Two outdoor venues beckon music lovers with a diversity of talent

Jen Van Tieghem | Downtown News

Summer in San Diego gives locals a multitude of reasons to spend time outside. For music-lovers, summer concert series beckon us into the warm evening air to feed our senses.

Two series that are coaxing us this year offer different experiences, both with their merits. The Westgate Hotel in Downtown San Diego has just introduced their Sunset Poolside Jazz Series for the first time and the Birch Aquarium at Scripps is hosting their 9th Green Flash Concert Series with local radio station KPRi FM.

From the vantage point of Westgate’s rooftop pool, patrons can take in a 360-degree scene of the Downtown skyline. One striking visual here is the “living wall” behind the stage. A rainbow of colorful succulents, flowers, and grasses create a one-of-a-kind backdrop for the performers.

The setup for these shows is quite structured. Sit-down tables and belly bars accommodate small groups and couples. While there is no cover, guests are required to meet a $20 minimum in food and drink per person. Attentive wait staff, standalone bars, and a whiskey cart, make this easy to achieve.

Their food menu offers appetizers and tapas, and the drink assortment suits a variety of palates. A new addition to the summer cocktail theme — “Tipsy Teas” — are refreshing, yet potent, tea-based cocktails.

Attendees of the Westgate series include hotel guests and locals — who can easily fantasize that they too are on vacation in the swanky setting, sipping a fancy drink and nibbling from a cheese board or the like.

Westgate’s lineup of musicians — playing nearly every Thursday evening from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. — includes an eclectic assortment. Many, however, are slanted towards the jazz genre, thanks to local Jazz trumpet virtuoso and 2013 San Diego Music Awards Artist of the Year Gilbert Castellanos booking the talent. Castellanos opened the series himself in June and has a range of talents set to perform in the coming months. Notable shows include San Diego’s Queen of Boogie Woogie Sue Palmer (July 10), rising young pianist Joshua White (July 17), and emerging jazz group the Danny Green Brazilian Trio (July 31). The series continues on through August.

So far the response has been positive according to the hotel.

“The Westgate Hotel is an iconic hotel in San Diego that for 40 years has supported The Arts in town from Broadway San Diego to La Jolla Music Society or Mainly Mozart,” stated Communications Director Linda Karimi. “Jazz in San Diego has never been that vibrant, so we thought it would be the perfect fit to create a weekly jazz series at the pool featuring our local talents. It has been such a success so far and we are proud that our local clients are enjoying it.”

Over at the Birch Aquarium, the shows have a more casual vibe as reflected in the venue’s partnership with KPRi and the pop and rock bands booked for the series.

On their Tide-Pool Plaza concertgoers are treated to breathtaking views of the ocean and classic California sunsets, as well as the sparkling lights of La Jolla once the sun goes down.

Multiple bars offer select cocktails, a couple beer options from Rock Bottom Brewery, and some wine selections. Food is also available and features light options such as a pre-packaged Mediterranean appetizer plate.

Prices are $31 for general admission and $28 for members and proceeds benefit exhibits and educational programming. A unique feature at Birch is the aquarium itself. The ticket price includes access to the aquarium’s marine life as you make your way to the venue area.

“I think people … like that when they buy a ticket or season pass to the concert series, they are helping support Birch Aquarium’s mission of educating the public about our ocean and promoting ocean conservation,” explained Marketing Manager Hallie Johnson.

It’s important to note that these shows are standing room only and the areas in front of the stage and those with a good view fill up extremely fast. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with bands starting around 6:45 p.m. The aquarium has some wonderful information and beautiful sea life but if getting your peepers on the performers is important to you — make your way through the exhibits quickly.

The performances at Birch are more rare than other series with only one a month on the third Wednesday in May through September. The final shows of this year’s lineup include local favorite singer-songwriters Steve Poltz and Tolan Shaw (July 16), soulful singers Marc Broussard and Tyrone Wells (Aug 20), and indie rockers Augustana returning to their hometown for the finale (Sept. 17).

“We work with KPRi to secure fantastic bands and artists who put on a great, really fun show,” Johnson said of the success of the series over the years. “And beyond that, the aquarium provides such a unique venue … Exhibits are open before and during the show, which you’re not going to get at any other concert venue in town.”

Overall you can’t go wrong with spending summer evenings with great music in outdoor settings. Westgate and Birch as venues offer stunning and diverse views, refreshments that suit the style of the event, and an ongoing lineup fans should be marking their calendars for.

For more information on these series visit WestgateHotel.com and Aquarium.UCSD.edu.

—Jen Van Tieghem is a San Diego native who covers all genres of music around town. Her bucket list includes playing tambourine on stage with any band that would have her, creating a local music festival called Jenerated Sound, and finding the perfect Moscow mule. Email her at [email protected].