Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, August 29-Wednesday, September 4, 2024: Ramona | RIKI | Counting Crows | Las Cafeteras | Pato Banton | Moenia | Midge Ure | Thievery Corporation | Zheani |

I am really, really, enjoying this week. There's a little bit of a lull in summer touring so things aren't bananas every single day, and I can even tell all the band agents are publicists are taking a light week, if they're even working at all, just by the ever so slight decrease in my email volume. I know it is the calm before the storm, however, because as soon as Labor Day passes, it will be full steam ahead with everyone busting my ass for promotion. So let me ask you this little favor. If you're a person who loves going to shows, take a look at our Casbah calendar for September and BUY YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE. Obviously for most local shows, you can and should just pay at the door, but for touring bands, your early purchase not only demonstrates that the artist has support in this market, but the agent considers the buying patterns when booking other bands on their rosters and routing them through San Diego. It makes a huge difference with the kinds of shows we get here in San Diego or whether artists skip us on their loops from Arizona to LA. Keep our little music dream alive as we buckle up for the sprint from Labor Day to Thanksgiving. 

Stay safe out there. 

Rosey's Diary: San Diego Is Expensive (Duh!) | DOJ Files Suit Against Rent-Setting Algorithm | New COVID Vaccine Available | San Diego Zoo To End Late Hours & Kangaroo Bus Service |

Xin Bao (4 yo Female, Taken 8.27.24)

I haven't done a diary link post in awhile, but there were some emails and links that I had building up, so I wanted to make sure to share this before I get to this week's listings. 

Things have been mostly good. Toby is back in school, has been very busy with marching band and also was accepted to San Diego Youth Symphony and is learning to play stand-up bass. We hardly see him, but we hope that is a good thing. His trip to Finland was good overall, though a bit eye-opening as he encountered a lot of anti-LGBTQ attitudes and Nationalist points of view that he didn't really expect. 

Darren is busy at work and exhausted after work as they've been working on fire-breaking urban canyons which is a ton of manual labor. He had a work thing last week at Bowlero with his work friends and we had fun bowling for the first time in maybe a decade, but as we were leaving, I was SHOT AT by some asshole teens with I don't know- an airgun? a pellet gun? I don't know my mock-assault weapons, but I was hit in the forehead by something and it was completely terrifying even though I was uninjured and whatever hit me didn't break skin. The thought some kids can just race through a cul-de-sac and open fire with anything is pretty scary. Apparently it was part of a shooting spree they went on throughout the Eastlake area of Chula Vista to terrorize their neighbors. I reported it to police, but I don't expect anything to happen. Someday those little shits will shoot at someone who will quickly retaliate with real bullets and it will be a whole different situation. I hate all guns in all forms and blah blah there are certain reasons to have them whatever whatever. I hate them all and ammosexuals can seriously GFY. 

Back to talking about joyful things: I've probably, so far, already taken about 3000 photos of the pandas, most of which will never be shared because, well, that's a lot. Not exaggerating. I'm sharing just a few of my latest from Tuesday.  

Stay safe out there. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, August 22-Wednesday, August 28, 2024: Tiltwheel | IDAHO | Ghostland Observatory | Dale Crover | Sweet & Tender Hooligans | Gary Clark, Jr. | Lizzy & The Triggermen |

Obviously there was great relief for me being able to be back home and also getting the van fixed and then the kid getting home from Finland and getting back to school and kicking off his senior year. While I've been spending a lot of time at the zoo, I've been taking advantage of seeing the pandas as much as possible, trying to find the best viewing times, learning their habits, when they're active, etc. I gotta be honest though, I can't wait for it to be cold...or at least hoodie weather, because I think they're gonna really love it. Work is pretty busy which actually has me busting ass and going to sleep earlier and waking up earlier than usual for me, and I kinda like it. But of course, these listings took a while so maybe Thursday will be more low-key for me. I don't have any big show plans this week, but I will be working for Lucky Daye on Sunday and maybe if I can get my Casbah newsletter done earlier, I'll head to the Dave Dick fundraiser. Have a great week! 

Stay safe out there. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, August 15-Wednesday, August 21, 2024: Pony Bradshaw | Shrinkray | John Legend | Joss Stone | Cults | Talib Kweli | Goatwhore | Steve Poltz | Sage Francis | The Marias | Son Little |

I'm back in my house and came off a great night working for Tinariwen at Music Box. What an incredible performance! I've always missed my opportunities to catch them in the past, so I'm glad I finally got to experience them. Thanks to everyone who has reached out since we were temporarily displaced, but we're all back to normal again, so it's more gorillas and orangutans and stalking the pandas for me while trying to keep up with work as we get into the busy fall touring season. You can see from Thursday alone how bonkers it's gonna get all the way through about Thanksgiving. I don't think I have any merch gigs this week, but Vacations is gonna regret not calling me because nobody can handle their merch like I can. They probably need a team of 4 people just to try to match my efficiency and volume, but whatever. Anyway, it's a good week of shows, my house is almost fixed, my van is fixed, my animals are all back to normal in like 30 minutes of being back in our apartment, so all is right with the world. Just steer clear of COVID...it's back with a 21% positivity rate!! Yikes. Can't wait for that next booster!! Also, if anyone from the Old Globe wants to reach out...my mom and I really wanna see both parts of Henry 6. Hook it up, yo. 

Stay safe out there. 

Rosey's Diary: Lessons From (Temporary & Planned) Displacement

Displacement sucks. I am going to start this post with many caveats: I am in no way suggesting I understand the experiences of the unhoused or of people displaced by flooding, fire, or other natural disasters. My property manager gave us ample warning that our apartment needed to be inspected, that the stairs subsequently failed that inspection and they would need to be rebuilt. When he let us know we would have to have the stairs completely rebuilt, I asked if at the very least it would be possible to schedule while Toby is in Finland on a foreign-exchange program, which he was able to accommodate. So I knew construction was coming, my house is still my home, and eventually I will get to be back home and everything will be better and back to normal. Fingers crossed. Or better than normal as I will no longer have death-trap stairs that I tripped on somewhat regularly and were at risk of steps corroding at any moment. But still, I've learned some lessons and I wanted to share. Or vent. Or whine. Or whatever. After the jump. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, August 8-Wednesday, August 14, 2024: Luke Bryan | Havnauts | STRFKR | Convoy | OMA & Shing02 | Jane's Addiction | BALTHVS |Carter Winter | Amyl & The Sniffers | Mary Lambert | Alvvays |

OMG. These listings took me so long. I tried to start them at the Zoo (impossible), then I tried working in my studio but my cats were so thrilled to see me they were climbing all over my laptop (impossible), then I tried to work at my mom's but she watches terrible television, so by the time she went to bed and I could work, I was zonked out. So then I tried all over again on Wednesday and did part of them at my mom's and finally finished them on Wednesday. I'm gonna be a vagabond for the weekend, so sorry these aren't very organized and sorry if I missed anything but things are pretty chaotic in my life at the moment, as our apartment gets some hefty construction and then plumbing in the studio and trying to not pull a Jewel and live in my van, but it's actually surprising how when all you need is a couch and access to a shower and maybe some outlets to charge all the devices, everyone scatters. I'll be fine, but getting back online this weekend is the least of my concerns. The only real news anyway is that 40 Olympic competitors (so far) got COVID so that's something to keep an eye on as I see more and more friends testing positive locally, and then also, the big announcement by Kamala Harris for Walz as her VP. I'M ALL IN. Another presidency with TFG would be DEVASTATING. Do your part. 

Peace out. Stay safe out there.

Panda Preview: The Giant Pandas Are (Maybe) Ready For Their Public Debut at San Diego Zoo

 

Thursday is the big day that the San Diego Zoo finally opens Panda Ridge to the public. While the pandas arrived in San Diego on June 27, they've been off habitat as they quarantined and adjusted to their new San Diego lifestyle. The zoo made extraordinary measures to make sure nobody was getting sneak peeks or disturbing them in that time...putting windscreens across the entire Bashor Bridge, adding railings to prevent looking over, staffed the area with two guest ambassadors from open to close, erected walls around the habitats, closed off half the overflow seating for Treetops Bistro, closed the stairs at Bashor Bridge into the Canyon. They would even go so far as closing the Skyfari for "regular maintenance" whenever the pandas were exploring their yards. 

So naturally starting last week, dignitaries, media, researchers, volunteers and employees began run-throughs for the viewing. On Monday, I got the chance to see them with a friend who is a donor. We had a 4pm viewing time but got wind that they were letting people in ahead of their time, so here I'm going to divulge my recommendations for seeing the pandas. 

First of all, I do not know how they're running the time-ticketing vs the paid-viewing. But let's assume you get a ticket and a time slot. Before you even go to the zoo, plan ahead!!! The pandas are behind 8-10' high glass that is about 4 feet in front of the walking path. Any given time of day there will be reflection. I am intentionally posting my photos with heavy reflection so you can see how it looks. I wear ALL BLACK and brought a black long sleeve light jacket I use, as well as a cut up black shower curtain that I usually use for sitting. The people wearing flashy, bright and printed clothes couldn't see jack shit except everyone else's reflection. This was a late afternoon viewing, so I knew what to expect in this area after months of spending hours shooting the baby red panda, Pavitra. 

Second, I did not get one single worthy phone photo, even with my fancy new camera. If you're only bringing your phone, snap a pic or two and then just enjoy the viewing. I shoot with a pretty entry level camera, a Canon 90D and a 75-300mm lens. There are zoo regulars shooting with cameras and lenses worth $5k, $10k, $25k dollars and more. Don't try to compare your photos to their photos. Let them hobby and you enjoy your time. 

Last thing I'll say is that for this special donor preview, we had a 30 minute window, plus the extra 15 minutes we went in early. The public timed viewings will only be 15 minutes. Still, I heard a statistic that the average person spends 90 SECONDS at each animal at a zoo. They want to see, snap a selfie, maybe record a video they'll never watch, and move on. This is why the entitled maniacs get all pissed off when people don't get out of their way...their kids are cuter than you and deserve to get the best view the second they walk up to the habitat even if you've been waiting minutes or hours for that one special moment...All this to say...don't be rushed along. There will be lots of people saying "Share The Bear" but you have a window of time for the entire habitat. When Xin Bao went up to her hill, I checked out Yun Chuan (4 yo male), but he was fast asleep, so I went back to Xin Bao (3yo female) and got to see her basically rolling in her bamboo with joy, which was pretty special to watch.  But note the glare. It is harsh and everywhere, even when I blocked the yellow posts with my jacket and plastic and sat on the ground to get under the bamboo reflecting off higher on the glass. I was able to hold my black plastic up so my friend in a fully mechanized wheelchair could see the pandas when most other people couldn't see at all. I don't know what the policy will be like for the public, but I would HOPE that strollers are not allowed, as people bring WONDERFOLDS the size of my childhood day bed and think everyone else has to yield to them. The pathway was not expanded in any parts, but there is a lot more room for the first habitat with Xin Bao, who got the space of the former Takins, versus Yun Chuan who got the space of the red pandas. And speaking of red pandas, KOLA is back. Make sure to look for him snoozing high up in his tree on the right as you first enter the habitat. 

Obviously I'm so glad the pandas are back, but the zoo is going to be BONKERS and there are going to be a lot of disappointed people who only catch Xin Bao on her hill or Yun Chuan in one of his 4 hour naps. Be patient. Be a member. Don't put all your expectations into amazing views in one 15 minute visit. San Diego Zoo is posting a ton of PROFESSIONALLY shot photos and videos on their social media, where they can get behind-the-scenes and BEHIND-THE-GLASS footage. Just enjoy watching these super cute creatures. And if you're disappointed, just head next door and see much rarer animals, the Amur Leopards, or go up and visit the Guam Kingfisher who is COMPLETELY EXTINCT in the wild, and realize that conservation goes a lot further than just this hot panda summer. Photos after the jump. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Friday, August 2-Wednesday, August 7, 2024:Tiki Oasis | King Buzzo | Endless Sunsets | Matte Blvck | Jhene Aiko | Spoon | Gaslight Anthem | Alex G | Norah Jones | Pokey LaFarge | Foo FIghters |

Not gonna lie, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment. Our kid leaves to Finland this weekend, I'm working a massive show on Friday and then again on Saturday, and then on Monday, construction starts on my apartment, which will make our place completely inaccessible for the duration of construction, which they say is only gonna be 5 days, but I'm gonna be cautiously optimistic and hope that is true. It's just a lot. So. I finished listings and I'm just gonna go ahead and publish so you can plan your week ahead...and hopefully not be nearly as frazzled as I am. 

Stay safe out there. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, August 1, 2024: Imagery Machine | Fractal | Lola Kristine |

I am not feeling particularly great at the moment, so I'm just gonna give you Thursday listings and then I'll get around to the rest of the week when I can get to them. After the jump. 

Rosey's Diary & Newsy Things: COVID Is In The Air: Cases Rising (again) | Pandas To Make Public Debut | Reviving Epicentre | Waterfront Park Expands Activities | All In For Kamala |

Ekuba, the legend (Taken 7.30.24)

Pride has passed. Comic-Con is behind us. Now we're just left with hot Brat Summer and Kamala Fever. I've been trying not to freak out about all the things, I'm not particularly looking forward to construction on my apartment starting next week and living out of a suitcase until it's done, but I'll get through it, I'm sure. Besides that, I haven't posted in a minute because besides the aforementioned biggie things in San Diego, I also got a new phone and two weeks in, I still feel like I'm still setting things up and configuring things how I want them...which is a complete pain in the ass, by the way...but I'm just trying to move forward and not sweat the small stuff. I'm trying to get listings done early this week, but after how this day went, I'm gonna guess that's just not in the cards. Ah well. You'll get them Thursday, one way or another. 

Stay safe out there.

Photos: Shelbi Bennett, Grampa Drew, C. Gibbs Review @ Casbah

Photos by Tim Fears

 It's wonderful to know that we can still celebrate local songwriters and musicians that play original music the old fashioned way, and on a Sunday evening to boot. We had the lovely Shelbi Bennett known for her presence in The Midnight Pine as well as The Havnauts, playing new original tunes. Grampa Drew of Flim Flam Fame (say it 10x fast) and C. Gibbs of Modern English opening the show.

Photos: Comic-Con Preview Night 2024

 

Wednesday night was preview night of Comic-Con 2024. Admittedly, I've skipped out the past couple years because of COVID and whatnot, but I was ready to jump back into the action this year, at least to check things out. I haven't done a big photo post like this in ages and forgot that they reload newest to oldest, so give me a little grace because it took three attempts to get photos up at all without crashing my apps. 

I arrived right around 6, which was the perfect time to cruise up to the Sails Pavilion and grab my pass before doors were open and lines were moving into the main floor area. From everything I read, strollers were not allowed, but that proved not to be the case, and navigating the floor is complicated as there's no natural flow to how the crowds move, where lines occur for giveaways or booths with limited edition items. Being a little removed from all things pop-culture, it's interesting to see what creates a buzz and what doesn't, how much people will pay and how long they'll wait for beanie babies Collectibles. I kinda like to see the elaborate displays and the huge building wraps, as well as walking along Martin Luther King, Jr. Promenade along the trolley line to see all the pop-ups and activations. I will note my friend Ted Washington is again at a Small Press table for his art and publishing, Puna Press, so make sure to say hi. It was also a treat to see and hear SpongeBob SquarePants voice actors Tom Kenny (Spongebob, Gary) and Bill Fagerbakke (Patrick Star) as they gave interviews, while their costumed character counterparts danced around in the background. I don't know how much time I'll spend downtown the rest of the week, but I'll try to get my shit together when posting. I will be working at the Mosh Eisley event on Friday at Music Box, so if you're there, say hello at the merch booth. 

Stay safe out there, my little nerds!! 

Things To Do In San Diego: Wednesday, July 24-Tuesday, July 31, 2024: Comic-Con | Spritual Cramp | Michael Franti | Devotional | Lake Street Dive | Dwight Yoakam | Zack Oakley | Pallbearer | Willie Nelson | Dad Bod | X |

Okay. So. I did all my listings for the week last night so that I could merge them and also update my Comic-Con Page (which you can find if you click the little "Move To" triangle at the top of the page on Mobile). I have not, however, updated all the free stuff and activations. I'm going to go down to preview night, shoot some photos, and check things out before I decide what is worth listings and what is a bust. So, enjoy and share the listings and I'll get back to updating tonight. And I promise I'll find a better pic, too. 

Listings are after the jump. I updated activations and multi-day events, which can be found on my Comic-Con Page, as I linked before. 

Stay safe out there. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, July 18-Wednesday, July 24, 2024: The Decemberists | Pedro the Lion | Ragana+Agriculture| SD Pride | Drug Hunt | Metalachi | Shelbi Bennett | Sun Kil Moon | Comic-Con |

I feel like I'm in the hellish part of my summer that should be the best part, so I'm trying to take a step back, take a breath, and give myself a little wiggle room to feel my feelings and have anxiety and then hopefully get my head together and come out on the other side. 

As you well know, this week is San Diego Pride. Technically, it started last week, but it all culminates in big parties, the parade, and of course, the Pride Festival in Balboa Park. Toby will be playing in the Pride Band in the parade, but shout out to San Diego Youth Services + OSP, HYC, and Ringer's Roller Rink/Derby United, who I believe will all be represented in the parade as well. It is not an overstatement to say that these services, programs, and support systems literally SAVE LIVES. For parents, PFLAG, HRC, and others have also been a lifeline, and we're so grateful. As far as listings go, I put some of the Pride things, but I'm certain Rich's, The Rail, Uptown, Mo's and all the others have their own things going on and will be slammed all weekend. If any of those have specific events that jump out, I'll add them in. 

Then just as soon as it all ends, Comic-Con is coming. The volume of my email has tripled in the last couple weeks, that's the price you pay for getting a media pass, so I'm really trying to work through all those emails and see what are just hyping specific panels or collectibles and book releases and author signings with the stuff we're concerned with on this site --- the parties and activations. So, that said, I know I included Wednesday night listings here, per usual, however, I have not yet integrated anything Con related that is outside of the usual venues included here. I hope to pepper them in throughout the week and eventually update my Con guide, but like I said, things are a little crazy right now. I'm temporarily without a vehicle, wasted half a day going to pick up said vehicle and dropping $1700 only to find out the problem I took it in for in the first place wasn't even looked at. So, another day without a car and no real idea if the issue can be fixed within the umbrella of repairs and service that I've already paid for. Nightmare. 

Anyway, stay safe out there. Like, really stay safe out there. COVID is still a thing coming back strong this summer as our boosters are all really not doing much anymore, MPOX is hitting back strong, and after last weekend's events, lunatics are brazen and even more empowered by all the vitriol and call to arms they've heard spewed at this week's RNC.  

Rosey's Diary & Newsy Things: SDPD To Add Surveillance to Pride | Sea Lions Continue to be Harassed | SD Is $$$$$ | Pandas Are Here (But You Can't See Them)| SCOTUS Is The Worst |

Winston, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park's Silverback, Passed Away (Taken 3.13.24)

I had been working on this post and then a bunch of work things and life things came up and I never got around to finishing it and then Saturday happened and I don't want to have anything to do with news at all and am trying to live off-line as much as possible. So if you notice this post is outdated to before the weekend, you are correct, and I'm not even going to post or talk about or link to anything having to do with what happened Saturday because for me, it CHANGES NOTHING. In fact, it verifies even more that Biden is my candidate and I cannot wait for every person with a hot take to move on to the next thing. You want 2A and no rules and open carry and bump stocks and an AR-15 style gun for everyone and all this bullshit? Congratulations. This is the world you get. Fuck you that you never thought it would be used against you while predicting (ordering?) a future "bloodbath" when TFG loses. 

Stay safe out there. Pride is this weekend and EVERYONE needs to be vigilant in looking out for any lunatics that might be out to make a point. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, July 11-Wednesday, July 17, 2024: In The Valley Below | The Church | Niis | Marty Stuart | Alejandro Escovedo | Toad The Wet Sprocket |

I'm going to keep it super short because my to-do list is far too long and I just got home from seeing Ducks Ltd. and they were AMAZING. It was a great reminder why you should listen to NEW music and forget about most of the nonsense that charts or whatever you are telling you are the thing to listen to. There's a lot of rad stuff this week, so check the listings, and I'll try to update if I get any new info or realize that I missed a whole bunch of stuff. 

Stay safe out there. 

Things To In San Diego: Friday, July 5-Wednesday, July 10, 2024: Red Fang | The White Buffalo | Harry Connick, Jr. | Avalon Anniversary | Ducks Ltd. |

I'm not gonna lie, not only did I not leave my house on the 4th of July, I'm not sure I even went outside except to maybe grab my cats off the patio when the neighborhood fireworks started popping off. And it was glorious. I needed a day at home without any responsibilities...until I realized I hadn't done listings or a Casbah newsletter. Sigh. So here are this week's listings. The Belly Up is kicking off their 50th Anniversary celebration, but it felt a little redundant to put that label on all of their shows. Otherwise, it's kind of a light week for shows but still plenty going on in San Diego that maybe a summer slow down is just what we need. The County Fair wraps on Sunday, San Diego Pride events will start to pick up, and before we know it, Comic-Con will be here. Enjoy the slower pace before San Diego gets bonkers. 

Stay safe out there. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, June 27-Thursday July 4, 2024: Cosmo's Midnight | DIIV | Chicano Batman | Mistress 77 | Blink-182 | Iron & Wine | Mountain Grass Unit | Redd Kross |

Being that Independence Day is just a week away, I decided to run these listings through Thursday. I'm looking forward to seeing The Color Purple at New Village Arts on Thursday night, and I always love working for Mistress 77, which I'll be doing on Saturday night. In between, you know I'll be at the zoo and also planned a Sea World trip before my pass expires. Beyond that, I'm so exhausted, I would really, really enjoy some sleep. Catch ya on the flip. 

Rosey's Diary & Newsy Things: Animal Shelters Need Your Help | Panda Fever | Rescued Baby Dolphin At Sea World | Coastal Commission NIMBYs? | Where Did Your Stolen Bike Go?

The Fools & Fables Crew at Casbah (6.20.24)

I don't have a ton of links this week because the news has been a lot of the same as usual stuff as always...campaign bullshit and NIMBY nonsense and a whole lot of bloviating by old white guys in Washington who get nothing done but slowly suck away our rights, so I'm just going to go ahead and publish what I do have so we have a clean slate going into the next week. 

I will say it was a pretty good week, albeit with full on summer heat. Besides my daily zoo trips, my sister and a couple friends and I went to the Fools & Fables show at the Casbah on Thursday night and afterwards I caught up with my pal, Tim Fears. Keep an eye out, because he's gonna be shooting a lot of shows and sharing his photos right here on sddialedin.com. On Saturday, Toby's rock camp played a concert at Music Box in the daytime. You can watch Toby's band's performance here. That night I worked for Dead Man's Party, also at Music Box, so it was a fun double-header. 

The C is going back around with new variants, so stay safe out there. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, June 20-Wednesday, June 26, 2023: Fools & Fables | Melt Banana | Kate Yeager | Hot Water Music | Heavy Hawaii | Third Eye Blind | REIK | OB Street Fair | The Dollyrots | Sparta |

This has been a rough week. For many years, I've been a stay-up-late/sleep-in girl and that has been just fine for me. I'm used to sitting on my laptop and working until 4am and then sleeping until whenever I slept enough to do it all over again. But with Darren's new job, this week I was designated driver to get Toby to Rock n Roll Camp For (Teens) every day by 9am. That means up at 7am. That is EARLY for an insomniac like me. But he has been so stoked all week long and immediately formed a band and will be one of ten groups playing on Saturday morning at Music Box. While it is called Camp For Girls, there are a lot of LGBTQIA+ kids, so he has really found teens he can connect with. 

These early mornings mean I've been at the zoo extra early, but honestly today, I feel like my eyes are sunburned. It's only going to get hotter as we bust into summer, so I may have to adjust my days and activities accordingly. I'm hoping to make it to Fools & Fables tonight, but we'll see if I can make it work. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a really great weekend and gets out to some live music because I don't know if you've heard, but all that post-pandemic revenge concert attendance and advanced ticket buying has plummeted. Of course, it depends on the shows and venue and cost, but oversaturation and everything being so damn expensive means you really have to think about where you're spending your money. Try supporting local when you can. 

Stay safe out there. Happy Summer 2024.