The Casbah

Thank Jeebus for The Casbah (and Casbah-related/promoted events, like at The Irenic); the only venue in San Diego that books relevant bands (okay, that's not entirely true - The Belly Up books relevant bands too, just not as many).

Been their too many times and have lost count. It's one of the only venues "hipsters" and "aging hipsters" can get along well together over a cold PBR.

The back bar is tiny and the first place we visit before going into the main floor.

Chill staff/bartenders too.

Heart you Casbah!

If you like music, you must go.
Enough said.

The Casbah is hands down the best venue in San Diego- small, intimate, and iconic. It's always a risky move to name your venue after something so prominent at the risk of not living up to its name, but The Casbah is a place that bands can truly rock.

I love the layout of the venue. The entrance leads to a small outdoor courtyard where bands sell their merch and the smokers congregate. From there you can go into the back room where they have pool and the like, or into the stage and bar area. I love the decor- posters everywhere from pretty much every band you can think of (I especially love the Guided by Voices one over the bar). Cocktails are a bit pricey, but they have draft beers for $5-6 and Miller and PBR tall boys for a little cheaper. They also serve everything in plastic cups so when you inevitably decide to drop your cup in the crowd instead of losing your spot to return it to the bar, nothing gets broken.

What makes the Casbah so much better than any other venue in terms of performance is the size of the pit and the stage. Performers are only raised about a foot and a half and there is no barrier like you'll find at larger venues, so you can have the thrill of seeing a guitar smashed literally three feet from your face.

The staff is all nice, security guards are laid back in the most case and aren't power tripping, but do get the job done when it comes to keeping fans off the stage during shows when it isn't wanted and such.

The crowd is great as well. It's obviously dominated by the younger hipster type people, but I've seen people of all ages (over 21 obviously) and backgrounds. When I've gone to shows alone, people are usually friendly ad will chat you up, and I've even found out about some great, less publicized shows around town from them.