San Diego's Top Weekend Events: New Year's Weekend

This is KPBS midday edition. I'm Maureen Cavanagh. New Year's Eve is almost here. That means San Diego will have its share of fancy dinners Harbor Cruises and block parties. But if you're looking for a weekend event that's more arts friendly PBS arts calendar editor Nina Gueron is here with a preview of what's going on. And welcome Nina. Hello. So the first thing you're bringing us is actually not new year's related at all. Well you're still stuck on Christmas. Well John Legend is coming to San Diego. And you can't ignore that. He recently got the E. Got the Emmy Grammy Oscar and Tony. So when he's here we have to talk about it. He's here for his legendary Christmas tour right. Tell us about that. That is an old fashioned holiday extravaganza. And so legend will perform some of his own jazzy Christmas songs but he also has new arrangements of classics like Silver Bells and Merry Christmas baby. This tour has a full band it's got backup singers. There will be tuxedos and shiny dresses. And it will be just like a magical Christmas show a couple of days after Christmas. Let's listen to his Christmas song Bring Me Love. Wanderlei. Okay we'll let him have his lead right. John Legend's legendary Christmas happens Sunday at the San Diego's Civic Theatre. You want to mention another concert happening the night before New Year's Eve. Yes. It's a night with two iconic Los Angeles bands the punk band X and the roots rockers Los Lobos. Let's start with x. Remind us who they are. They are one of the original Los Angeles punk bands. They've continued to perform all this time. Forty years later they're still playing punk but over the years they've also tried country Americana and Other styles. How has this band and you heard all this time. It's very unique but they have these harmonies by John Doe and Exene Cervenka and usually in punk. The male voice is really harsh and loud but with them it's the opposite. I feel like John Doe has this beautiful angelic voice and it seems the one who comes in that's more urgent and abrasive. Let's listen to x. This is Los Angeles. Also on that tour is Los Lobos. Yes. They've also been an L.A. band since the 1970s and they have a combination of rock text Max blues and soul. They got really big in the 80s I think some of us remember they were featured on the soundtrack for La Bamba but they've continued to perform their own style of music all this time too. This is Los Lobos one time one night. X and Los Lobos perform Saturday and Sunday at the observatory. OK so what about people who actually want to go out on New Year's Eve. What do you have for them. I have something. It's called soiree on the bay. It's a concert put on by the local music collective The Redwood's and that's happening at Loew's Corado. So you will have your multiple rooms of entertainment. There'll be a couple of balloon drops there'll be food and drinks and they're promising something called a sugar bar which is very intriguing. What kinds of bands will be performing at this. The headliner is Danny Bell and the Taranto. That's a local band that performs kind of a modern psychedelic rock. Another local favorite is the midnight pine. They have more of a soulful bluesy vibe. Let's listen to Danny Bell and the Toronto this is guilty. Soiree by the bay happens Monday night. That's New Year's Eve at Loew's current nado. Any other events to recommend before we go. Yeah if you want like a crazy party club kind of night I have to recommend the hard rock hotel. Why that one in particular. Because I have a TV guilty pleasure and that is that I used to watch the Jersey Shore and the deejay from that show D.J. pallette he is going to be there. Also it's the most extreme kind of New Year's Eve. You could want Scott 15 deejays there's a bunch of different rooms be beautifully decorated. Just for your instagram. New Year's Eve at Hard Rock Hotel happening Monday night at the Hard Rock Hotel and of course for a comprehensive list of New Year's Eve events you can go to KPBS dot org slash events. Nina Gueron is PBS arts calendar editor. Happy New Year. Happy New Year. Day edition is cohosted by Jade Hindmon and produced by Marissa Cabrera and Brooke Ruth art segment producers are Beth Accomando and Nina Garin. Midday edition senior producers Megan Burke our executive producers Natalie Walsh Emily John Koski is our technical director. She also arranged our theme music which is composed by the artist catching flies. Stay with us for the KPBS roundtable it's coming up right after the break. Maureen Cavanaugh. Have a safe and happy new year.