While San Diego is home to many wonderful concert venues, none is quite as picturesque as the Starlight Bowl. Located in Balboa Park, the outdoor amphitheater was built in 1935 and is best known for its theater productions, but it has hosted concerts throughout its history. The most famous performance is likely the Rolling Stones’ 1965 appearance, but many other legends have trod the stage, including Elvis Costello, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Roy Orbison. Unfortunately, while plays are still held there annually, it’s been more than a decade since music has been heard at the venue. Starlight Bowl Director Susan Suffecool hopes to change that in the coming months with an ambitious plan to stage national artists as well as give local artists a chance to perform at the historic 4,200-seat site.
The first in what is hoped will be a series of daytime local artist showcases will be held at the Starlight Bowl on Sunday, March 11. Ostensibly a CD release party for the compilation album “Staring at the Sun V,” the show is also being held as a means to raise funds for the building’s renovation, via donations from concertgoers. On hand will be an eclectic range of local performers. Beginning at 11:45 a.m., concertgoers will be able to take in short sets from blues guitarist Anna Troy, singer-songwriter Christopher Dale and his band Superdoo, folk-rockers Citizen Band, indie rockers Blizzard, mod-pop rockers The Shambles, Americana favorites The Grams, country trio The Coyote Problem and power-pop heroes Mark DeCerbo and Four Eyes. The show will wrap up at 5 p.m. sharp, making this both a perfect family-friendly outing as well as a great way to check out a lot of local talent in one spot. As a bonus to concertgoers, there will also be an educational component to the show, with music clinics and booths set up around the site.
For DeCerbo, it won’t be his first time at the venue. In 1991, while promoting his first album, he opened for Huey Lewis at the venue.
“The place was packed,” he recalled. He was undaunted by the size of the audience. “It seemed like it was easier to play for a larger crowd like that. I wasn’t as nervous as usual once I got out on stage, maybe because the stage, audience and sound were so big and spread out that I felt I could just let myself be swallowed up by the hugeness of it all.”
One of the show’s organizers, Christopher Leyva, also frontman for Blizzard, feels the concert is a great way to shine a spotlight on an underappreciated city jewel.
“There are not too many dinosaurs like this left,” he quipped. “We need to rescue this place and help renovate it. Hollywood has their bowl and we deserve one too.” Leyva feels it’s a challenge to reach an audience in a building that big. “You have to be more animated for a large event, as it loses the intimacy of a room,” he explained.
Country crooner Peter Bolland of The Coyote Problem is excited by history of the Starlight Bowl. “It’s where Buffalo Springfield and so many iconic bands played. When I walk out onto that sacred stage I hope I can remember my lyrics,” he said jokingly. Bolland is looking forward to playing outdoors. “For millions of years, human beings have been living under the sky. We only invented roofs a few thousand years ago,” he laughed.
If you’ve never had the opportunity to visit the amphitheater, this show will be the perfect excuse. With its mix of a worthy cause, an eclectic talent lineup and a beautiful outdoor setting, this concert just might be the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon in San Diego.
Staring at the Sun V, which doubles as a fund-raiser for the Starlight Bowl’s renovation via donations from concert goers, takes place Sunday, March 11 from 11:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. Next to the San Diego Air & Space Museum, Balboa Park. $5.
