Since opening in 1982, Humphreys Concerts by the Bay, situated between Humphreys Restaurant and Humphreys Half Moon Inn, has hosted everyone from Tony Bennett and The Beach Boys to Feist and Bill Maher. Most recently, the venue welcomed English reggae group UB40 for a reunion tour that brought original members Ali Campbell, Astro, and Micky Virtue together for classics like “Red, Red Wine” and “Falling In Love With You,” as well as new tracks from their latest album Silhouette.
The show went down on a perfect San Diego night—slightly warm with cool breezes from the bay, silhouettes of palm trees, and views of sailboats along the venue’s edge. It was about as iconic San Diego as one could get, so we wanted to dig deeper into Humphreys’ storied history. Here, five things you didn’t know about the venue:
America has played Humphreys 23 times. The folk rock band wins the award for most frequent musical act. Their most recent gig was held on October 16.
Humphreys was featured in Bring It On. Remember the highly quotable 2000 teen flick starring Kirsten Dunst? Humphreys Hotel & Concerts By the Bay was used in the filming. (The hotel was rebranded for the movie as “Tiki Adventure Suites” in “Daytona, Florida” for the National Championships.)
The chef has cooked for President Obama. Humphreys Restaurant’s new Executive Chef, Nicolas Bour, has cooked for presidents and kings, including George W. Bush, King Hussein of Jordan, Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, and Barack Obama during the POTUS’ inauguration.
John Stamos is a fan. The actor, better known as Full House’s Uncle Jesse, frequents the hotel and has filmed various shows and movie scenes on the property over the years.
The venue was featured in an Oscar-winning documentary. There are clips from past Humphreys concerts in the 2013 doc 20 Feet from Stardom, which follows the lives of backup singers for famous artists.
5 Things You Didn’t Know About Humphreys Concerts by the Bay
Humphreys Concerts By the Bay
