SAN DIEGO — The marquees went dark on Friday. One by one, every live music venue in San Diego County — from the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach to the Casbah in Middletown, from Music Box in Little Italy to Humphreys Concerts by the Bay on Shelter Island — posted cancellation notices, locked their doors, and fell silent. The COVID-19 pandemic, which had seemed distant just weeks ago, has now reached into the heart of San Diego's live music scene with devastating force.
Live Nation and AEG, the two largest concert promoters in the world, announced simultaneous suspensions of all touring through at least the end of March, but industry insiders say the shutdown will last far longer. Governor Gavin Newsom's executive order banning gatherings of 250 or more people effectively eliminated all large-scale concerts, while county health guidance recommending against any non-essential gatherings made even small club shows untenable.
Stephen Goldberg, the Belly Up's owner, said with emotion that they had no choice — the safety of staff, artists, and community comes first. But he warned that the shutdown represented an existential crisis for the venue and for every small music venue like it. When the doors close, he noted, the revenue stops immediately, but the bills don't.
The Human Cost
The shutdown's impact extends far beyond venue owners. San Diego's live music industry supports thousands of workers — sound engineers, lighting technicians, bartenders, door staff, promoters, and the musicians themselves. For most, there is no safety net. Musicians who rely on nightly gig income have seen their livelihoods evaporate overnight. Venue workers, many of whom are part-time without benefits, face immediate financial hardship.
Working musicians described having more than a dozen gigs cancelled in a single month — their rent, car payments, and groceries gone with no timeline for when any of it would come back. The situation, they said, was terrifying. Their stories were echoed by hundreds of working musicians across the county who suddenly found themselves without income or prospects.
As the lights went out at venues across the county Friday night, the silence was deafening. Streets that would normally be bustling with concertgoers heading to shows in North Park, the Gaslamp, and Solana Beach were empty. The question on everyone's mind was not just when the music would return, but whether all of San Diego's beloved venues would survive long enough to turn the lights back on.