How special is Elton John’s Friday night concert at Petco Park? It is his only scheduled public performance in 2025. Moreover, the legendary singer-songwriter’s “Curebound Concert For Cures” will take place two years after he concluded his worldwide “Farewell Yellow Brick Road: The Final Tour.”
The impetus for his show here is a very worthy cause — raising funds for cures for cancer — that strikes a loud chord for John. He was treated for prostate cancer in 2017, then began his farewell tour in 2018.
Curebound is a 501c3 organization that raises and invests funds for innovative adult and pediatric cancer research. Since launching in 2021, the San Diego nonprofit has raised more than $8.5 million with its two previous Curebound benefit concerts, which starred Alicia Keys and Ed Sheeran. It has funded more than $45 million in cancer research for 140-plus study grants for more than 20 types of pediatric and adult cancers.
Here’s everything you need to know if you are going to Friday’s concert, for which ticket prices start at $42.70.
1. The scheduled starting time is 8:15 p.m. Friday. There is no opening act.
2. All gates at Petco Park will open at 6:30 p.m. Friday and early arrival is encouraged. No re-entry will be allowed.
3. Padres parking lots will open at 2:30 p.m. Friday for concertgoers with pre-purchased es. Limited day-of parking will be subject to availability. Its name to the contrary, no tailgating will be permitted in Tailgate Park for this concert.
4. Use of public transportation is strongly encouraged.
Prior to the concert there will be regular San Diego Trolley service on the Green and Blue Lines every 15 minutes, or sooner, to the 12th Street & Imperial Avenue Transit Center. The center is located just steps away from Petco Park. Green Line riders can de-board at the nearby Gaslamp Quarter Station.
Post-concert trolleys from the 12th Street & Imperial Avenue Transit Center will continue every 15 minutes until at least 45 minutes after the concert’s conclusion, then every 30 minutes until the last scheduled trips of the night. Additional trips will be provided as needed, according to a Metropolitan Transit Service representative.
• The last Green Line trolley to SDSU and Santee leaves at 11:36 p.m.
• The last Blue Line trolley to UTC leaves at 11:08 p.m.
• The last Blue Line trolley to San Ysidro leaves at 12:07 a.m. Saturday.
• The last Orange Line Trolley to Spring Valley and El Cajon leaves at 11:56 p.m.
• The last Copper Line Trolley to Santee leaves at 11:40 p.m.
• The last Coaster ride from the Santa Fe depot in downtown San Diego to Oceanside departs Friday at 11:40 p.m.
5. All tickets for the concert are digital and can be found in either the MLB Ballpark app or the Ticketmaster app. Details on how to access or transfer your tickets are available online at mlb.com/padres/tickets/mobile/guide
Table seating on stadium floor: Sections A-E
Guests with tickets (designated as section A-E) must enter at the Gaslamp Breezeway located on 7th Ave and K Street for access.
Guests with Floor Tables labeled as Sections A-E will need a specific access wristband before entry. Wristbands are available upon entry at the Gaslamp Breezeway Gate entrance. Please note: Each ticket will be scanned in order to receive a wristband.
Table seating on stadium floor: Sections F-N
Guests with floor tickets (designated as sections F-N) must enter at the Park Blvd Gate located on Park Blvd and 10th Ave for floor access.
Guests with Floor Tables labeled as Sections F-N will need a specific access wristband before entry. Wristbands are available upon entry at the Park Blvd Gate entrance. Please note: Each ticket will be scanned in order to receive a wristband.
Floor Tickets
Guests with tickets on the floor (designated as sections FLR1, FLR2, FLR3, FLR4) must enter at the Park Blvd Gate located at the intersection of Park Blvd and 10th Ave for Floor Access.
Seating Bowl
Guests with seating bowl tickets above the stadium floor may enter at any gate listed below:
• Gaslamp Gate located at the intersection of K Street and 7th Ave.
• East Village Gate located at the intersection of K Street and 10th Ave.
• Home Plate Gate located at the corner of Park Blvd and Tony Gwynn Drive.
6. Concertgoers who purchased a suite can enter, starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday, through the Suite Entrance at Park Blvd. or any of the non-field level “seating bowl” entrances.
7. No outside food or beverages are permitted, including factory-sealed water bottles and reusable water bottles.
8. Petco Park prohibits backpacks and bags, with the exception of single-compartment clear plastic bags not exceeding 12 inches by six inches by 12 inches, infant and medical bags, and clutches and purses no larger than 5 inches by 7 inches.
9. Petco Park offers mobile lockers, located at the Premier Lot near the pedestrian bridge across from the Home Plate Gate. Locker rentals cost $12 and are cashless. The lockers area will remain open for 30 minutes after the conclusion of the concert.
10. Petco Park is a cashless venue. Credit cards, Padres Pay, Google Pay and Apple Pay are accepted at all concessions locations within the ballpark.
11. No professional cameras or selfie sticks are allowed.
12. Petco Park is a smoke-free facility. Use of tobacco, vaping and e-cigarettes is not allowed inside the stadium. Designated smoking areas will be available at each main gate.
13. Bullhorns, frisbees, drones, eye drops, hover boards, hula hoops and bubble-making devices are among the numerous items prohibited at Petco Park concerts. A complete list is available at: mlb.com/padres/tickets/concerts/prohibited-items.
Elton John Curebound Concert for Cures
When: 8:15 p.m. Friday
Where: Petco Park, 100 Park Blvd., downtown
Tickets: $42.70-$327; limited on-field table packages start at $5,000. For VIP experiences information and prices, email: [email protected]
Online: curebound.org/concert-for-cures and ticketmaster.com
