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Pechanga cancels concerts for the rest of 2020

Pitbull's concert at Pechanga Resort Casino is one of many canceled by the Temecula casino.
Pitbull’s concert at Pechanga Resort Casino is one of many canceled by the Temecula casino.
(File photo)

The cancellation comes three weeks after the Temecula casino reopened, with limited operations, after shutting down this spring due to the coronavirus pandemic

By Michael James Rocha
San Diego Union-Tribune
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Pechanga Resort Casino has announced it is canceling concerts for the rest of the year, with live entertainment not expected to return until 2021.

The announcement, made Wednesday, said “Pechanga leadership ... has taken the step to postpone all concerts scheduled at Pechanga Resort Casino for the rest of 2020. All currently booked concerts will be rescheduled with artists and their management for dates beyond 2020 as calendar and artist availability allows.”

In a statement, Jared Munoa, president of the Pechanga Development Corporation, said: “The health and safety of our guests, team members and community is and has always been our number one priority at Pechanga.

“We decided to make this decision now so our guests were not left wondering about whether or not concerts would take place as previously scheduled,” he said. “Avoiding mass gatherings is the prudent thing to do for public health, and we’ll look forward to bringing exciting concerts back when the time is right.”

Pechanga — with 200,000 square feet of gaming space — is a massive resort with a hotel, spa, golf course and two concert venues, the Pechanga Theater and the Summit Events Center. The cancellation comes three weeks after the Temecula casino reopened, with limited operations. It shut down in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The list of canceled concerts includes Tower of Power, The Go Go’s, Chaka Khan, Pitbull, Bell Biv Devoe, Johnny Mathis, Sebastian Maniscalco, Ana Gabriel, Chicago and Juanes. An updated concert schedule shows that the casino plans to bring back Hotel California – A Salute to the Eagles on Feb. 20, the first musical act it has booked for 2021.

Pala Casino's 2,000-seat Starlight Theater attracts headliner acts.

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Pala Casino to resume outdoor concerts at Starlight Theater, starting June 28

Capacity at the 2,251-seat venue will be reduced to comply with state and other regulatory recommendations, but by how much remains unclear

Last week, nearby Pala Casino Spa & Resort announced an initial slate of 12 social distancing-compliant concerts, beginning with a June 28 performance by singer Trish Toledo and concluding with a Sept. 6 performance by Mariachi Divas. If it proceeds with the plan, Pala may well be the first San Diego-area venue to stage concerts since the coronavirus pandemic led to the shutdown of live entertainment events in mid-March.

Pechanga uses Ticketmaster for its online ticket sales, and “they are allowing refunds in some cases,” according to a statement. In addition, “guests may also keep their existing tickets, which will be honored at Pechanga for the rescheduled events. These guests will be refunded should they like to receive one.”

The Pechanga Box Office may be reached at (888) 810-8871 or boxoffice@pechanga.com.

Pechanga Casino Resort concerts

  • Ana Gabriel: canceled, originally scheduled for Aug. 20, 2020
  • Hotel California – A Salute to the Eagles: Feb. 20, 2021 (new date)
  • Tower of Power: June 26, 2021 (new date)
  • Johnny Mathis: July 17, 2021 (new date)
  • Los Angeles Azules: TBD
  • Chicago: TBD
  • Alejandro Fernandez: Hecho in Mexico Tour 2020: TBD
  • Juanes: Mas Futuro Que Pasado: TBD
  • Chaka Khan: TBD
  • The Go Go’s: TBD
  • Sebastian Maniscalco: TBD
  • Bell Biv Devoe: TBD
  • Pitbull: TBD
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Michael James Rocha

Michael James Rocha is the digital creative director at the Union-Tribune. He oversees the online presentation of Union-Tribune stories online and has oversight of the photo and graphics teams. Most recently, he was the arts and entertainment editor. During his tenure, the Union-Tribune’s Sunday arts section was named the best in the nation two years in a row (2021 and 2022). Michael started his career at the Union-Tribune in December 1997 as a features page designer. He eventually became the features design editor, managing a staff of 15 designers and 17 features sections. Through the years, he has done stints as the front page designer, audience development editor and home decor editor. He previously wrote a monthly column on outdoor living, which focused on outdoor decor. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications (with an emphasis on print journalism) from California State University-Fullerton in 1994. He is a founding member of the Asian American Journalists Association’s San Diego chapter, and he has taught magazine writing, editing and design at Point Loma Nazarene University. He also loves dogs.

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