel bad heading out before Nova's bedtime, but I made an exception for this one.

Scott H Biram opened the show and he's always great to see. He plays the Casbah a few times a year, so I feel like I see him often and I'm fully onboard with the scruffy punk guys doing the twangy outlaw country-tinged singer-songwriter thing. He'll be back at the Casbah on April 7th with JD Wilkes and The Legendary Shack Shakers, where he and Low Volts can have a duel of the best one man band.

Hopefully Jon Snodgrass comes back soon, too He was next onstage and I love his voice so much and he played a few of my favorite Drag The River tunes among his set and made some relatable dad-rock comments throughout the show, too. I've also included an embed (shot with my phone) when O came out to play with him. He has a long history in San Diego and with Cargo Records and gave a nice shout out to Larry Munroe and O and others.

Finally, Flogging Molly hit the stage. It's hard to say anyone is energetic after Gogol Bordello just the week before, but Flogging Molly is certainly up there when it comes to onstage energy. The last time I saw them was at Street Scene what seems like forever ago. I was on the 9th floor of the Clarion watching the street below and a thousand bros in a massive circle pit, and at no fault of the band, having that feeling that Street Scene was over, it had grown too big while downtown open spaces were diminishing. I wasn't wrong, but that's why seeing the band in the contained space of the Observatory felt both nostalgic and hopeful, that all good things come back around. I took hundreds of pictures but have trimmed it down after the jump.

Observatory North Park Announces Coachella "Sideshows"

OMG! I have been so curious about what shows would come through for "Localchella" and I got a little heads up last night from the Observatory. All of these shows are now announced.

GRAMMY Award Winners War On Drugs are playing at The Observatory between Coachella weekends.
Photo by Shawn Brackbill Courtesy Pitch Perfect PR

• Wed, Apr 11   Hayley Kiyoko @ Observatory North Park - Onsale Feb 16
• Sun, Apr 15  War On Drugs @ Observatory North Park - SOLD OUT
• Mon, Apr 16   Jungle @ Observatory North Park - Onsale Feb 16
• Tue, Apr 17   Kali Uchis @ Observatory North Park - Onsale Feb 16
• Thu, Apr 19   HAIM @ Observatory North Park - Onsale Feb 16
• Wed, Apr 18    Tash Sultana @ Observatory North Park - SOLD OUT
• Fri, Apr 20   King Krule @ Observatory North Park - SOLD OUT
• Mon, Apr 23 Marian Hill, Michl @ Observatory North Park

Additionally, Casbah announced Ron Gallo @ Casbah on April 22. Tickets are also on sale for this one are on sale Friday at 10am. 

Photos: St. Vincent at Observatory North Park January 27, 2018

I'm not gonna lie. I am kind of embarrassed to share these photos. I was so excited to see St. Vincent at the Observatory a couple weeks back. She's long been one of Darren's favorites and over time has become one of mine, too. I had the chance to see her a few times before, including House of Blues and the tour with David Byrne in Orange County, but this one was even better for numerous reasons-- it was on my home turf, I got to shoot, she was playing solo, I got to see her with Darren, her aunt and uncle Tuck & Patti opened the show after hearing about them for years, Nova was at a sleepover, it was a Saturday night...the reasons are endless. And then I get 50 pictures loaded in and see that the lighting was actually TOO good and got every speck of dust and hair that's just locked in my camera. I have two cats and a dog, I carry my cameras just about everywhere and not in their photo bag, so I'm just always going to have imperfections, but on someone as flawless as Annie Clark--St Vincent--they're just way worse. So my apologies, I don't use lightbox or edit my photos, you get them how I shot them. And if I don't share them then I get backed up and stop sharing altogether and it's a big downward spiral. But I'll spare you and put them after the jump. (Unless you're on mobile, then you'll just get them all in one quick burst).

Photos: Wolf Parade at The Observatory North Park, January 23, 2018

I'd really been looking forward to seeing Wolf Parade at the Observatory. I'm not sure if I missed something, but as far as I can tell, they played the Casbah, then played Cane's in 2007 and again in 2008, and haven't been back since. It seems impossible that it has been that long, so maybe if you know otherwise, let me know.

We took Nova and a friend to the Safari Park all afternoon, so by the time we were back and I finished my work, I'd kinda lost some motivation to race out of the house and I had a funny feeling, so I decided to text my friend in the box office to confirm that I was on the list with a photo pass. Sadly, I was not. My confirmation was sent to me 5 days prior, and I knew I should've reached out today to confirm, but late night/kid/Safari Park made me a little flaky. So it was approaching 8pm and I had no tickets. I scrambled to reach out to the label and to the venue production manager to see if the tour manager could last minute add me. By 8:30, I hadn't heard back and had kind of resigned myself to staying in, when the rep got back to me with the tour manager's info at the same time the production manager told me it was a go...and it turns out the TM is Lewis, who was last here for Metz, but who I've sold merch for a dozen times for bands like Yuck, Christopher Owens, and several others. So hooray, the pass came through, by 8:45 I was out of the house, and got to the Observatory with 10 minutes to spare before Wolf Parade started. 

All of this is to say that after all that effort (and my little facebook tantrum), I wish I had better photos to share. Sometimes the lighting and the subjects are just magic, and sometimes I just ain't got it. The show itself was great, albeit kinda low energy because, as Spencer explained, the band members had all passed the flu to one another and were still suffering. Throughout the hour and a half set, Spencer had to leave the stage or back off the gear a few times. I expected a lot more of a crowd, but maybe it had been too long, maybe people are just not aware of the new record, maybe everyone is still too poor after the holidays. Whatever the case, I'm glad I rallied, got my shit together, and made it to the show.

Setlist:
Lazarus Online
Soldiers Grin
Grounds For Divorce
You're Dreaming
Valley Boy
Incantation
Fine Young Cannibals
Baby Blue
Flies on the Sun
Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts
This Heart's On Fire
I'll Believe In Anything

Cloud Shadow on the Mountain
Shine A Light
Kissing the Beehive

The show finished at 10:30 on the dot, and while it was super great, it was exactly as much show as I could handle because my back was killing me. Between Vegas, going out on Monday night, and spending the day at the Safari Park I was completely wiped out. Thanks to Wolf Parade for coming back to San Diego, I hope you all get better soon. Thanks to Bekah and Rikki and Lewis for scrambling for me at the last minute. I hope they Wolf Parade doesn't wait a decade to come back, and I hope they didn't just give 500 music fans the flu.

Now fingers crossed, let's hope I can secure my photo pass for St Vincent on Saturday.

More photos after the jump.

San Diego Music Venue Shuffle & News

It's been a while since I've posted a "newsy bits" type post around here but it seems like there's so much happening that it's time to tell you what I can share of what I know.

By now, you've surely heard that Tim Mays is now a partial owner of Soda Bar, which he purchased with Cory Stier, Andrew Montoya, and Angie Ollman. Jeff wrote about it for CityBeat and Dustin wrote about it for SoundDiego with the particulars. Obviously I work for Tim so I'll just let their articles do the talking, but I do know that some minor changes have already taken place, like the removal of the pole directly in front of the stage and expect a good interior paint job to spruce it up. As a music fan, this can really only be a good move to continue to bring great up-and-coming acts to San Diego.

Another part of all of this is that the Irenic posted a press release to their site earlier this month (h/t Josh Krimston) announcing they would once again be hosting shows. As you may have heard, the venue had told us back in 2017 that they would cease to have shows. Unfortunately, even if they're back online, that means a setback of booking because I'm sure we'd already have a dozen things booked between now and SXSW, but keep an eye out for more shows produced by Casbah and Soda Bar. For now, Casbah has moved Enter Shikari from Music Box to the Irenic on  February 25. In the meantime, Casbah added a couple shows at places like House of Blues Voodoo Room and Soma Sidestage to make up for what we thought was the loss of a venue. There is another spot Casbah was looking to get on board that might end up being an all ages alternative if needed in the future.

In other news, everyone keeps asking me what I know about the Observatory after they canceled last week's show with Sweet and Tender Hooligans and then again this week with K.Flay. They've gone radio silent on social media and tend to hold all their information close to the chest, but here's the official line from the venue:

We had to reschedule our K. Flay show due to a brief closure for maintenance repairs.It'll all be finished soon and we will be ready to rock on Thurs, Jan 18th for Big Boi & The Cool Kids.

For ticketholders to K. Flay, the show has been rescheduled to May 8. The Sweet & Tender Hooligans show was rescheduled to February 16. 

In downtown news, the Quartyard is almost back. Though I don't know if I'll forgive them for the way they tragically let their potted trees die while they were in storage near the Derby Dollhouse, the stage is back being built out on the corner of Market and 13th, just a block east of their former location on Park and Market. The footprint is much smaller and I'm not sure they'll have all of the amenities as before, but a couple shows have already been booked, including Moose Blood on April 2 and Frankie Cosmos, Ian Sweet, and SOAR on April 10.

Lastly, in case you missed it, George Varga penned an awesome love letter to the San Diego Music Scene in the U-T.  Read the full article here.

Photos: Chicano Batman at The Observatory, December 30, 2017

It was such a treat to have Chicano Batman back in San Diego. When I saw them for the first time at the Griffin five or six years back, it was hard to imagine that they'd gain such an eclectic following in San Diego, but here they are selling out The Observatory with an audience varying from white indie-rockers to cholos and Xicanas and everybody in between.

Darren had been fighting off the sickness that has knocked out much of San Diego, but he was finally feeling somewhat better and no longer contagious, so it was sweet that he was able to come for this show since we'd been anticipating it for so long, especially since we'd missed BeerX and had such terrible sightlines when we caught them at Music Box.

Anyhow, if you missed it, check out this politically charged video for "Freedom Is Free". More pictures after the jump.

LiveWire 25th Anniversary Tickets On Sale Now - Updated Lineup

If you've been paying attention, on Thursday LiveWire announced their 25th Anniversary Party. They've stepped up from the Mississippi Room at the Lafayette to the Observatory North Park to accommodate all the friends and fans who want to celebrate the momentous occasion.

The LiveWire 25th Anniversary Party will feature Rocket From The Crypt, The Meices, and MARIACHI EL BRONX a third band which will be announced next week, plus LiveWire DJs, plus food from some favorite local joints.

 Tickets are $30 plus a small transaction fee. Buy them early. LiveWire recommends that out-of-town guests (and local professionals) should consider booking a room at the Lafayette Hotel. They are offering rooms for just $179 (regularly $209) to help celebrate that weekend. Tell them you're part of the Live Wire anniversary to get the discount.

LiveWire 25th Anniversary Party

Rocket From The Crypt, The Meices, and guests

Observatory North Park 

November 4, 2017

21+

BUY TICKETS HERE

Observatory North Park: Fight Breaks Out as XXXTentacion Sucker Punched During Performance

Apparently the Observatory North Park was quite the scene on Wednesday night as headlining performer XXXTentacion was sucker punched on stage while performing. According to various accounts on social media, the alleged perpetrator was San Diego based rapper Rob $tone (or someone from his crew. Apparently they've had a beef brewing for quite some time.

The Observatory in mellower times

I was not at this show. Several people reached out to me on social media so I thought I'd reiterate that my employment at the venue ended in October 2016. I very much frequent the venue and I will continue to do so, but only in the capacity of a fan and photographer, and occasionally to sell merch when requested.

If you've been to a show at the venue, you know that security is very tight, as aggressive as TSA in a lot of ways. They're strict about all items coming into the venue, all the way down to lighters and pens. There is an armed San Diego Police Department officer at every show the venue holds. Still, and why when I worked there I often argued security was over the top, the inconveniences in time don't really prevent incidents from occurring, and in my if-I-ran-a-venue beliefs, I'm for open cameras, a quick bag check, and treating adults like adults.

It isn't clear if the perpetrator was, in fact, Rob $tone. It also isn't entirely clear if reports of a stabbing in the venue are accurate (or even connected to what happened onstage). What is known is that this tour is supposed to play at the Observatory Santa Ana on Thursday night, and the strongest message that could be sent would be to make a public statement, cancel the show, and ban all artists involved from ever playing either venue again. The money isn't worth it. It is the Observatory's duty to set the tone for their expectations of artist and fan behavior and not doing so sends a message, at best, that this is glossed over as a random incident and at worst, that this behavior is totally acceptable and will be tolerated. It is an invitation for escalation and destruction, and in my opinion, not making an official statement and keeping Thursday night's show would be a grave mistake.

.@xxxtentacion Did YOU see him? pic.twitter.com/RRrW54tIYQ

— Razor Ramon (@HW_TRK) June 8, 2017

Coverage of the incident:

NBC San Diego

Hip-Hop DX

CBS 8

Fox 5

SD Union Tribune

Twitter

Security tells #xxxtentacion he gotta bounce cause he's not safe after he gets knocked out on stage by #RobStone #TheSavageRoom #Savage pic.twitter.com/IHb4x6QUPS

— FLAME GOD (@The_Savage_Room) June 8, 2017

Update:
Statement from Councilman Chris Ward:

Last night's dramatic episode at the Observatory in North Park is obviously unacceptable from a public safety perspective, and I commend our police officers for their quick action to prevent circumstances from getting even worse. The incident also underscores the ongoing tensions between North Park's nightlife and surrounding neighbors. The community cannot be expected to sacrifice basic standards of public health and safety, and we must critically reevaluate our approach to maintaining a workable balance that keeps North Park such a great place to live and visit.
I will be meeting with SDPD, management at the Observatory, and community members to make sure all necessary safety protocols are in place to prevent this from happening again.