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!
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.
This is a sensational venue and I would highly recommend checking it out even if you don't know the band that is playing. Â Expand your horizons and use it as a chance to hear a new band. Â The Casbah really caters to San Diego burgeoning music scene and you can definitely hear a LOT of local bands here. Â It is kind of a hole in the wall, but the acoustics are off the charts and there is an outside patio area to relax in between sets. Â This is one of the San Diego music scene staples so quit being a square and go check it out!
Review Source:CD release party for the Touchies! Nooks & crevices don't know what talented indie artist lurks beyond the sticker graffiti walls. Oh! The Mittens! This is a staple of Daygo's music scene. A little inside, a little outside, a little backroom action & 2 bars w/a Galaga machine. The stage has a live feed so if you're in the backroom bar u can watch what's happening on the stage. Casbah rah rah!
Review Source:Great music venue with a full bar. Awesome place to see smaller groups/discover local music. The cover charge is the only inconvenient thing about the live music. There is music frequently playing at this venue, and looking at the weekly line up gives you just a taste of the variety of groups that play here. A must see!
Review Source:This is my first time here, EVER!! What the efff?? Â I also live only 5 minutes away from this place.
First of all, there was no cover charge.
The ambience of the whole enter the building was great. Â We saw a line up of bands and in the back there were other performers!
The drinks were okay but I was kind of done for the day. Â
Parking was easy to find.. I definitely will check out other venues and make sure I have no work the next day to enhance my experience.
Why I waited so long to come here blows my mind. I've been 21 since Sept of last year and up until June 1st had never been here.
Walking in here you can feel the history of this legendary venue. And when looking at the small venue it's crazy to think one could have seen MGMT, The Shins, The White Stripes and many more in such an intimate setting before they went on to play in larger venues.
They have a decent selection of beers. Cover charge is usually never more than $15. And you're sure to make new friends, I know I did. So if you get the chance, get your ass to The Casbah.
This place screams dive, dive, dive all the way! The no frills sign on the outside is an indication of what to expect indoors. No surprises here ... bar, dance floor, stage area, (smoking) patio and very limited seating (I counted three bar stools). No worries, there was no dancing anyway as everyone was here to listen to music. No one bothers you which is great. Pretty electric crowd - hipsters, old rock n'roll dudes, asian girls who understand Adele rather than a coachella frontliner. Note: I'm Asian so, um, that would be me (lol!). Cheap drinks but sticky bar top (ugh!). And finally, someone got the men's bathroom right! The lines were long for the boys and short and sweet for the ladies. Love it! :)
Review Source:Nothing pretentious about this place. Â The staff makes you feel like you are at a rowdy family party with all your best friends coming together. Â As you can see by my photo, I am an old lady. Â The Casbah had a group playing that I was dying to see. Â My son and his buddies invited me (plus I got to be the designated driver so they were able to relax and enjoy themselves). Â This place is so much fun and not once did I feel out of place. Â The band rocked, the staff, as I said, is warm and welcoming and super friendly. Â The sound is awesome and they crank it up to the perfect "to the bones" feel you must have for your favorite music. Â And you never know who you are going to bump into...yeah its good!
Review Source:My favorite bar/venue. All my favorite bands tend to stop here. Great beer selection and reasonable prices. Tickets for shows are always priced reasonably too. Sometimes if I'm bored I'll go check out a random show and grab a few drinks here.
My only complaint is the bathroom. The men's bathroom has a toilet and a urinal so you usually have two people peeing in there at once. If you have to take a dump, it becomes a nightmare.
the best shows of my life, were seen at the casbah.
the sound is great. you can hear the music just fine from the patio and you can order a drink at the back bar if the front is too crowded. the crowd is usually friendly and not too hip or too square.
this is a music lover's establishment. the kind of place where you might catch a reunion of the band you loved in highschool and secretly know is the best band in the world. and you'll probably catch the show for less than 30 bucks.
like them on facebook and you'll get constant updates as to what's going on!
When I was a high school kid I was just waiting till that day I turned 21 just so I could come to the Casbah. It is honestly one of my favorite venues in San Diego. If you're driving by the Casbah doesn't look like anything interesting. In fact it just looks like a little house. Even once you go inside its doesn't look that impressive but there's something about how casual the venue is and the type of people it attracts.
I've been here to see Yelle and Friends and both times I've had so much fun. The venue is tiny so therefore the shows are very intimate. I was at the very front for Yelle and I loved having her like RIGHT THERE. Friends was so much fun too. I love when that the artists are able to interact with fans since there is no barrier or security guards in the front. The show experience feels more like a big house party than a regular concert.
The drinks are good too. I know my fellow beer loving friend was happy with the beer selection. One drink will be good for you to enjoy the show and be able to drive back home safe.
For those people like me that likes to meet the band afterwards, then this place will be great for you. Its so easy to meet the band and even get to talk to them. When I met Yelle, I was able to talk to the whole band about France and even got some recommendations from them. It was amazing.
Overall great venue, if you haven't been to a show at the Casbah you are missing out.
I'm not saying the Casbah is perfect. It isn't, and probably no place is. But for the live music scene in San Diego, I would say the Casbah *IS* as good as it gets. (plus, I want to do my part to outweigh all of the negative reviews for the Casbah)
Here is the thing - the Casbah gets many elite independent bands, but also great local bands as well. And if you want to hear live music for under $15, you can do that about 6, and probably 7 nights a week. And there is something to be said, for any night of the week, where you can say to someone "hey, what do you want to do tonight? Want to go down to the Casbah?" Â Because you know, for a fact, the Casbah will be open. That is a great thing right there.
As far as service, I have never once, in approximately 100 shows, run into any problems with the ticketing website. I've never run into any trouble with the bouncers or bartenders, and in fact, I've only received helpful, friendly and courteous service.
Like anywhere, you need to be mindful of where you are. If the show is a popular one, it will probably sell out. It has a capacity of under 150 people. You need to get there early for parking, because it is scarce and because there are other establishments in the area, so you may have to hunt for a while. Granted, while no headliner gets on stage before 10:30pm, if you want to be anywhere near the stage, get there well before then. If you expect to just barge through the crowd to get to the stage because that worked at House of Blues, think again. Thankfully, it is a different crowd of people at Casbah than at HOB, and I guess it is me - I like this crowd better. Whether they are older, hipsters, wanna-be hipsters, rockers, whatever...the point is, the great majority of the time, they just want to rock out to some great live music and don't want to deal with or cause any trouble. That is just my speed. And it has always caused me to have wonderful experiences with great bands at the Casbah.
The other wonderful thing at the Casbah is that you have incredibly close access to bands after their set, if you want it. It is customary to be able to take a picture, get an autograph, get a set list or just shake hands with a band after. Try doing that at HOB - it will be unlikely since they can hide out all night in the green room. That is the beauty of the cramped quarters of Casbah. If you aren't interested in cramped quarters, want to be catered to, need bright and shiny decor...try HOB. But if you want great live music any night of the week and up close and personal access...I can't see how you can do any better than the Casbah.
I've been going to shows here for at least 20 years. There's nothing like being at a small club to see The Proclaimers, White Stripes, Von Bondies, so many great bands over the years.
Here's what I hate about the club. The crowd are a bunch of hipster wanna be dopes.
Also, they screwed up a few months ago on our Rodriguez tickets. We went online, and it said there were two shows. We bought tickets for the second night.
Imagine our surprise when we get there, and the doorman tells me "Oh, that show was yesterday. Yeah, we had a bit of a mishap and it got labeled wrong on our website."
My friend had the tickets, and she was parking (that's another thing that sucks...hard to find parking on shows that sell out).
She had to pull teeth to get her money back. I told her she should tell them we should be comped to the show of our choice in the future. But the owner/manager was being such a tool while talking to her on the phone about it, she just didn't bother going there.
That's a crappy way to run a business. I remember once being at the Coachhouse in San Juan Capistrano, and there was glass in my drink. I pointed it out to the waitress. Management came over, freaking out about it (and admitting somebody dropped a glass back there). They comped our dinner, drinks for the night, and said we'd get free tickets to any show we wanted in the future (I opted for Love and The Zombies...nice double bill of great 60s bands).
THAT is how you take care of unhappy costumers.
I'll still go to shows here, because they get some good young bands that I dig. I just don't like the vibe or how they run their business. Although, not much need for them to change when they've been successful for this long.
The live music line-up for spring 2013 in San Diego is insane! We kicked it off last night with a show at the Casbah, Califone was playing. One of my favorite bands, they put on an incredible show. I guess they're a little under the radar bc Casbah was basically empty! I've never been there when it wasn't overflowing with hipsters wearing tight jeans and mustaches. The crowd is hipsterific and mostly mellow and just there to enjoy whoever is playing. There have been at least two shows where I've been stuck standing next to the frat boy who wants to film the whole thing on his iphone and slam dance into me. Unfortunately, Casbah can't prevent those types from buying tickets and I wouldn't feel right taking away a star because of it.
Their venue is small, it's in a building that looks like it might fall down, when you get inside you feel like you're in someone's garage. The stage is in the front of the building, there is no backstage, just a door to the outside. The Green Room is literally on the sidewalk! A band finishes their set and goes outside to hang out on the street corner before coming in for an encore. I absolutely love it! Because their venue is small, Casbah is limited in what bands they can bring there but you will see shows they bring to San Diego all over, they work with other/larger venues to bring great music here. Thank you, Casbah! Keep rockin'.
EVENT: So we ventured to the Casbah to attend a SounDiego, Jack Daniel's party here. SounDiego throws these parties and usually has free food and drinks (2 Jack Daniel's drink tickets per person to include any mixed drink with Jack Daniel's including their honey whiskey). Â They were featuring bands that won the most votes on FB. The bands were pretty good! They were mostly rock and electronic rock. One of the bands reminded me of Owl City a little.
VENUE: It's definitely what you would call an "underground" type of place. It's not underground. It's exactly a venue that you would imagine a rock band to play in. It's divided up in a little sit down area that looks like a restaurant and another area which is the stage and bar area. Both spaces are pretty small. We got there early and got some high table seating luckily otherwise it's standing room only.
SERVICE: We had to wait outside until they opened their doors. It's cool waiting outside and seeing all the planes fly right over your head. It can get pretty loud! No complaints really about service.
PARKING: We walked over here but there looked like there was street parking but it was all full and there were two parking decks across the street.
CONCLUSION: It was a cool event. It was nice getting out of our "box." Well done by SounDiego and Jack Daniel's. We don't usually go to places like the Casbah. I would consider coming back if they were having a similar event!
Hmmm . . . where to go on a Friday night when all you want is a few drinks, some good music, and don't have much cash? Â Hmmmm . . . Casbah to the rescue! Â (And it's just a few blocks away from mi casa!)
Seriously I know you know that the Casbah is awesome. They still get great bands - some you know; some you don't (but should). Â The drinks are strong but cheap. Â The crowd is eclectic and ever-changing. Â I have even come here solo before and left with awesome new friends.
There's a reason why the Casbah is world famous.
I cannot begin to put into words how much I love the Casbah. I have seen so much wonderfulness up on that little stage. I never have had a bad time. NEVER!? yes, thats saying alot. Honestly, this is one of the few places I'm really going to miss when Im out of San Diego
I used to live a couple blocks away, in little italy, oh halcyon days...
Ooooooh... at last I finally got to check this place out. I've always heard good things about this place and then had reason to go when my friends were performing.
Wherever you are, you're gonna have an awesome view of the stage! Casbah is small and intimate. When I came here and saw the stage and the area in front of it, I totally understood why this place is so popular. Being this close to the musicians is pretty great.
I would love if they had seating! That's why I like Humphrey's Backstage because I can watch shows while feeling totally comfortable at a table with chairs. My legs and back started getting tired from standing through several performances by diff bands and musicians. But that's just a minor thing and I like this cool venue!
I love this place. Â
I've been going for years and years and while not as much as I used to in my youth (in my 40's now), it still holds up as a great venue to see a show. Â Sometimes the sound isn't the best, but most of the time, it's good. Â And I don't profess to be an expert of any sort. Â I just enjoy the venue, the drink prices, ambience. Â
The ONLY thing I hate, is the smoking section outside. Â I'm over looking cool and smoking cancer. Â But it is what it is and I accept it. Â I'll just go inside and have a drink or play some pool.
Who have I seen here? Â Who haven't I seen here (or at the old venue). Â Just way too many to list and some big names too. Â
Just go here. Â Don't think about it. Â Just do it. Â Support it, keep it alive and go often.
P.S.:  Casbah-  Print up some more T's and hoodies you mooks.  We want to give  you our cash, so crank them out!!!
The Casbah is a fine classic OG-est of the OG-est San Diego establishment.
I really appreciate the small venue feel and the impact they have in the San Diego music culture.
Venue so small, you'll get up close and personal with the artists, and the patrons.
This rastrent kept slapping me in the face with his dreadlocks while dancing.
It doesn't get any realer than that.
What's the name of that Clash song again?
FAVORITE venue!!! By far!
I LOVED it. Came here to see Hi Deaf & Blaqk Audio, the place was amazing. They have a super cute patio at front for you to smoke and hang and once you walk in, it can be like a maze ( a fun one!). The place is clean and all decked out, there's pool tables in the back with a bar and a back hallway leading to the bathrooms. Drinks are cheap! And the sound is mind blowing. Way better personally than the House Of blues, it's smaller and more intimate. A Must see!
Disclosure: I do not have much experience to rely on here for comparison or perspective. (aka: I am just not that cool).
But! Â I did have a fabulous time at the Casbah on a random evening. Â Plane from Chicago, taxi from SAN to Casbah, just in time to watch a friend's band on stage. Phew - totally worth it!
I was parched, so the $7 beer was completely worth every dollar, though slightly surprising. Â It's not really a black tie kinda place, you know?
The acoustics are rather good, despite the consistent plane traffic in the background (though I couldn't get mad at that, given the circumstances).
Nice outside for those silly smokers.
I remember counting the days until I turned 21 so I could go to the Casbah. Â All I ever wanted to was see Rocket From The Crypt (RIP) within the 4 walls of this legendary San Diego venue. Â It was well worth the wait and I can now die a happy man.
That was *cough, cough... a several years ago but honestly nothing has changed at the Casbah since the first time I ever stepped foot in the place. Â Even when they did change something, they made it look the exact same as it did before but only complying to a fire code. Â What I am talking about is the trademark patent leather wall that serves as a backdrop for the bands on stage. Â After the tragedy in New Jersey where the band Great White lit an entire club on fire with their pyrotechnics the fire marshals across the country cracked down and picked venues apart for potential fire hazards. Â The Casbah's signature wall was deemed to be one of these hazards. Â They tore it down and put up a new one that was identical but only fire proof. Â Job well done.
Take a stroll around the club and soak it in. Â The history for not only the San Diego music scene but on a national scale is highly represented on their walls. Â Here are some of the greatness that has thrown their gear on Casbah's stage and played to a room of no more than 200 people.
*Taken from their website
Boss Hog, MGMT, TV on the Radio, Devotchka, Franz Ferdinand, Morphine, The Damned, X, Vampire Weekend, The White Stripes, Death Cab for Cutie, Basement Jaxx, TSOL, The Arcade Fire, The Shins, Band of Horses, The Breeders, Elastica, The Jesus Lizard, TSOL, Gogol Bordello, Cold War Kids, Weezer, Silversun Pickups, Ben Harper, Liz Phair, G Love & Special Sauce, Social Distortion, Flogging Molly, The Cult, and local acts such as Rocket From The Crypt, Drive Like Jehu, Three Mile Pilot, Creedle, the Rugburns, Jewel, The Dragons, Blackheart Procession, Pinback and the list goes on.
There are shows 7 nights a week and your best bet is to order the Steinlager. Â If I remember correctly it is a 22 ounce beer for $6.00 or so.
If you can get one of the bartenders to whip you up a "Cranhammer" you will be pleasantly surprised but are like to forget most of the show if you drink more than one or two of them...
The Casbah has long been a place I had wanted to go so badly pre-21 years of age as it had caused me much heart ache to know my favorite band was playing across town and I was too young to get in.
With that problem long passed, The Casbah holds up to be what I had hoped and dreamed it would be.
I was told the back bar has the strongest drinks, this is true. I really like the outdoor patio to get away from the crowd inside and the feeling of a backyard it gives off. The restrooms are clean no matter before or after the show. The sound is incredible and you can see from virtually anywhere in the place, a major plus considering I'm vertically challenged at a whopping height of 5'4". The only complaint I have was the bartender who worked the main bar at the Tim Barry show, he was a bit of jerk when I was trying to order, and he made a few errors on my tab including handing me the wrong credit card when he had just confirmed that my last name started with an S and he had all of six cards back there, the card he gave me did not have an S on it.
Oh well.
Casbah, thanks for the good times you've given me so far: Cursive, Hot Water Music, and Tim Barry.
This place is about music. I wouldn't go there for any other reason.
Mostly, because it usually smells. P U.
BUT.. you can check out cool local and too hot to be too big bands!
I saw !!! here and it was the best show ever!
Usually, the sound quality here is just slightly off. Sometimes worse than others. I used to think it was something about the venue.. but then I saw !!! and it was the best sound ever and that's when I realized.. its probably a band thing.
So if you are a band about to play here.. don't be afraid to speak up in between songs and adjust your sound. !!! did it and it only made them better. It doesn't have to be perfect straight out of sound check.. but if you notice you need a tweak say something in between songs! Your listeners will thank you.
Classic place for music in San Diego. Not pretentious in the least, it doesn't look like much and it doesn't smell great but the sound system and affordable drinks make up for it. Tons of great shows here several nights a week. Limited seating, floor space and the added bonus of the atari lounge with a second bar and more good acts. Prices are reasonable for what you can see here. Local bands get started here and don't forget where they came from... it rocks!
A tall boy of PBR is $4.50- can't beat that, even if I look like a hipster.
The Casbah is a cool place, where you feel cool for knowing about it and cool for knowing the small bands that play there. Â Don't fool yourself though, you're not cool, Â you're just a pretentious hipster who's not better than anybody else just because you bring your own cloth bags to carry your vegan groceries home in and buy your clothes at the thrift store. Â Sorry....that's the vibe I get from most patrons of the Casbah, although it's easy to ignore them because they're usually very polite people that are very into the music so they never ruin the experience of seeing your favorite band live.
The Casbah is dark and dingy and old school and small. Â There's almost no seating when bands are playing, which is usually fine, and there's not a bad spot in the house because it's tiny. Â I give the Casbah 4 stars because I've never had a bad time there when seeing a band. Â Parking is free around the corner although you'll probably have to walk through some creepy alleyways, but it adds to the "cool" underground feel. Â Because the place is so small, it always feels like an intimate show with you and a few others rocking out to your favorite band. Â It's GREAT for seeing bands with a more quiet soft feeling too because there are so few people that most are well behaved and stay quiet for the quiet songs.
Awesome venue! Â Great size, good staff/security, not a ton of a-holes, decent drink and show prices, and good sound.
The biggest downside to this venue is that not enough good punk/hardcore type bands play here. Â Soma is pure crap, HOB is too big and expensive, and everywhere else is too small for decent bands. Â If you are good, PLAY HERE MORE!
A few weekends ago I went to a Saturday show at The Casbah in Little Italy to see The Silent Comedy (an absolutely amazing local band!) and it was such a good time that the next morning I booked another night in my hotel and another 2 tickets to see The Silent Comedy's second show at the Casbah for Sunday night.
The second night was even better than the first! The drinks were stiff, the beer was good, the sound system was energizing and the entertainment was top notch. I'd like to see this place before dark sometime.
It looks like a dive, smells like a dive...it IS a dive! Hell yes!
Been here numerous times in college (many a moon ago). Went here a few weeks ago for  the Fumanchoo concert and we had a blast!
Looks are deceiving.
Your chances of getting into a bar-room brawl are way higher at a fancy night-club in the Gaslamp Quarter, than a hole-in-the-wall dive, like the Casbah. No hoytie-toytie barfly's in hiked up mini-skirts, dog collar chokers and stilettos, here. Just a great crowd- with great music, great sound, great bands and a nice size bar.
-thats just as it should be.
-Oh yes, I must pay homage to the AWESOME 'Men-of-the-Hour' (-you know who you are! -you kept my jack/coke, coming, all night long! -God Bless Us, Everyone!)
*So, I DID take pics of us at the concert but the liquid courage was pulsating through our veins, the pics were hella blurry- especially the ones he took!
My bad, note to self...
"...Self, next time, take the pics BEFORE the drinks shall commence...Noted."*
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