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Pechanga Arena Announces First New Concert

Pechanga Arena San Diego might be the first concert venue in San Diego County to announce a new event this year so far.

Colombian artist Maluma, born Juan Luis Londono Arias, is scheduled to perform at the Point Loma location, formerly known as the San Diego Sports Arena, on Sept. 12; the performance will mark the sixth stop as part of the U.S. leg of his “Papi Juancho” 2021 World Tour.

Tentatively kicking off on Sept. 2 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., the trek is arguably one of the biggest performances to be announced since the COVID-19 pandemic first emerged stateside last March, bringing touring to a complete halt. It also appears to be the first new event announced this year in San Diego, instead of a concert postponed from last year as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

Treated as a full-capacity show for now, all 13,500 tickets went on sale late February. Organized by promoters CMN and WK Entertainment, “Papi Juancho” is scheduled to wrap up on Oct. 24 at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Ill.

Begin Ticket Sales

Ticketed concerts and live events are currently not allowed in San Diego, as per California state health regulations. But Kristi Reedy, director of marketing at Pechanga Arena San Diego, said the venue was given the greenlight to announce the event and begin ticket sales in anticipation that concert venues, stadiums and arenas in the city will reopen soon.

“We are really excited about the fact we can announce new shows – that shows some light at the end of the tunnel,” she said. “Pechanga Arena San Diego continues to work with event organizers and promoter partners in anticipation to a return of live events. This includes the advance sale of tickets for future events that are being scheduled. We are very hopeful those dates will stay intact.”

Maluma’s performance is the first new event Pechanga Arena San Diego has announced in 2021, confirmed Reedy. The venue typically averages 130 events and 175,000 visitors per year before going dark on March 13, 2020 due to lockdown orders, she said.

Another concert, this one by Mexican band Grupo Firme, had originally been rescheduled for April 2021 from Sept. 2020. As of two weeks ago, they’d pushed the event back again to August of this year. The County of San Diego allowed Pechanga Arena to move up the performance with the understanding that if August arrives and the guidelines still don’t allow for such events to take place, that date will have to be rescheduled yet again, she said.

Same applies for the Maluma tour stop at Pechanga Arena San Diego in September, Reedy added.

Other Events

Still the hope, as mentioned prior, is that much like other major cities (e.g. New York), concert venues, stadiums and arenas will have reopened by then. If so, Reedy is hopeful the San Diego Gulls ice hockey team will return for its regular season in October and that the San Diego Seals lacrosse team and the San Diego Loyal SC soccer team will also be welcomed back to the Pechanga Arena San Diego before the end of the year.

The venue usually hosts an equal mix of hockey, soccer, lacrosse, family shows like “Disney on Ice” and “Harlem Globetrotters” and concerts, she said.

Reedy added that singers James Taylor and Justin Bieber are scheduled for May and June, respectively. She said Pechanga Arena San Diego is currently working with their promoters to reschedule those dates possibly for later this year.

Aside from Maluma and Grupo Firme, there are currently a handful of upcoming concerts on the schedule: singer/songwriter Harry Styles for Sept. 2, artist Celine Dion for Sept. 8, comedian Gabriel Iglesias on Oct. 2, R&B singer The Weeknd March 13, 2022, and Dutch violinist Andre Rieu on March 17, 2022.

Safe Reopening

In the meantime, Dave Jolette, regional vice president of arenas for ASM Global, which operates Pechanga Arena San Diego, said the company is preparing its venues for a safe reopening. As part of its VenueShield product, this includes the requirement of face coverings, temperature checks, signage and modified capacity plans.

“In all locations, we work with the local governmental and health departments to establish operating procedures in order to safely host an event,” he said. “We work with the promoters/acts that are coming into the facility to ensure that all entities front of house, back of house and public are attending within the safety protocols established for each market. VenueShield is the ASM product that was established for each venue to customize and mobilize as their local market begins to host events. The safety of our patrons and entertainers is priority No. 1.”

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