Colter Wall brings his baritone ballads and prairie storytelling to Petco Park on Friday. The Saskatchewan songwriter leans into classic country, western swing, and cowboy tunes with a sparse, hard-bitten edge. Touring behind Memories and Empties, he delivers campfire laments and trail songs that land heavier live. His band keeps it tight and unfussy, leaving space for voice, harmonica, and that steady, dusk-lit tempo.

Petco Park sits in the East Village, a modern ballpark that flips into a massive outdoor concert space with skyline views. Sound carries well along the infield and lower bowl, with big screens dialed in for the back sections. Entry lines can stack up along Park Blvd, so earlier arrival helps. Concessions run stadium-wide, and the concourses make roaming easy without losing sightlines.

CupcakKe heads to House of Blues Sunday night with her brand of raunchy, razor-sharp Chicago rap. She built a following on sex-positive anthems and punchline-heavy verses over club-ready beats, but she can pivot to sincere storytelling without losing bite. Live, she paces the room with crowd-control command, flipping from high-energy twerk workouts to a cappella flexes. Doors at 7, show at 8.

House of Blues San Diego anchors the Gaslamp with a main room built for punchy sound and clear sightlines. The floor is roomy, the balcony wraps for solid angles, and staff keeps traffic moving between bars and pit. It runs all-ages on many shows, so the mix skews wide. Food service hums downstairs, while the Music Hall upstairs handles volume without muddying vocals.

Charlie Berens brings The Lost and Found Tour to the Balboa with the quick-hit Midwest wit that made The Manitowoc Minute a phenomenon. He blends stand-up, sketch bits, and light musical detours, riffing on small-town quirks, family dynamics, and regional pride without pandering. His cadence is TV-sharp from his journalism background, and the stories land clean in a proper theater. A 7 pm start keeps it tight.

The Balboa Theatre sits in the heart of the Gaslamp, a restored 1924 gem with plush seating and crisp acoustics. It is a seated house, so comedy reads clearly, and the sightlines are forgiving even up in the mezzanine. Staff runs shows on time, lobby bars move quickly, and the room’s warm reverb flatters spoken word as much as chamber music. Parking garages dot the surrounding blocks.

Club 90s brings its Heated RivalRave to North Park, a themed pop dance night built around chart battles, singalongs, and DJ-driven deep cuts. The crew knows how to program peaks, jumping from millennial staples to newer pop that nods back to the era. Less concert, more room-wide chorus, with visuals to match the drama. Doors at 7:30, music hits at 8:30 and rolls late.

The Observatory North Park is a 1930s theater turned 1,100-cap venue with a big stage and club-ready lighting. The floor is wide with a gentle rake that helps shorter fans, and the balcony gives a clean overview. Staff ties in with West Coast Tavern next door for easy pre-show bites. North Park parking can be tight, but the garage across 29th keeps it painless.

Cold Cave returns with a proper darkwave bill, flanked by Rosa Anschutz and Buzz Kull. Wesley Eisold’s project leans into synth-pop minimalism, jet-black romance, and big drum programming that cuts in a live room. Anschutz threads avant-pop poise through shadowy electronics, while Buzz Kull drives colder EBM pulses. A cohesive lineup that moves from brooding to propulsive without breaking the spell.

Music Box in Little Italy is a tri-level room with crisp sound and a stage that suits synth-heavy nights. The ground floor packs tight up front, mezzanine rails are great for sightlines, and the top tier offers booth seating for a breather. Lighting rigs are tuned for moody sets, and the bar program moves quickly. Street parking can be hit-or-miss, but nearby lots help.

Acraze drops into Nova for a late-night of chunky house and pop-leaning club edits. The New York producer broke wide with Do It To It, but his sets dig deeper into tech house rollers and cheeky hooks that keep the floor locked. He plays with big-room dynamics, teasing breakdowns and snapping back with low-end that holds the system. A 10 p.m. start suits the sprint to close.

Nova SD occupies the former downtown superclub footprint, all LED ceiling, big PA, and sightlines designed for DJ-centric shows. Insomniac’s touch shows in the production and flow, from efficient entry to bar placement. The main floor stretches wide with a wraparound mezzanine for VIP rails. It is a polished room built to carry bass without swallowing the mids.

It is A 2000s Party loads up the HOB with a wall-to-wall Y2K playlist, spinning the decade’s pop, rap, and alt smashes. Think Britney to Eminem to emo singalongs, with DJs threading in the guilty pleasures and radio rippers that still hit on a big system. A nostalgia night done with intention, leaning into outfits and call-and-response hooks until closing.

The House of Blues Music Hall handles dance parties well, with a roomy GA floor, balcony ledges for breathers, and a tuned line array that keeps vocals clear over heavy kick drums. Staff moves lines quickly on 5th Avenue, and coat check is painless on late shows. Bars sit to the sides, so foot traffic does not slice the dance pocket.

Imanu brings a forward-leaning take on drum and bass and future club music, slicing intricate percussion with glassy synth design. The Dutch producer’s sets swing from halftime and trap-adjacent grooves to razor-edged rollers, with uncommon restraint in the breakdowns. He engineers momentum without brute force, which reads sharply in an intimate room. A 10 p.m. curtain sets the tone.

Bloom is a compact Gaslamp basement club with low ceilings, LED walls, and a system tuned for detail. The booth sits close to the floor, so energy transfers fast and the sub work is felt without losing clarity. Bar service is quick along the side wall, and the room’s size makes rail access realistic with early arrival. It is a go-to for bass-forward bookings.

Gareth Emery brings his 2026 Cyberpunk Tour to Nova with the melodic trance weight he has refined for years. He threads vocal-led anthems into tougher techno textures, pacing long arcs rather than quick-hit drops. The show design rides on precision programming and widescreen visuals that suit his songcraft. Late doors make room for a steady build and cathartic final act.

Nova’s main room is a purpose-built dance floor with towering LEDs, focused strobes, and a PA that throws clean highs over a warm low end. The balcony ring offers ample rail space, and side pockets along the floor allow quick resets between peaks. Staff is used to big Insomniac nights, so traffic flows and cues hit on time.

Exhumed tears into Brick By Brick with surgical grind and death metal, delivered at head-snapping speed. Decades in, the Bay Area lifers still write hooks inside the gore-soaked riffing, with twin leads and blastbeats that feel precise, not sloppy. On a club stage, the songs punch harder and the humor peeks through between songs. A veteran band in its natural habitat.

Brick By Brick is San Diego’s long-running metal bar in Bay Park, a low stage, no-nonsense room with stout sound and strong pours. The mix is loud but intelligible, and the crowd knows how to give the pit space. The patio offers a breather between sets, and parking around the strip-mall lot is usually manageable. It is 21 and up across the board.