PALA CONCERTS ANNOUNCED; HUMPHREYS HOSTS AWARDS
15 shows planned at casino; S.D. Music Awards on tap
It remains to be seen if all COVID-19 restrictions on live events in California will be lifted on June 15 as previously announced. Either way, an array of new concerts — all of them socially distanced — have been confirmed at Pala Casino, while the San Diego Music Awards is scheduled to take place in August with no seating restrictions at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay.
Pala has announced the first 15 shows for its Summer Concert Series. They will be held at the casino’s indoor Events Center and outdoor Starlight Theater, with reduced audience capacities at both, beginning with a May 1 Starlight concert by Mexican Banda-music star Lupillo Rivera.
Other Pala-bound acts in May include A Flock of Seagulls on May 7, The BarKays on May 8 and Luis Coronel on May 30. Arizonaborn singer Coronel, now 25, was only 18 in 2014 when he became the youngest solo artist to reach No. 1 on the national Billboard Top Latin Albums charts in 13 years.
The Pala concerts will adhere to social-distancing protocols, with groups of two or more people seated 6 feet apart and masking and temperature checks required for all entering. The capacity for both venues has been reduced by 50 percent from their pre-pandemic limits, with a cut from 1,400 to 700 at the Events Center and from 2,000 to 1,000 at the Starlight Theatre.
The most recent national headliner to appear at Pala was the Texas-based Los Rieleros Del Norte, which drew a sold-out audience of 700 to its April 11 Events Center show. Friday’s Events Center concert by soft-rock tribute band Yachtley Crue is sold out. Ticket information and a full concert schedule are available at: palacasino.com/entertainment/ all-entertainment/
San Diego Music Awards returns for 30th year
Because of the pandemic-fueled shutdown of live events, the San Diego Music Awards was held online last year for the first time in its history. This year, the nonprofit event will celebrate its 30th anniversary on Aug. 24 at the 1,450-capacity Humphreys Concerts by the Bay.
The 2021 edition will take place a week after the season-opening Aug. 17 and 18 standing-room-only shows at Humphreys by the bands Mt. Joy and Trampled By Turtles.
This year will mark a return to the bayside venue for the awards show, which moved to downtown’s House of Blues in 2017 after being held for more than a decade at Humphreys.
“I decided to speak to Humphreys about returning because it’s our 30th anniversary,” said San Diego Music Awards founder and promoter Kevin Hellman. “It was our long-time host venue and is the best place for us. It’s home. Hosting the awards show outdoors is a bonus, given the current climate (of uncertainty) that we’re in.”
The 2021 nominees will be announced May 2 at 7 p.m. on a livestream program at sandiegomusicawards.com. Voting for nominees will open to the public from May 15 through June 30.
The pandemic has had a direct impact on this year’s number of categories, which have both shrunk and grown.
Awards will be handed out in 20 categories. Because live concerts have been stilled since early 2020, the awards categories honoring live performances have been placed on hold this time around. In their place, categories for Best Video and Best R&B, Funk or Soul Album have been added, along with songwriting awards for Best Folk/Acoustic, Best Americana, Blues or Jazz, Best Hip-Hop, Best Pop, Best Rock and Best Indie/Alternative.
Proceeds from the awards show benefit the San Diego Music Foundation’s Guitars in the School program. Tickets will go on sale May 10 at sandiegomusicawards.com. Prices have not been confirmed yet.