Originally scheduled for the Del Mar racetrack grounds (about half hour from downtown), Street Scene - it was recently announced - has been switched over to Coors Amphitheatre. Many who have already purchased tickets are a bit perturbed that the event’s location continues to change and those who have lived in San Diego most of their lives are even more frustrated that this well-known festival, which used to be held in the streets (hence the name) of downtown, is now being held at a concert venue.
The event’s origin dates back to 1984, when it was first held on 5th Avenue between J & K Streets and had a traditional two stages. Then, in 1987, the event started to grow and take up two blocks instead of just one, and the following year the event expanded even more, this time giving way to five stages over many blocks and featuring diverse and often eclectic genres, such as zydeco, blues and alternative rock, according to an article published on Street Scene’s official Web site. Many of the bands and artists who have made appearances at the festival - The Killers, Social Distortion and G. Love and Special Sauce - are repeat performances and have begun to make the event part of their annual touring routine.
Street Scene quickly became associated with downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter -  a historic part of the city that has many diverse restaurants and shops and houses the Padres’ Petco Park baseball stadium. In 2005, however, city officials relocated the festival from historic downtown to Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley - home to the San Diego Chargers football team.
Now, although the venue has changed yet again, the festival is still reflective of it’s main tradition: inviting more than 70 artists from diverse musical genres to display their talent on over a two-day festival. This year’s lineup looks like this:
The Killers, Muse, Social Distortion, Arctic Monkeys, Panic! at the Disco, The Crystal Method, T.I., Spoon, Ozomatli, Louis XIV, Slightly Stoopid, Air, G. Love and Special Sauce, Bad Brains, MIMS, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Too $hort, Brand New, T-Pain, Rabbit In The Moon, Editors, Augustana, The Academy Is…, Jaguares, Matt Costa, Jack’s Mannequin, Mickey Avalon, Paolo Nutini, The Rocket Summer, Eek-A-Mouse, Mute Math, Infected Mushroom, VNV Nation, Fair to Midland, Mute Math, Honeycut, Punk Rock Karaoke, Supersuckers, Sweet & Tender Hooligans, Elvis Perkins, Dios, My Evolution, and Shut Up Stella. For a more complete list visit the official Street Scene ‘07 Web site.
With such a long list of so many talented bands and artists - some of which you may be extremely familiar with, others which you may have heard of but are unclear about - it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed about who you should make time to see. That’s where I come in. Over the next few days I will profile several of these bands,  giving you the scoop on background and performance ability. Keep reading!