This weekend….it’s not all about Christmas lights, nutcrackers, and grinches. There are other forms of entertainment, and here are some of those choices.
*FRIDAY night, you can see SOCIAL DISTORTION at the Observatory in NORTH PARK. They’re also doing shows on Saturday and Sunday as well.
*Arguably the best local comedian, ZOLTAN KASZAS will be at the American Comedy Club in DOWNTOWN. He’s also performing on Saturday.
*For people like Ted Garcia who are fans of Yacht Rock, we’ve got AIR SUPPLY at Pechanga Resort & Casino in TEMECULA.
*Some local musicians that are in tribute bands, near the airport at the CASBAH – Ziggy Shuffledust and the Spiders from Mars, doing their Bowie thing. They’ll have a T-Rex tribute band, Electric Warrior, opening up.
*SATURDAY NIGHT…it’s FISHBONE at the HOUSE OF BLUES in DOWNTOWN.
*Two fun tribute bands in SOLANA BEACH at the Belly Up Tavern – FABBA, doing a Christmas Show. They’ll have a great local Fleetwood Mac tribute band called FLEETWOOD MAX opening. Shout-out to their drummer Ric Root, one of the best I’ve ever seen behind the kit. I’ve seen them twice, and always love that drum solo during “Tusk.”
*Multi-San Diego Music Award winner, the great Americana performer SARA PETITE will be at the CASBAH, with TK & the Deadlist. Hope neither of them make it on Santa’s naughty list.
*The Beatles tribute band ABBEY ROAD will be doing a Christmas show at the BELLY UP TAVERN. Maybe it’ll be a White Christmas with the White album.
*And for those fools out there that think DIE HARD is a Christmas movie (it is not!), it’s going to be showing as part of the Rooftop Cinema Club at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in DOWNTOWN. Bring your jacket, and don’t pull a Hans Gruber and fall off the Hyatt!
And speaking of movies…
Mufasa: The Lion King. So, Disney brought in director Barry Jenkins (Moonlight, Beale Street) to give us Mufasa’s origin story. And to get Beyonce involved, he had to nepo-it, and bring in her daughter Blue Ivy Carter. I didn’t recognize the voices of actors I love (Mads Mikkelsen, Kelvin Harrison), but everyone will recognize Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, and Keith David (Google him, and you’ll say “Oh yeah, that guy”). The animation and visuals are stunning. The themes are powerful. And you’ll get teary-eyed in a few scenes. There are a few touches of humor that work. The complaints people are having is that the film is predictable, and everyone is bothered by the fact that Disney just seems to be recycling a lot of their material these days. What bothered me most about this movie is that the songs were all so bad. And they were done by Lin Manuel Miranda. The tunes he wrote for “In the Heights” were brilliant, as were the songs he contributed to “The Little Mermaid” and “Encanto” (I always felt the “Hamilton” stuff was a bit overrated). There is just nothing about these songs that’s the least bit catchy, and something about realistic-looking animals breaking into song – just sort of takes you out of the story. It is a movie the whole family can enjoy, and I think most people will. 2 ½ stars out of 5.
Photo credit: Getty Images