Is the concert market in San Diego and across the nation going up? Down? Or both simultaneously?
Considering how many tours are headed our way this summer by everyone from Alison Krauss, Wu-Tang Clan and Nelly to Elvis Costello, Kali Uchis and the Pixies, it might seem like another banner season is in store for live-music fans of many persuasions. And it would seem even more true in San Diego, which has more outdoor concert venues than Los Angeles or any other city in California.
But appearances can be deceiving. This year is already posing challenges for a concert industry that surged to record highs in attendance and profitability between 2022 and last year. That was after the pandemic lockdown brought concerts — and much of the world — shuddering to a halt in 2020 and much of 2021 (and before the COVID resurgence that followed).
What will change when concerts and festivals return? Everything
Live Nation, the world’s biggest concert promoter, grossed a record $16.6 billion in 2022, a 166.11 percent increase from 2021, and an even more dizzying $18.6 billion in 2023. That amount rose even higher last year, to $23 billion in total revenue. But 2024 also saw more tour and festival cancellations occur than in any year since 2020 (and, before that, the Great Recession years of 2007 to 2009). For the first quarter of this year, Live Nation has reported a 14 percent drop in concert revenues, but it is projecting a summer rebound.
Either way, ticket prices continue to climb ever higher and the median ticket price last year rose to $135.92. In 2019, the last year before the pandemic, the median concert ticket price was $96.17. So far in 2025, 21 festivals have been shelved in the U.S., including five in California and the 19-year-old Pitchfork Festival in Chicago, due to low ticket sales and soaring productions costs.
At the same time, this year’s world tour by the reunited Brit-pop band Oasis sold out in a near-instant, including both of the band’s early September concerts at the nearly 90,000 capacity Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Conversely, Linkin Park’s 2025 reunion tour has seen the rap-metal band cancel some dates, reduce ticket prices for others, and move its Los Angeles show at Dodger Stadium to the considerably smaller Intuit Dome.
Closer to home, Petco Park hosted a record 10 full-stadium concerts in 2024 and 13 at its smaller ading outdoor venue, the 6,000-capacity Gallagher Square. So far this year, only one artist, Elton John, has done a full-stadium concert at Petco. And only one more, by embattled singer Chris Brown on Sept. 17, has been announced thus far. But Gallagher Square has already held six concerts this year and has 21 more scheduled between now and the end of September.
Elton John scored big at his San Diego Curebound Concert For Cures in Petco Park
Chula Vista’s nearly 20,000-capacity North Island Credit Union Amphitheater, which is owned and operated by Live Nation, held 24 concerts in 2024. The total scheduled for this year, including the four that took place earlier this month, is one dozen.
Humphreys Concerts by the Bay on Shelter Island held 65 concerts last year and has 59 confirmed so far this year. Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at SDSU had 25 concerts in 2024 and has 26 set for this year. No wonder “Up? Down?” is an apt summation of the constantly fluctuating market for concerts.
Humphreys Concerts 2025 season to feature Boz Scaggs, America, Elvis Costello and many more
As in previous years, some of the biggest tours of the year are skipping San Diego. That means fans will have to travel to attend performances by Beyoncé, The Who, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, Billie Eilish, AC/DC, Lady Gaga, Metallica, Lorde or the aforementioned Oasis and Linkin Park.
That doesn’t mean San Diegans won’t have lots of concert options to choose from, although they won’t be as plentiful for major tours as last year. To help you choose from the many options, these are our picks for some of the likely highlights in this summer’s San Diego concert season. ( shows at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park and the San Diego County Fair’s Grandstand Stage will be previewed in issues of the Union-Tribune’s Night & Day section.)
For the sake of expediency, our choices do not include concerts that are already sold out (which this year totals considerably fewer than the nearly two-dozen to achieve that status last year) So, take a bow, Jackson Browne, Alabama Shakes, Teddy Swims, The English Beat, Chicago, Fujii Kaze, Brand New, Ghost, Boz Scaggs, Arc de Soleil, Weird Al, Sam Barber, Pink Martini, and Kurt Vile and The Violators.
JUNE
Trousdale, with Beane, Nia Ashleigh, and Buffchick
Singer-songwriters Georgia Greene, Quinn D’Andrea and Lauren Jones are all 2018 graduates of USC’s Thornton School of Music who have banded together as Trousdale. Equally adept at pop, folk, rock and country, they specialize in luminous, three-part vocal harmonies that are delivered with skill, wit and a welcome absence of showboating. Trousdale’s songs adroitly address female empowerment, loss, heartbreak, anxiety, mental health and other subjects while striking a winning balance between melancholia and buoyancy. Their drummer, Carter Couron, is a former San Diegan. 6 p.m. Wednesday. Quartyard, 1301 Market Street, downtown. $29.36. quartyardsd.com
Sasha Berliner Quartet
Former San Francisco rock drummer-turned-vibraphonist Sasha Berliner is, at 26, one of the most gifted young artists in jazz. Her latest album, “Fantôme,” is her most accomplished and enticing to date. Now a professor of jazz and jazz composition at UC Irvine, Berliner is a triple threat as a band leader, composer and soloist whose music is by turns playful and contemplative, sparkling and seductive, carefully crafted and free flowing. Her San Diego headlining debut kicks off this year’s Athenaeum summer jazz concert series, which continues with a June 16 duo performance by bass legend Dave Holland and Benin-born guitar great Lionel Loueke. 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Athenaeum, 1008 Wall Street, La Jolla. $50-$55. 858-454-5872; ljathenaeum.org
North Park Music Fest
Back for its fourth year, North Park Music fest is downsizing this year from two days to one, eliminating two of its three outdoor stages and pivoting to six indoor venues, all but two of which have a 21-and-up ission policy. But the number of bands and solo artists is increasing, from not quite two dozen in 2024 to more than 40 this time, although the number of nationally prominent acts is dropping from three to one. Happily, the one in question is noted singer-songwriter John Doe, who will also perform Nov. 13 at the Balboa Theater with his pioneering Los Angeles band, X. Other North Park Music Fest acts this year include such local favorites as The Schizophonics, Lisa Sanders and Gayle Skidmore. 11 a.m. June 7. Various North Park venues. $25. northparkmusicfest.org
Brad Paisley, with Walker Hayes and Avery Anna
His days of filling 20,000-capacity amphitheaters may be behind him, at least for the time being, but Brad Paisley is still a dedicated road dog whose current “Truck Still Works” tour stretches into August. And while fans know him best for such memorable hit songs as “Ticks,” “We Danced,” “Whiskey Lullaby” and “American Saturday Night,” Paisley’s greatest strength is as a wonderfully fleet-fingered guitarist. Or, as he told me in a 2009 San Diego Union-Tribune interview: “I’m a songwriter who plays the guitar and sings, although my first love is the guitar playing, more than the other two things combined.” 7:30 p.m. June 7. Gallagher Square at Petco Park, 899 J Street, San Diego. $79.50. ticketmaster.com
Rhiannon Giddens & The Old-Time Revue
A co-founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, the artistic director of the genre-blurring Silk Road Ensemble and a veteran solo artist who champions vintage American roots music, Rhiannon Giddens wears enough hats to open her own haberdashery. A Pulitzer Prize-winning opera composer who played banjo and viola on Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” album, Giddens is now on tour with The Old-Time Revue.
The group focuses on weathered African-American string music traditions from Appalachia, then builds from there. Its repertoire mixes everything from Cajun waltzes and traditional Congolese ballads to Merle Haggard classics and spirited hoedowns. 8 p.m. June 19. Observatory North Park, 2891 University Avenue, North Park. $55. livenation.com
Charles Mherson, with Javon Jackson
A longtime San Diego resident, alto sax great Charles Mherson isn’t slowing down as his 86th birthday approaches in July. After performing concerts this month across the East Coast, Midwest and Southeast, including a three-night run at New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center, Mherson will celebrate his birthday a month early here with two late-June concerts at Lou Lou’s before flying cross-country for more gigs in New York and Baltimore.
Charles Mherson bonus Q&A: ‘The whole game has changed,’ says the jazz great of his new record label
His most recent album, last year’s live recording “Reverence,” has earned some of the most glowing reviews of his illustrious career. It reaffirms that when he is on stage, in front of a responsive audience, Mherson still shines brightest. 7 and 10 p.m. June 28. Lou Lou’s, 2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. $30. loulous.com
Also recommended
Wednesday: The Black Keys, The Heavy Heavy, Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheatre at SDSU
Friday: Charley Crockett, Harrah’s Resort & Casino
Friday: “Acoustic Evenings” salutes Jamie Shadowlight, featuring Lee Coulter, Julia Sage, Dave Booda, Monette Marino, Santiago Orozco, Jesus Gonzalez, Jefferson Jay, Bri Schillings, Michelle Lerach, Athenaeum
June 7: East Village Blues Fest, with Sue Palmer, Len Raney, Stoney B. Blues Band, Zaval Soul and The Tighten Ups, Quartyard
June 7: Sam Hinton Folk Heritage Festival, Old Poway Park
June 13: Valerie June, Music Box
June 15: San Diego Troubadour benefit, with Jeff Berkley, Eve Selis, Twang, Tim Flannery, Pilgrim United Church of Christ Carlsbad
June 19: Mary Chapin Carpenter, Brandy Clark, Humphreys Concerts by the Bay
June 20: Lola Kirke, Soda Bar
June 21: Wu-Tang Clan, Run The Jewels, Pechanga Arena
June 21: Switchfoot Bro-Am, Encinitas Moonlight Beach
June 22: Mike Keneally, The Holding Company
June 23: AJ Croce, Humphreys Concerts by the Bay
June 24: Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Humphreys Concerts by the Bay
June 25: Gong, The Bornemann Theater
June 26: Shakira. Snapdragon Stadium
JULY
Ziggy Marley
Whether doing his own songs or classics by his legendary father, Bob Marley, it isn’t difficult for Ziggy Marley to cast a musical spell over his audiences. He’s a charismatic performer, a string singer and a talented band leader who knows how to build musical momentum.
A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Ziggy Marley was one of the producers of “One Love,” the 2024 biofilm about his iconic dad, who died of cancer in 1981 and is still the best-known, best-selling reggae artist ever. But the younger Marley is not standing in the shadows of his late father. Two of his own songs, “True To Myself” and “Beach in Hawaii,” have each been streamed more than 100 million times, and his latest book for kids, “Music Is In Everything,” came out last fall. 7:30 p.m. July 5. Toyota Summer Concert Series on the Corona Grandstand Stage, Del Mar Fairground . $69.44-$117.60. sdfair.com
Dwight Yoakam, The Mavericks
This may well be the most alluring double-bill of the summer for fans of Bakersfield-styled country music and of Florida-bred country music with a zesty Latin twist. Both Dwight Yoakam and The Mavericks rose to national prominence in the 1980s, thanks to their respective songwriting and stage chops. Both are rock-solid performers with deep catalogs from which to draw. And both would be well worth hearing by themselves, making the opportunity to catch them back-to-back in one night especially appealing. 7 p.m. July 10. Oceanside FrontWave Arena, 3475 Hero Drive, Oceanside. $60.33-$113.41. axs.com
“Happy Together Tour,” featuring The Turtles, Jay & The Americans, Little Anthony, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, The Vogues and The Cowsills
Most of the of the Brooklyn doo-wop group Little Anthony & The Imperials were still in their teens when the group recorded its first hit, “Tears On My Pillow,” in 1958. More followed, including such memorable songs as “Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko-Ko-Bop,” “Goin’ Out of My Head,” “Hurts So Bad” and 1977’s “Can You Imagine,” which was sampled by the French duo Daft Punk for its 2007 song, “Crescendolls.” Lead singer Jerome “Little Anthony” Gourdine is now 84 and was inducted with the Imperials into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. At last count, he had nine children, 15 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. I can’t recall the last time he performed here. But if he’s maintained his voice, expect him to steal the show from the other this year’s other “Happy Together Tour” acts, which include former San Diego singer Gary Puckett. 7:30 p.m. July 11. Humphreys Concerts by the Bay, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. $84.45. ticketmaster.com
Alison Krauss & Union Station
Welcome back, Alison Krauss & Union Station! The band is now on the road for the first time since 2015 in of “Arcadia,” its first album since 2011. The title of the opening song, the elegiac “Looks Like The End of The Road,” could be a wry allusion to how much in doubt this group’s future seemed to be after such a lengthy hiatus. Happily, the band’s lineup has remained intact except for one member, and its sublime blend of bluegrass, folk and country is as enchanting as ever.
A 27-time Grammy Award-winner, Krauss’ most recent appearances here have been alongside former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant. Hearing her reteam with Union Station, which she founded in 1987 at the age of 16, should be a treat. 7:30 p.m. July 12. Rady Shell, 222 Marina Park Way, San Diego. $75.65-$136.75. ticketmaster.com
Gyedu-Blay Ambolley
It is beyond unlikely that Ghanaian highlife-music legend Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, 78, is performing in San Diego in July only two months after Ghanaian highlife-music pioneer Ebo Taylor, 89, performed here in May. Ambolley has more than 30 albums to his credit and has blazed a highly distinctive path with his propulsive fusion of highlife, jazz, funk, soul and rap. His 2022 album, “Highlife Jazz,” features Ambolley’s ebullient original songs and his delightful, dance-happy reinventions of such jazz classics as John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme,” Miles Davis’ “All Blues” and Thelonious Monk’s “Round Midnight.” Here’s hoping he’ll include a few of them at his concert here, which will feature Ambolley and his band performing his superb 1975 debut album, “Simigaw,” in its entirety. 9 p.m. July 22. Music Box, 1337 India Street, San Diego. $38.30-$162 (must be 21 or older to attend). ticketweb.com
Also recommended
July 6: Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Corona Grandstand Stage
July 10: ProgJect, featuring Mike Keneally, CCAE
July 10: Barrington Levy, Beach House at Belmont Park
July 11: Green Jelly, The Holding Company
July 12: Rachel Lee Sanders, Dizzy’s
July 15: Stick Men, featuring Tony Levin, The Bornemann Theater
July 18: San Diego International Mariachi Summit, Balboa Theater
July 24: Fitz & The Tantrums, Humphreys Concerts by the Bay
July 25: Ben Kweller, Casbah
July 31: Kenny Werner, Athenaeum
July 31: Victor Baker Quartet, Lou Lou’s Jungle Room
AUGUST
Primus, with MonoNeon
This has been a year of unexpected upheaval for the drummers in The Who and Foo Fighters, both of whom were abruptly fired this spring despite — or, perhaps, because of — their formidable talents. Not so, veteran Primus drummer Tim “Herb” Alexander, who last fall cited fatigue, mental health and a diminishing ion for music for his decision to quit the proudly oddball alt-metal and funk band. It was the third time Alexander quit Primus, having previously left in 1996 for 14 years and again in 2010 for three years. His replacement, former Dirtfoot stick man John “Hoffer” Hoffman, was one of 6,000 or so drummers to audition via video, and one of only nine to make the cut to audition in person. Hoffman debuted with Primus March 8 in the Dominican Republic. 8 p.m. Aug 2. Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheater at SDSU, 5500 Campanile Drive, SDSU. $55.10-$125. ticketmaster.com
Gilbert Castellanos presents Miles Davis’ “Porgy and Bess”
Last summer saw leading trumpeter, music educator and San Diego Symphony jazz curator Gilbert Castellanos draw a full house to The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park for his concert saluting Miles Davis’ groundbreaking 1959 album, “Kind of Blue.” Castellanos returns to salute another landmark 1959 album, “Porgy and Bess,” Davis and arranger Gil Evans’ sumptuous, all-instrumental reinvention of George Gershwin’s classic 1939 opera. The talent-packed, 20-piece ensemble set to perform features pianist/conductor Josh Nelson, trumpeters Castellanos, Derek Cannon, James Ford and Doug Meeuwsen, woodwind players Keith Fiddmont and Jean-Paul “JP” Balmat, trombonists Matt Hall and Jeannie Geiger, and more. 7:30 p.m. Aug. 3. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, 222 Marina Park Way, downtown. $44-$85. (619) 235-0804; theshell.org
Femi Kuti & The Positive Force
The oldest son of the late Nigerian music legend Fela Kuti, Femi Kuti is — like his storied father before him — a gifted saxophonist and band leader with an electrifying stage presence. He also shares his father’s penchant for crafting brassy, groove-happy songs that take aim at the social, economic and political challenges that face Africa in general and his Nigerian homeland, specifically. Released this month, Femi Kuti’s newest album, the absorbing “Journey Through Life,” addresses similar issues while also paying homage to the vibrant Afrobeat music his dad pioneered in the 1960s and ’70s. 8 p.m. Aug. 7, Belly Up, 143 South Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. $32-$56 (must be 21 or older to attend). bellyup.com
Keb’ Mo’, Shawn Colvin
Compton native Keb’ Mo’ has received five Grammy Awards since 1996, including a 2018 Best Contemporary Blues Album win for “TajMo,” his splendid collaboration with American roots-music giant Taj Mahal. The two have now re-teamed for a similarly engaging follow-up album, “Room On The Porch,” which takes an easy-going dip into blues, country, folk, New Orleans-styled funk, and more.
Even without Mahal next to him on stage, it’s likely Keb’ Mo’ (short for Kevin Moore) will perform a number of songs from “Porch” here. Veteran troubadour Shawn Colvin, herself a three-time Grammy-winner, is well worth arriving early to hear. 7:30 p.m. Aug. 15. Humphreys Concerts by the Bay, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. $87.05. ticketmaster.com
Cecile McLorin Salvant
A multiple Grammy Award-winner and 2020 MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” recipient, Florida native Cecile McLorin Salvant studied classical and Baroque singing at college in before she discovered jazz and soared to new heights.
One of the most talented, versatile and daring vocal artists of her generation, she is — at 35 — a masterful musician. Salvant’s latest opus, the 80-minute “Ogresse,” is a voice-and-orchestra work that she describes as a “murder ballad-musical fable, opera, storytelling-around-the-campfire moment.” For her La Jolla Music Society SummerFest concert, Salvant will perform “Book of Ayres,” a reimagining of early music, folk, jazz, vaudeville, sung Greek lyric poetry and more. She be accompanied by a five-piece group, led by ace pianist Sullivan Fortner, that includes Dušan Balarin on theorbo, a bass flute that has 14 strings and can measure more than six feet from end to end. 7:30 p.m. Aug. 16. Baker-Baum Concert Hall, Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Avenue, La Jolla. $68-$105. theconrad.org
Also recommended
Aug. 5: Steve Earle, Belly Up
Aug. 8: Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Baja Beach Fest
Aug. 15: Macy Gray “On How Life Is: 25th Anniversary Tour,” The Magnolia
Aug. 16: The Khalil Childs Quartet, Dizzy’s
Aug. 19: Michael Franti & Spearhead, Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheatre at SDSU
Aug. 20: Japanese Breakfast, Ginger Root, Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheatre at SDSU
Aug. 22: Burton Cummings, Humphreys Concerts by the Bay
Aug. 23: 14th annual Beat Farmers Hootenanny, Belly Up
Aug. 24: Kali Uchis, Pechanga Arena San Diego
Aug. 27: The Pixies, Spoon, Fazerdaze, Gallagher Square at Petco Park
Aug. 27/28: Judy Collins, Belly Up
Aug. 30/31: Holo Holo Festival, Gallagher Square at Petco Park
