Having performed at the Hollywood Bowl, London’s Royal Albert Hall and Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre, English singer-songwriter KT Tunstall is no stranger to iconic concert venues. But the Grammy Award-nominated troubadour was clearly impressed when she took the stage at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park earlier this month on a double-bill with Roger Daltrey of The Who.
“I feel like The Shell is the venue all the other venues are jealous of!” Tunstall told the audience. “It’s like the Hollywood Bowl, except the Hollywood Bowl doesn’t have the ocean right next to it.”
That is an undeniable fact. So is the comparative intimacy of The Shell, which opened in 2021 as the outdoor home of the San Diego Symphony. It has a capacity of 4,500 for most of its concerts. That’s less than a quarter the capacity of the landlocked, nearly 18,000-seat Hollywood Bowl, which opened in 1922.
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What The Shell does have in common with the Hollywood Bowl is that some of the same artists will perform at both venues this summer, including Sara MacLachlan, Gary Clark Jr., Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, Pink Martini and Harry Connick Jr. At least four of this year’s Shell acts — Mavis Staples, John Fogerty, The Beach Boys and Kool & The Gang — are Rock & Roll Hall of Famers.
They will all enjoy an eye-popping view. The Shell is situated directly in between San Diego Bay and the Marriott Marina. Performers on stage face the bay, the Coronado Bridge, North Island and beyond.
“On clear days, you can see all the way into Mexico,” said San Diego Symphony Music Director Rafael Payare.
“It is a really special place to perform,” agreed San Diego native Chris Thile, who has played at The Shell with both Nickel Creek and the Yo-Yo Ma-led group Goat Rodeo.
As of this writing, 40 nights of music are scheduled to be presented at The Shell between Saturday and Sept. 21. Five more concerts will follow in October and November, including performances by The Avett Brothers, Australia’s King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Porter Robinson and the annual “Experience Hendrix” tour honoring electric-guitar icon Jimi Hendrix.
Here is a look at a baker’s dozen likely summer highlights at The Shell. The full Shell schedule and ticket information is available at theshell.org.
JUNE
Kool & The Gang members Shawn “Shawny Mac” McQuiller (left) and Robert “Kool” Bell are shown at a 2022 concert in Hamburg, Germany. The band, which will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in October, will play at The Shell on June 21.
(Tristar Media / Getty Images)
Kool & The Gang, with Sister Sledge and DJ Prince Hakim
Expect an extra celebratory performance by Kool & The Gang, which is taking a victory lap prior to its Oct. 19 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The veteran funk, soul, disco and beyond ensemble released its debut album in 1969 and has been eligible for induction since 1994, but never even made the ballot until this year. That makes its upcoming induction worth cheering — at last! — and jeering (what took the hall so inexcusably long?).
Kool & The Gang, which started off in 1964 as The Jazziacs, is still led by bassist Robert “Kool” Bell. Its lineup also boasts longtime trumpet standout Michael Ray, a former member of the Sun Ra Arkestra. And with a repertoire includes such favorites as “Jungle Boogie,” “Hollywood Swinging,” “Ladies Night” and “Celebration,” a dance-filled romp is easy to predict. 7 p.m. June 21. $53-$120.
Audra McDonald has won more Tony Awards, six, than any other performer.
(Bruce Glikas / WireImage)
An Evening with Audra McDonald, featuring the San Diego Symphony, conducted by Andy Einhorn
Actress and Broadway vocal star Audra McDonald has won six Tony Awards — more than any other artist. She is also the only performer to win Tonys in all four acting categories: musical, drama, leading role and supporting role.
Blessed with a glorious soprano and the ability to make any song her own, McDonald shines equally bright whether singing musical theater favorites, bluesy laments, Tin Pan Alley chestnuts or jazz standards that sound anything but standard in her gifted hands. She also provides fascinating historical anecdotes about some of her selections that provide a welcome sense of musical and historical context. 7:30 p.m. June 30. $24-$104.
JULY
Reggae-music mainstay Ziggy Marley will perform half of his upcoming concert at The Shell with the San Diego Symphony.
(Tuff Gong Worldwide/For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Ziggy Marley, with The San Diego Symphony
The oldest son of reggae-music icon Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley has performed twice at The Shell with his band. This time around, he and his group will be accompanied by the San Diego Symphony for the first half of this two-part concert.
The Jamaican native’s 2017 orchestral gig at the Hollywood Bowl mixed some of his songs with newly arranged versions of such Bob Marley classics as “Get Up Stand Up,” “One Love” and “Exodus.” Will any symphony members be inspired to do the skan*, the gully creepa or any other reggae dance moves? We’ll see. 7:30 p.m. July 5. $33-$140.
San Diego is just one of six cities Harry Connick Jr. and his band are performing in this summer.
(Courtesy photo by Georgia Connick)
Harry Connick Jr.
Is it a stretch for debonair jazz, big band, Dixieland and pop crooner and pianist Harry Connick Jr. to play a brooding, tattooed rock star? We’ll find out when “Find Me Falling,” the new rom-com film he stars in, debuts July 19 on Netflix.
In the meantime, triple Grammy-winner Connick and his band will perform at The Shell following a three-night stand at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Given that the New Orleans native’s performance here will be orchestra-free, you can expect it to be a more swinging and freewheeling affair. San Diego is one of only six cities Connick is scheduled to perform in this summer. 7:30 p.m. July 6. $46-$225.
Jewel, who got her start singing in San Diego are coffeehouses in the 1990s, is set for a July 23 homecoming show at The Shell.
(Rob Gray / Associated Press)
Jewel and Melissa Etheridge
This should be a doubly intriguing evening of music.
On the one hand, it will be a welcome homecoming concert for Jewel. The Alaska-born troubadour kicked off her career singing in coffeehouses in Poway and Pacific Beach more than 30 years ago. Her 1995 debut album, “Pieces of You,” sold 12 million copies in the U.S. alone, making it one of the best-selling maiden voyages on record by any artist in any genre. She has made 14 albums since then, the most recent of which — 2022’s “Freewheelin’ Woman” — is the most pop-savvy to date that showcases her broad vocal range.
On the other hand, blues-rock powerhouse Melissa Etheridge is a take-no-prisoners performer. And, as she demonstrated in February at the all-star Grammy Awards MusiCares concert honoring Jon Bon Jovi, she relishes the opportunity to steal any show. 7:30 p.m. July 23. $46-$225.
AUGUST
Brian Setzer and The Stray Cats are returning Aug. 3 to San Diego, where the band concludes its most recent tour in 2019.
(Steve Thorne/Redferns)
The Stray Cats
Talk about a full-circle moment! The Stray Cats have not toured since 2019, when they wrapped up an international concert trek with two sold-out San Diego shows at Humphreys. The rockabilly-fueled trio recorded a live album on that tour, “Rocked This Town: From L.A. to London.” It was released in 2020 by Encinitas-based Surfdog Records, the same label that has put out more than a dozen albums by Stray Cats’ singer/guitarist Brian Setzer.
In July, the now-45-year-old band will hit the road again and San Diego is the fifth stop on its tour. If there is a cure for the summertime blues — to invoke the rollicking 1958 Eddie Cochran song Stray Cats sometimes perform as their final encore — expect a strong dose of it at this show. 7 p.m. Aug. 3. $67 to $449.
Los Lobos: left to right: Cesar Rosas, singer, songwriter and guitarist, Louie Perez, songwriter, percussionist and guitarist’ David Hidalgo, singer-songwriter, accordion, violin, 6-string banjo, cello, requinto jarocho, percussion, drums and guitar; Conrad Lozano, bass; and Steve Berlin, saxophonist, keyboardist and record producer, are photographed at Plaza de la Raza on Thursday, July 22, 2021 in Los Angeles, CA. Archetypal LA band Los Lobos will release Native Sons, which features their version of classic L.A. songs including Sail On, Sailor (Beach Boys), The World Is A Ghetto (WAR) and Flat Top Joint (The Blasters). Now in their 40th year as a band, Los Lobos shoots a video for the National Endowment for the Arts at Plaza de la Raza in Lincoln Heights. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys and Son Rompe Pera
Now in its 51st year, Los Lobos has created a musical legacy few others can match. On record and in concert, this East L.A.-bred band celebrates rootsy American and Latin music with skill, verve and innate soulfulness. Whether performing rock, blues, boleros, country, rockabilly, cumbias, country, ranchera romps and edgy elegies, Los Lobos shines in any stylistic setting.
The group’s pop stardom has been fleeting. Its 1987 version of Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba” — which became the first Spanish-language song to top the national U.S. Billboard Top 40 record charts — is Los Lobos’ only hit single to date. But the band’s devotion to making music that matters has remained unwavering.
Seeing them headline a concert with Los Lonely Boys, a Texas trio whose members were greatly inspired by Los Lobos, is a nice touch. So is the inclusion of Son Rompe Pera, the Mexico City band that uses a marimba as its lead instrument while fusing Colombian cumbia music with punk, garage-rock and Jamaican ska. Aug. 4: 7 p.m., $24-$104.
Norah Jones is returning for her second concert at The Shell. She is shown here during her surprise performance at Kings Cross railroad station in London, on March 13.
(Scott A Garfitt / Scott A Garfitt/invision/ap)
Norah Jones, with Mavis Staples
It’s been 22 years since the release of Texas-bred singer, songwriter and pianist Norah Jones’ debut album, “Come Away With Me.” It has since sold a staggering 27 million copies worldwide, while her subsequent releases have sold an additional 23 million copies.
That’s an especially impressive feat for an understated balladeer whose nuanced music expertly draws from jazz, country, pop and various points in between. Jones’ versatility has enabled her to duet with everyone from Willie Nelson, Wynton Marsalis and Foo Fighters to Wayne Shorter, Tony Bennett and Keith Richards. With any luck, her return to The Shell — where she first performed in 2022 — will include her version of “The Long Way Home” by former San Diegan Tom Waits.
Opening Jones’ concert here is gospel-music great Mavis Staples, who — by coincidence — in 2017 was joined by Waits at her Petaluma concert for a vocal duet on the 1971 Staple Singers gem, “Respect Yourself.” She was the headliner at last month’s 3½-hour “Mavis Staples 85th: All-Star Birthday Concert,” which also featured such admirers as Bonnie Raitt, Chris Stapleton, Taj Mahal, Trombone Shorty, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, and ... Norah Jones. As Staples’ rousing performance at The Shell last year vividly demonstrated, she does not have the slightest intention of going quietly into any good night. 7 p.m. Aug. 6. $54.
Jason Mraz’s concert at The Shell in August will makr his fourth performance at the venue since it opened in 2021.
(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Jason Mraz, with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sean O’Loughlin
This multiple Grammy Award-winning Oceanside singer-songwriter has performed at least three previous times at The Shell, including a free, tour-ending concert last year with his brassy Superband, and a free unplugged performance with fellow San Diego musician and longtime pal Gregory Page.
Fresh from his stint last year on “Dancing with the Stars,” Mraz performed two benefit concerts in February with — and on behalf of — an array of area nonprofit arts groups at California Center for the Arts, Escondido. His most recent album, 2023’s “The Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride,” features Mraz pursuing a more dance-oriented style that nods to such musical inspirations as Michael Jackson, Chic, Donna Summer and the Bee Gees in their 1970s disco prime. How these propulsive songs will work with an orchestra remains to be seen, but chances are better than good that Mraz will bust a move or two on stage. 7:30 p,.m. Aug. 11. $46-$225.
Top San Diego trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos will pay tribute to Miles Davis’ epic “Kind of Blue” album at his concert at The Shell.
(La Jolla Community Center)
Gilbert Castellanos performs Miles Davis’ ‘Kind of Blue,’ featuring Joel Frahm, Donald Vega, Willie Jones III, Danton Boller and James Mahone
The best-selling jazz album in history — and one of the most groundbreaking and revered — Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue” hasn’t aged a day since its release in 1959. A landmark work that launched the modal jazz movement, it has inspired countless jazz artists, along with the Allman Brothers Band, John Legend, Fine Young Cannibals and Pink Floyd, whose 1973 song “Breathe” was specifically influenced by “Kind of Blue.”
Paying tribute on stage to an album that features such legendary musicians as Davis, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly and Bill Evans is a formidable task. But if anyone is up for the challenge, it’s top trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos, who is the San Diego Symphony’s jazz curator and the founder of the Young Lions Jazz Conservatory. 7:30 p.m. Aug 17. $21-$78.
Gary Clark Jr. performs during the first night of the U.S. leg of The Rolling Stones “Hackney Diamonds” tour on April 28, 2024, in Houston.
(Amy Harris / Amy Harris/invision/ap)
Gary Clark Jr.
Returning to The Shell for the first time since his electrifying 2021 debut at the venue, Gary Clark Jr. has evolved considerably since then. While his blues-drenched guitar work and soulful singing are still key elements, the music featured on his latest album, this year’s “JPEG RAW,” draws equally from hip-hop, rock, vintage soul, funk and electronically processed pop, with elements of jazz, West African chants and country providing extra textures.
The album features such guest artists as Stevie Wonder, George Clinton, Valerie June, Ghanaian singer-producer Naala, rising trumpeter Keyon Harrold and more. It’s an ambitious work that may present some challenges to fully realize on a concert stage without those guests. If anyone is up for such a challenge, it’s Texas native Clark, who played the role of blues pioneer Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup in Baz Luhrmann’s Oscar-nominated film, “Elvis.” 7 p.m. Aug. 24. $33-$140.
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer John Fogerty will perform in September at The Shell for the first time.
(Theo Wargo / Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
John Fogerty, George Thorogood & The Destroyers, with Hearty Har
Creedence Clearwater Revival mastermind and veteran solo star John Fogerty turned 78 on Tuesday. He is celebrating with a 40-concert summer tour that traverses the U.S. and also includes half a dozen shows in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. His band features his sons, Tyler and Shane, who will open each show with their own group, Hearty Har.
If Fogerty performs with extra bounce in his step and eve more fire this time around, there’s a very sound reason. After a more than five-decade-long legal battle, he last year finally acquired a majority interest in the global publishing rights to the trove of Creedence songs he wrote and recorded with the band in the 1960s and 1970s, including “Proud Mary,” “Fortunate Son,” “Bad Moon Rising” and “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”
Last year also saw the belated release of a Creedence live album recorded in 1970 at London’s Royal Albert Hall, along with an accompanying film documentary narrated by Oscar-winning actor Jeff Bridges. Not coincidentally, The Dude — Bridges’ lead character in the Coen Brothers’ 1988 film hit, “The Big Lebowski” — was a major Creedence fan. 7 p.m. Sept. 4. $85-$253.
Trombone Shorty, left, and John Lovell perform at last month’s 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
(Amy Harris / Amy Harris/invision/ap)
Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, with Big Boi
This will be the third consecutive year New Orleans music dynamo Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and his rollicking band have performed at The Shell. They made their debut there in 2022, headlining a six-act lineup, then returned to top a 2023 triple bill with Ziggy Marley and Mavis Staples.
A champion of Big Easy-styled funk, jazz, R&B, soul and rock, Andrews is a charismatic performer whose sheer exuberance can elevate even his lesser songs. He and the members of his horn-driven band do more instrumental solos in concert than almost any other non-jazz group I can cite. And they are likely the only San Diego-bound act whose concert repertoire typically includes such New Orleans-bred anthems as “When The Saints Go Marching In” and “Down by the Riverside,” and high-octane versions of Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” and George Clinton’s “We Want the Funk.” 7 p.m. Sept. 6, $33-$140.
george.varga@sduniontribune.com
