Street Scene to Return to Its Downtown Roots

You could say the prodigal music festival is ready to return home. Me? I like to think that the founder of Street Scene, Rob Hagey, is ready to eat crow and finally admit his once-great music fest had lost its way and identity in its attempt to pander to the fickle youth market. Whatever the reason, it appears that the annual Street Scene music festival is planning to return to the streets of downtown, where it was born and made its name and biggest impact. After several years at the uninspiring parking lot of Qualcomm Stadium and a disastrous foray last year at Coors Amphitheatre after switching from the Del Mar Racetrack, Street Scene founder Rob Hagey told the San Diego Union-Tribune, "We're going back to our roots, and to what made Street Scene successful." What made Street Scene successful in its heyday was a diverse musical lineup spanning genres from rock to soul to roots to jazz to zydeco. When the event outgrew the Gaslamp and Hagey decided to cater to the alternative and hip hop crowd, Street Scene alienated longtime fans and the event lost its soul. Perhaps Street Scene's downtown return, which has set some tentative dates in September, will be triumphant. Of course, that all depends on what acts Hagey books. Until then, I'll stay hopefully optimistic.