{"id":438377,"date":"2026-08-20T13:54:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T13:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/438377\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T13:54:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T13:54:10","slug":"san-diego-arts-roundup-jb-smoove-brings-the-cool-to-the-sound-san-diego-union-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/438377\/","title":{"rendered":"San Diego arts roundup: JB Smoove brings the cool to The Sound \u2013 San Diego Union-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

Critics and many fans blasted the 1998 finale of \u201cSeinfeld,\u201d even though it drew an audience of more than 76 million, and even though the sitcom\u2019s co-creator, Larry David, wrote the script for it. The fact is, the show should have ended earlier. In TV-biz jargon \u201cSeinfeld\u201d had \u201cjumped the shark\u201d before the finale even aired.<\/p>\n

Translation: It should have known when to quit.<\/p>\n

Larry David should have known when to quit his own subsequent series \u201cCurb Your Enthusiasm,\u201d which ran for 12 seasons, at least the last half of which were desultory, repetitive and not very funny. But if they were at all watchable it was because of comic\/actor JB Smoove.<\/p>\n

An alum of \u201cDef Comedy Jam\u201d and \u201cSaturday Night Live,\u201d Smoove joined \u201cCurb\u201d in 2007 playing Leon Black, permanent houseguest to Larry David, and out-talking him at every turn. Many of his best lines are not printable here, but I think I\u2019m safe with Leon\u2019s assertion \u201cI brings ruckus to the ladies.\u201d<\/p>\n

During and after \u201cCurb,\u201d Smoove has been busy on television, in the movies and on the standup stage. That\u2019s where he\u2019ll be Friday night when he performs at The Sound in Del Mar<\/a>.\u00a0 His act is fast and freewheeling so blink and you might miss a great line. One that no doubt I wouldn\u2019t be able to print here, either. For tickets, visit thesoundsd.com\/event-details\/14978533\/jb-smoove-live\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Festival
\n\"LilianLilian Ibarra Pantoja (Arts District Liberty Station)<\/p>\n

The well-named Fiesta<\/a>, a cross-border celebration of culture and community, comes to the recently renovated Chapel in Liberty Station on Sunday.<\/p>\n

This event produced by Lillian Ibarra Pantoja, an emerging artist in residence at Arts District Liberty Station, gets under way at 3:30 p.m. and runs through 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

In addition to performances in dance and live music, the event will feature an immersive industrial art exhibit by Joe Pisano. Tickets for adults start at $45. Admission is free for kids 12 and under and it\u2019s $30 for youths 13-18. Tickets at eventbrite.com\/e\/fiesta-tickets-1993362160883<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Events like Fiesta are integral to the identity of our border region, honoring not only those who make art in its various forms but those of us who can applaud it and appreciate it.<\/p>\n

Theater
\n\"KandisKandis Chappell stars as Eleanor Roosevelt in \u201cEleanor,\u201d playing Aug. 27 through Sept. 6 at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. (Jason Niedle, TETHOS)<\/p>\n

If you missed Kandis Chappell starring as Eleanor Roosevelt in Mark St. Germain\u2019s 90-minute \u201cEleanor\u201d at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach three years ago, you\u2019ve got a second chance next week to see and enjoy it. And learn.<\/p>\n

Even history buffs or those who watched \u201cKen Burns: The Roosevelts: An Intimate History\u201d on PBS will discover aspects of the remarkable first lady and political activist in this quiet, enlightening one-person show. Though she was an icon, the very human side of Eleanor Roosevelt comes through in this production.<\/p>\n

Performances<\/a> begin next Thursday and run through Sept. 6. Tickets at northcoastrep.org\/production\/eleanor\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pop music
\n\"ToriTori Amos will perform Wednesday at the San Diego Civic Theatre. (Kasia Wozniak)<\/p>\n

Tori Amos will perform Wednesday at the San Diego Civic Theatre. (Kasia Wozniak)The San Diego Civic Theatre isn\u2019t given over to pop music concerts that often, but it will be on Wednesday when singer-songwriter Tori Amos brings her \u201cIn Times of Dragons\u201d tour<\/a> to town. That\u2019s the title of her conceptual album released in May which may be the most political of her long career.<\/p>\n

Amos is a classically trained pianist, and listening to her play, even when not singing, is an enchanting experience. Her rangy mezzo-soprano voice and bright red hair are signatures of the performer who\u2019s been at it since the early 1990s. Tickets at sandiegotheatres.org\/events\/detail\/tori-amos-2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rock music
\n\"TwinTwin sisters Kelley, left and Kim Deal make up the Breeders, an alt-rock duo performing Tuesday at The Sound in Del Mar. (The Breeders)<\/p>\n

Sometimes lost in the wave of influential, early-\u201890s-born alt-rockers are twin sisters Kelley and Kim Deal. Kim emerged as a member of the Pixies but during so formed a side project, the Breeders, that would eventually become her full-time gig and which included sister Kelley.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s all the history you need know. The Breeders fronted by the Deals and featuring original bassist Josephine Wiggs are back on the road, with drummer Jim Macpherson now in the fold. The road includes Del Mar, where they band will perform at The Sound on Tuesday night<\/a>.<\/p>\n

New Orleans alt-rock duo Twisted Teens, not featuring siblings, opens the show. Tickets at thesoundsd.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Critics and many fans blasted the 1998 finale of \u201cSeinfeld,\u201d even though it drew an audience of more…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":438378,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[7,967,181,6682,74,84,76,75,1058,420],"class_list":["post-438377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-california","tag-entertainment","tag-latest-headlines","tag-music-and-concerts","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-county","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news","tag-theater","tag-things-to-do"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=438377"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438377\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/438378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=438377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=438377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=438377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}