"Last Year We Booked Taking Back Sunday and Yellowcard"

"Last year we booked Taking Back Sunday and Yellowcard [at Soma]. They were in the $10,000 range. Now both bands are asking $50,000 [per date]," says Len Paul, owner of Soma, pointing out that the stakes are growing in San Diego's rock concert arena. He has booked the San Diego Sports Arena for April 1 of next year in order to present the "Taste of Chaos" tour organized by Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman.

Paul says he won the rights to present the Chaos tour over House of Blues Concerts, which also bid on it. "They [House of Blues] wanted to do it at [UCSD's] RIMAC," says Paul. According to Paul, he is personally bankrolling the April 1 show. "There are no other partners."

For the past two years Soma has presented its multiband New Year's Eve shows at the Sports Arena. After major losses both years, Paul says he is using Soma for this year's New Year's show.

"Last year was a $6000 loss. The year before was $25,000. It would have been $40,000, but [headliner] Pennywise gave me a break."