Flash back to middle school: the year is 1998, I’m wearing Gap overalls and waiting in line in my Pumas and an oversized Adidas jacket because there is snow on the ground and the 30-below-zero wind is whipping. Ah, yes. My very first concert at the Alfond Arena. Not familiar with the venue? That’s OK, because this tiny auditorium, which holds approximately 5,000 people, is in the middle of nowhere - a.k.a. Orono, Maine.

The band was Live and I was the most excited 13-year-old in the world. I loved music and would have gone to a myriad of shows - Weezer, Dave Matthews Band, Oasis, Red Hot Chili Peppers - but alas, I lived in a backwoods town in the furthest Northeast corner of the country. Most big-name musicians were willing to travel as far north as Boston (a four hour commute from my house). As I got older, the music scene began to improve slightly - Maroon 5 and Guster journeyed up to “those there parts” - but things were still pretty dead. You can imagine my complete and utter state of culture shock when I moved to San Diego last year.
As I tried to get over the fact that Tom Delonge (Blink 182, Angels and Airwaves) actually lives -LIVES - in San Diego and most every other musician I adore (Howie Day, Incubus, etc.) resides less than two hours away in Los Angeles, it became hard not to notice that San Diego has some of the most sought-after concert venue sites in the state. Coors Amphitheater, which holds up to as many as 20,000 spectators in its open-air stadium seating and well-manicured lawn section, is only a 20 minute drive from downtown San Diego and some smaller venues - such as House of Blues and 4th and B - in the heart of the city also attract some of the biggest names in the business.

With all the commotion over music, no wonder that this city also hosts one of the biggest music festivals around - Street Scene. The next few weeks, as the event approaches (Sept. 22 and 23), this blog will give you all the information you need to know and provide extensive coverage of the two-day spectacle. Keep reading and keep exploring music - no matter where you live. In weeks to come, I’ll also explore anything and everything to do with music, bands and local venues.