San Diego · Nightlife

Small club at 2501 Kettner Blvd near the airport, booking indie and touring rock most nights since the late 1980s. Tickets run roughly $10 to $40, some shows 21+ and some all ages; the same team books larger rooms around the city as Casbah Presents.

Restored 1929 theatre at 2891 University Avenue, now a mid-size concert hall for national touring acts, with West Coast Tavern attached for a drink before doors. Tickets go through Ticketmaster, and North Park's bars are on the same street when the show ends.

Live music venue at 143 S Cedros Avenue in Solana Beach, running since 1974 and worth the trip up the coast; the Coaster commuter train from downtown stops on the same street. Booking ranges from blues and reggae to touring indie.

The blocks of downtown between Broadway and the waterfront, managed by the Gaslamp Quarter Association: the densest concentration of bars, clubs and restaurants in the city, and the most expensive. Good for a first night or a big group, poor value if you want cheap drinks.

The city's craft beer spine, a walkable run of taprooms, cocktail bars and small restaurants along and around 30th Street in North Park and South Park, a few minutes by car or bus from downtown. Prices are lower than the Gaslamp and the crowd is local.