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Del Mar Fairgrounds’ new $17 million concert venue, which has been under construction since pre-pandemic, now has an official name and opening date.
The Sound will debut on February 3rd by reggae star Ziggy Marley, whose 2021 San Diego gig is at Petco Park Stadium.
The new venue can accommodate 1,900 people and is open to people of all ages. It is located at the northeast corner of Del Mar Fairgrounds. It occupies the site of the Race Place off-track betting facility.
Tickets for the Marley concert, ranging from $75 to $125, will open at noon on Friday, November 11 at noon thesoundsd.com. Pre-sale will begin on the same site at noon on Wednesday, November 9th.
The Sound will be operated by Belly Up Entertainment, the booking and marketing arm of the Belly Up concert venue. Belly Up is located in Solana Beach, just a mile from the new Del Mar venue. The company is also booking shows at other venues in San Diego.
“We’re bigger than Humphreys and the House of Blues and smaller than the San Diego Civic Theater,” Belly Up Entertainment president Chris Goldsmith said Monday, Nov. 7.
“Having The Sound means more touring bands are coming to San Diego, they’ve outgrown other venues, but not big enough to play here or at SDSU’s California Coast Amphitheatre. I think it could be a game changer and bring a lot of Artists who would not have performed here.”
John Wojas, president of Goldenvoice/AEG San Diego, supports these views. His company exclusively booked the 1,450-capacity Humphreys and performed concerts at Copley Symphony Hall, The Rady Shell in Jacobs Park and other regional venues.
“I’m excited about The Sound and think it’s going to do well,” Wojas said Monday, Nov. 7.
“In San Diego, venues of this size are always vacant, and they book a lot of different types of music, which is really popular.”
Del Mar Fairgrounds had conversations about opening a concert venue at the fairgrounds in 2016 and subsequently signed a contract with Belly Up Entertainment.
But producers at the now-defunct KAABOO Del Mar have threatened to pull back from the partnership if the contract for the new venue goes to Belly Up. The show’s board then announced that it would self-book the show on what is now The Sound.
KAABOO’s apparent demise — last seen in 2019 and now the subject of multiple lawsuits — has led to the show floor bringing back Belly Up. The original contract called for Belly Up Entertainment to serve as The Sound’s managing promoter for the next 10 years.
Carlene Moore, CEO of Del Mar Fairgrounds, said in a written document: “We are especially proud to be partnering with the greats of the legendary Belly Up venue, a longtime San Diego music company who will no doubt be proud of their local Sensitivity to curate a new room.” statement. “What better place to start making music at The Sound than a legend like Ziggy Marley?”
Marley won’t be The Sound’s first performer, although he will be the first since the venue’s new name was announced. San Diego’s Mozart Festival Orchestra held three concerts there in October, when the venue was temporarily known as the center of the Del Mar fairgrounds.
“That was a prelude to our opening in February,” Goldsmith said. “I’ve been to the first two concerts, mainly Mozart, and have been very pleased with their performance and the sound quality they have at the new venue.”
sound by numbers
Venue size: 7,500 square feet on the main floor and 2,000 square feet on the upper level.
capacity: There are 1,900 general admission concerts, including 200 reserved seats upstairs and 100 reserved seats downstairs. The capacity for full-seat concerts is 800 people.
Stage size: 43 feet wide and 32 feet deep
facility: Five bars, four on the main floor and one upstairs, offer light meals.
age limit: All shows for all ages.
Parking: General lot $10; preferred parking option to be determined.
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