Casbah

The best, or at least my absolute favorite, small live music venue! This place has deservedly attained a legendary status, as many legendary acts have played here on their way toward stardom. In fact, many have played here after attaining stardom. Some of the amazing acts include Imagine Dragons, Mudhoney, The Melvins, Unwritten Law, Rocket from the Crypt, and many more. Aside from live music, they also have an amazing vinyl record swap each year.

This is a very famous venue that bands like Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, Built to Spill, and Cursive have played at. A lot of great touring acts come through here, and they also host a large amount of good local bands. I've played here a number of times as well and have enjoyed the experience. The sound is good and the stage is fun. They have a full bar that is well-tended, as well as a second bar in the back ("The Atari Lounge") that opens during sold-out and nearly sold-out shows. There's a pool table in the back also. I give 4 stars instead of 5 just because it isn't that much better than most mid-level bar venues you'll find in major cities. Nothing exactly "pops out" regarding this space. That said, it's consistently good and worth coming to.

Great, intimate venue. Got to see a few punk/hardcore bands here. The sound was good and easy to hear. Friendly service at the bar and security was nice, as well. I recommend getting to the show a little earlier because parking can be tough to find in the area, and so you can pick a good spot in the venue.

Hands down, one of the BEST venues in the country for live music! I was lucky enough to live in San Diego in the mid 90's and witnessed some amazing bands here. My friend and I love this place so much, we fly to SD from New Orleans & Tampa every time the Casbah has an anniversary show. Last time we saw No Knife + Rob Crow the same night for only $20!! I seriously would've paid triple that price. The sound quality and in house engineering in this venue is amazing. Perfectly balanced, clear vocals, guitars sit just right in the mix. Awesome drink selection, lots of local craft beers on draft at reasonable prices. The outdoor patio area is nice, perfect for smokers & you can still hear the music clearly. They sometimes have a band out back too, in between sets at the main stage. You can buy tix online which is perfect for out of towners like me. The merch is great too, last time I bought a cool zip up hoodie for $40. Nice eclectic mix of music here too. In the same week I saw alt rock, country, and a DJ. Seriously phenomenal venue, highly recommended!!!