San Diego City Council meeting minutes, May 22
Liz Swain 4:24 p.m., May 24
Concert Reviews
Townshend, Daltrey, & Co. deliver Quadrophenia to Valley View
Forty years after the album’s release, the Who have hit the road with Quadrophenia, a tale of Jimmy the Mod’s identity crisis, as told by rockers of stadiums. From ambient opener “I Am the Sea” ...
Midge Ure captivates Brick by Brick
Midge Ure, former singer and guitar player for seminal new wavers Ultravox, stopped by Brick By Brick as part of his current tour. Playing before a loyal, enthusiastic crowd, Ure covered much of his solo ...
Muse and the mothership descend on Valley View
Once spurned as another Radiohead rip-off, Muse has grown into a band with its own identity. With hints of Queen in its blood, Muse makes unique, bombastic arena rock. And rock they did at the ...
Keane sing-alongs at House of Blues
Since 1997 the band from East Essex named Keane has been producing piano-driven melodies much to the delight of fans both here and overseas. The quartet showcased their music library for the sold-out crowd at ...
X mass at Casbah
The punk-rock masses came out for a pre-Christmas “X mass” at the Casbah. It was a different type of spiritual gathering than your traditional church service, but for those of us that worship at the ...
Trash Talk in Mira Mesa
Wrapping up its West Coast tour, Sacramento hardcore band Trash Talk left it all onstage at the Epicentre in Mira Mesa. The intensity of the show came from every angle of the room, from the ...
The Soft Pack storm the Griffin
Former San Diegans the Soft Pack stormed back into town for a one-off at the Griffin in Bay Park. Playing short, sweet, three-minute pop-punk songs, the band entertained the sparse rain-dampened crowd for over an ...
Rockabilly cats bring the Whammy! down on Casbah
In the beginning of MTV it seemed that any band with a video got airplay, then "genres" caught on. One of those was the rockabilly revival spearheaded by three main "Cat” bands; the Stray Cats, ...
Chris Isaak a-crooning, ladies a-swooning
The “Chris Isaak Christmas Show” rolled into town for two nights at the Belly Up in Solana Beach. The Stockton, California, native and swoon-worthy crooner charmed a sold-out crowd with an energetic set that ranged ...
Delta Spirit rocks the vote at House of Blues
Matt Vasquez for president! That’s what I was thinking as Delta Spirit rocked House of Blues on election night, giving fans of the band a much needed break from politics. Delta Spirit delivered a full-throttle ...
An evening with Rush has few equals
Bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee struggled to hit the high notes on the opener, keyboard-centric “Subdivisions,” which was no surprise considering the studio versions helium-high voice. However, Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer Neil Peart were so ...
Mike Watt and the return of Hyphenated-Man
Mike Watt and his loyal Missingmen landed in San Diego for a second time this year to deliver an encore performance of the band's rock opera Hyphenated-Man. The trio tore into the piece with a ...
Japandroids yell like hell to the heavens
Like a juvenile Neil Young, guitarist/vocalist Brian King cast electrified chords to the night sky over UCSD’s (partially open-air) Porter’s Pub. As the last blast drifted on the wind, the ample crowd applauded. King beamed, ...
Diamond Rings glitters at Soda Bar
John O’Regan, who has sanctioned the stage name Diamond Rings, brought his ’80s pop show to Soda Bar. In support of his sophomore release, Free Dimensional, the Canadian had been opening for the band Stars ...
Not your grandaddy's Jason Lytle
Ex-Grandaddy mastermind and current Montana mainstay Jason Lytle played an intimate show at the Casbah for a modest crowd on a late October night. Though there were probably 30 or so heads at the club, ...
