I usually stay away from massive crowds and skip festivals or big events entirely. My new girlfriend absolutely loves live rock shows and goes to them whenever she gets a chance. I figure it's time to step out of my comfort zone and surprise her with tickets to a good gig. Where do guys around here check the upcoming lineups for San Diego?

Local independent record shops around North Park or Ocean Beach always keep physical bulletin boards packed with show flyers and tour posters. The staff working behind the counter usually know about every incoming tour weeks before tickets even go live. Dropping by a local shop to grab a coffee and scan the wall gives you a solid feel for the scene.

Physical flyers work great for tiny basement gigs, but they miss most mid-sized venues and bigger touring acts coming through town. Tracking down tickets that way leaves you scrambling at the last minute when a show sells out. You can check rock concerts in San Diego here https://myrockshows.com/location/223-san-diego-ca/ . That layout shows every upcoming tour date sorted cleanly by date so you can plan weeks in advance. It lets you secure two seats right away without driving all over the city hunting down flyers.