Mattel, Inc. announced that the live-to-film concert experience will hit the area on Saturday, July 27. The symphony, known as The Barbie Land Sinfonietta, will provide the musical backdrop, led by Tony Award-winning conductor Macy Schmidt and featuring an all-women and mostly women-of-color orchestra.

ALSO SEE: Hollywood Bowl announces its 2024 season with Beck, T-Pain and Henry Mancini tribute

There will also be specialty limited-edition “Barbie” merchandise, photo opportunities and more. The film is set to be projected onto an LED screen above The Barbie Land Sinfonietta as they perform along to the movie. Hollywood Bowl season subscription packages are available now at hollywoodbowl.com and single tickets for this performance will go on sale on May 7.

“Barbie” garnered eight Academy Award nominations, including a nod for best picture. The music from “Barbie” has also received recognition, earning 11 Grammy Award nominations, with Billie Eilish and Finneas winning the song of the year and best song written for visual media categories for “What Was I Made For?”

Since its feature debut on July 21, 2023, “Barbie” has grossed over $1.4 billion worldwide, with Director Greta Gerwig setting a new record for the highest grossing debut film by a female director.

Earlier this week the music superstar announced a pair of gigs at the new arena on Sept. 21-22. Due to popular demand, he added two more shows on Sept. 24-25.

The multi-platinum, eight-time Grammy Award-winning artist is the first act to be announced to perform at the $2 billion arena, which will serve as the future home of the Los Angeles Clippers upon its grand opening in August.

Tickets for the general public go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 12 at LiveNation.com. Citi card members will have access to presale options starting at noon on Thursday, Feb. 8 at citientertainment.com. Verizon is also offering a presale option for members starting at noon Thursday, Feb. 8 at VerizonUp.com.

Coming off the heels of a two-year residency in Las Vegas, the Usher’s latest tour comes as support for his ninth studio album, “Coming Home,” which comes out on Friday, Feb. 9. His residency at Dolby Park at MGM Park was one of the best-selling shows on The Strip in 2023, bringing in more than $59 million in revenue, according to a press release.

Mojo Nixon, the roots-rocking wild man and former San Diegan who was an MTV mainstay in the 1980s and later became a longtime Sirius XM radio host, died Wednesday. He was 66. The cause of death was a “cardiac event,” according to a statement posted by his family on his Mojo Nixon World Empire Facebook page.

Nixon died while at sea on the week-long 2024 Outlaw Country Cruise, which set sail Sunday from Miami. He was a regular performer and host on the cruise, which debuted eight years ago and whose extensive lineup this year also includes Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Los Straitjackets and former San Diegan Rosie Flores.

Nixon’s final performance took place Tuesday evening on the cruise when he performed with his band, The Toadliquors. The Wednesday post on his Facebook page indicates he was in good spirits before his death.

It reads: “Passing after a blazing show, a raging night, closing the bar, taking no prisoners+ a good breakfast with bandmates and friends.A cardiac event on the Outlaw Country Cruise is about right … & that’s just how he did it.”

A larger-than-life figure, on stage and off, Nixon rose to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the San Diego duo Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper. Nixon sang and banged on an empty water jug. Roper played guitar and other stringed instruments. Together, they recorded such proudly left-of-center songs as “Burn Down the Malls,” “Jesus at McDonald’s,” “Destroy All Lawyers” and “Elvis is Everywhere,” for which Nixon and Roper made a video that became a hit of sorts on MTV.

“Mojo wanted to create something that could not be denied, and he did,” said San Diego music mainstay Joey Harris, who shared numerous bandstands with Nixon, including on last year’s Outlaw Country Cruise.

“He made a fabulous career and helped a lot of musicians along the way. And as a pal, he was wonderfully generous and loved to turn his friends on to books and records.”

In 1988, Nixon served as MTV’s “official sports reporter” when the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins played at Super Bowl XXII in San Diego. He and Roper released six albums together between 1985 and 1990.

The duo’s 1989 song, “Debbie Gibson is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child,” was made into a video that featured actress Winona Ryder in the title role. She and Nixon had become friends while filming the Jerry Lee Lewis biopic, “Great Balls of Fire.” MTV — which had featured Nixon and Roper in a series of quirky promotional clips for the video music network — refused to air it.

Nixon’s other film credits included “Super Mario Brothers,” “Car 54, Where Are You?” and the direct-to-video “Butt-Crack: The Movie.” He and Roper split up in 1989 when Nixon decided he wanted to be a solo artist leading a full band.

“Knowing Mojo, I knew he always wanted to be Bruce Springsteen and couldn’t really take a bigger step as (half of) a duo,” Roper said in a 2012 Union-Tribune interview. “I don’t have a whole lot of animosity, but I was kind of ‘Pete Best-ed’ out of the picture.”

“Skid’s correct about that,” Nixon said in the same interview. “He did know I wanted to be Bruce Springsteen. I also desperately wanted to stand up (onstage, instead of remaining seated while singing and playing guitar). And I wanted to stop being in a duo and have a drummer and bassist, and rock as much as Dwight Yoakam, the Beat Farmers, Los Lobos, all our contemporaries.

“I said to Skid: ‘Why don’t we do a trio tour, and you play bass?’ He didn’t want to do that. But, where other bands starved — because they had a tour bus and five roadies (to pay for) — we made money, because it was just Skid and me and our manager.”

Nixon and Roper reunited for a performance at the 2012 Adams Avenue Street Fair. Nixon was the subject of the film documentary “The Mojo Manifesto: The Life and Times of Mojo Nixon,” which premiered at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival in Austin. It was accompanied by a 10-CD box set of his work.

Nixon was born Neill Kirby McMillan on Aug. 2., 1957, in the North Carolina college town of Chapel Hill. He grew up in Danville, Virginia, where his love of earthy American roots music was born. His first band was called Godzilla’s Revenge.

He went on to earn degrees in political science and history at Ohio’s Miami University in 1979, then moved to San Diego in late 1980.

Nixon soon thereafter heard a performance here by The Snuggle Bunnies, the band led by Country Dick Montana, perhaps the only San Diego musician with a larger-than-life stage persona even larger than the one Nixon would develop.

“I desperately wanted to be in the Snuggle Bunnies and in Dick’s next band, the Beat Farmers,” Nixon recalled in a 2019 San Diego Union-Tribune. “Dick told me: ‘There’s only room for one monkey in this band, and I’m it’!”

Nixon’s day job, until 1986, was as a bicycle mechanic at Bicycles Unlimited in Ocean Beach. He and his wife, Adaire, married in 1989, at a go-cart track in Chula Vista, with Country Dick Montana presiding over the ceremony.

Nixon lived in Coronado until moving to Ohio less than a decade ago to focus on his work for Sirius XM. He hosted three shows for the network — “Outlaw County,” the NASCAR-celebrating “Manifold Destiny” and an outspoken political talk show called “Lying (Expletives).” His on-air handle was “the loon in the afternoon.” He also appeared as a character on Howard Stern’s Howard 100 channel.

“Mojo is much to the left of me,” Friedman said fondly in a joint 2010 Union-Tribune interview with Nixon.

A gregarious man with an uproarious laugh, Nixon once described himself to the Union-Tribune as a musical version of the cartoon character Foghorn Leghorn — albeit one far more prone to using profanity.

“I have a degree in political science, but — like many politicians — I really got a degree in B.S.” he said. “That’s where my talent lies. I’m not a great singer or songwriter, but I can entertain.”

Nixon’s survivors include his wife, Adaire and their adult sons Ruben and Rafe; a sister, Jane Holden McMillan; a brother, Arthur Reese McMillan; and a granddaughter. There is no word yet on memorial services.

This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.

They can’t quite claim that “there will be something for everyone.” But they can surely boast that they’ve come up with a lineup that should appeal to fans of several different genres.

The biggest spotlight goes to R&B legend Usher, who will take center stage when the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show is held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday. He follows in the footsteps of such other recent headliners as Rihanna (2023), the Weeknd (2021), Justin Timberlake (2018) and Lady Gaga (2017).

Earlier in the day, country music icon Reba McEntire has the honor of singing the national anthem before the San Francisco 49ers face off against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Also as part of the pregame festivities, pop/hip-hop vocalist Post Malone will get the chance to croon “America the Beautiful” and soul singer Andra Day will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” often referred to as “the Black National Anthem.”

Rounding things out will be Tiësto, the Grammy-winning Dutch DJ/producer who will be providing music both before and during the game.

Nice mix, right? Well, the challenge is that it’s highly unlikely that most fans will be familiar with all the artists on the bill. After all, there just doesn’t seem to be a lot of crossover between the Reba and Tiësto fan bases.

That’s where we come in, with a guide to the performers at Super Bowl LVIII. Think of it as a cheat sheet of sorts, delivering just enough information so you can impress other guests at your Super Bowl Party party with your musical knowledge between bites of seven-layer dip.

Here’s what you need to know about the marquee entertainers.

Usher

Super Role: Headlining the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show

Origin: He was born in Dallas, but raised in Tennessee and Atlanta.

Nickname: The King of R&B

Top songs: “My Boo,” “Love in This Club,” “You Make Me Wanna … ,” “Nice & Slow,” “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love” and “Yeah!”

Also famous for: He has been a consistent presence on TV for years. Most notably, he worked as a coach on Seasons 4 and 6 of “The Voice.”

Vegas connection: Usher recently wrapped up a lengthy residence at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

Super Bowl experience: This will be Usher’s second Super Bowl Halftime Show, having made his first appearance as one of the two guests during the Black Eyed Peas-headlined shindig in 2011. (The other guest being the mighty Slash of Guns N’ Roses fame).

Beyond singing: Usher is a tremendous dancer, something that has regularly factored into his live performances and should surely play a role during this halftime show.

Possible guests: We’d love to see Alicia Keys show up so that the duo could reprise their smash “My Boo.” Ditto for Pitbull when it comes to “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love.”

Acting chops: Usher made his big-screen debut in the wonderful 1998 horror film “The Faculty.” He’s also had roles in “She’s All That” and “Light it Up” (both 1999), “In the Mix” (2005), and as boxer Sugar Ray Leonard in “Hands of Stone” (2016). He made his Broadway debut in a critically lauded performance as lawyer Billy Flynn in “Chicago” in 2006.

What’s new: On Feb. 9, Usher is set to release “Coming Home,” his first full-length studio effort since 2016’s “Hard to Love.”

Coming to Southern California: The performer has just announced a career-spanning concert tour — USHER: Past Present Future trek — which includes four shows at the all-new Intuit Dome (next to SoFi Stadium) in Inglewood on Sept. 21-22 and 24-25. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 12 at LiveNation.com.

Reba McEntire

Super Role: The country legend will be belting out the national anthem.

Origin: Born and raised in Oklahoma

Nickname: The Queen of Country

Top songs: “The Last One to Know,” “Little Rock,” “Whoever’s in New England,” “How Blue,” “Somebody Should Leave” “What Am I Gonna Do About You,” “One Promise Too Late” and, best of all, “Fancy.”

Also famous for: She has a long list of TV credits, including starring in her self-named TV sitcom – “Reba” – for seven seasons. And, following in the footsteps of Usher, McEntire signed up to be a coach on “The Voice.”

Vegas connection: The singer did a Vegas residency (also at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace) with fellow country stars Brooks & Dunn.

National anthem experience: As the story goes, McEntire took a job in the mid-‘70s singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. Country-Western performer Red Steagall was in the audience one night and — greatly impressed with what he heard — helped McEntire land her first recording contract with Mercury Records.

The play’s the thing: She ventured to New York in 2001 to take on the title role of Annie Oakley in the Broadway musical “Annie Get Your Gun.”

At the movies: Like Usher, McEntire made her big screen debut in an awesome horror film. So, definitely go watch 1990’s “Tremors” (co-starring Kevin Bacon) if you haven’t seen it before (or, like us, are willing to see it for the 12th time). She was originally cast as Molly Brown in James Cameron’s “Titanic,” but filming delays led to scheduling conflicts and McEntire eventually had to depart the project, with Kathy Bates taking her place.

What’s new: The Queen of Country recently put out a book — “Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating and Dusting Off Your Boots” — as well as a companion album called “Not That Fancy.”

Post Malone

Super Role: The Post man will be singing “America the Beautiful.”

Origin: Born in Syracuse, New York, on — how’s this for a patriotic connection — July 4, 1995. Malone moved to Texas at the age of 9.

Fun fact about his name: He reportedly got his Post Malone moniker by entering his birth name (Austin Richard Post) into a rap name generator. You can do the same by visiting myrapname.com.

Nickname: We often hear him referred to as “Posty.” But we’re not sure we’d call him that to his face.

Top songs: “Rockstar,” “White Iverson,” “Congratulations,” “Psycho,” Sunflower” and “Circles.”

Vegas connection: Malone just performed a sold-out New Year’s Eve concert at buzzy Vegas venue BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau.

Animated acting: He’s voiced characters featured in three major animated films — “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.”

What’s new: Posty’s most recent full-length is “Austin,” which is his fifth studio album overall. Post Malone will also perform country music covers with friends at the 2024 Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio on Saturday, April 27.

Andra Day

Super Role: The R&B star will surely shine bright when she sings “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” widely recognized as “The Black National Anthem.” The hymn was composed in 1900 by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson and his brother John Rosamond Johnson as a plea for Black freedom and emerged as civil rights movement theme song during the 1950s and ’60s.

Origin: She was born in Washington state and grew up in San Diego.

Top songs: “Stand Up for Something,” “Tigress and Tweed” and “Rise Up.”

Oscar’s attention: Day starred as Lady Day — yes, we’re talking about the great Billie Holiday — in the acclaimed biographical drama “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” She drew rave reviews for the role and received a nomination for best actress at the 2021 Academy Awards. (The award ended up going to Frances McDormand for “Nomadland.”)

Big wins: She’s earned trophies at such big-time events as the Golden Globes (best actress in a motion picture drama), Grammys (best compilation soundtrack for visual media), the BET Awards (best actress) — all for her work on “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” Her single “Rise Up” was a Grammy nominee and Soul Train Music Awards winner, and became an anthem for Black Lives Matters protesters in 2021.

Other film roles: She appeared in “Marshall” and “Exhibiting Forgiveness” as well as did some voice acting in “Cars 3.” She’s also set to star in the Lee Daniels horror film “The Deliverance,” set to debut on Netflix this year.

Vegas connection: She also performed during the opening ceremony celebration of the inaugural Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix in November.

What’s new: The singer is set to release her long-awaited third solo album this spring, according to Pitchfork. The magazine also reports that the album will be called “Cassandra” (which is Andra’s full first name).

Tiësto

Super Role: He’s set to become what the NFL describes as the first in-game DJ in Super Bowl history, spinning tunes both before the first snap of the ball and then adding bits of music during a number of breaks in the game.

Origin: He was born Tijs Michiel Verwest in Breda, the Netherlands, where he began his music career as a club DJ in his teens.

Top songs: “Lay Low,” “10:35,” “The Motto,” “Don’t Be Shy,” “The Business” and “Red Lights.”

Grammy winner: In 2015, Tiësto won the best remixed recording, non-classical category for his remix of John Legend’s “All of Me.”

Top of the game: Tiësto was reportedly once voted the “greatest DJ of all time” in a fan poll by Mix magazine. Other publications have referred to him as the “Godfather of EDM.”

Vegas connection: He’s a major fan of Nevada’s biggest city, where he has lived part-time during a residency at the Resorts World resort and where he was awarded a key to the city and had a day (Jan. 14) named in his honor in 2017.   “I’m excited to be a part of the Super Bowl LVIII,” Tiësto reportedly said in a statement. “And it’s even more incredible that it’s in my favorite place — Las Vegas.”

What’s new: His most recent full-length outing is 2023’s “Drive.”

Originally it was mandated that there be a minimum of four occupants per vehicle, including the driver. However, in a recent revision, this requirement has been lifted.

ALSO SEE: Coachella 2024: The festival’s new parking rules will likely upset some fans

The three-day, two-weekend festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on April 12-14 and April 19-21 had initially introduced several parking changes in January. With this latest adjustment, attendees can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing that there is no longer a minimum occupancy requirement per vehicle. They’re also now offering a preferred parking pass for $249 plus fees to enter through the north entrance off Ave. 49 and Monroe Street.

Despite the removal of the occupancy mandate, Coachella continues to encourage attendees to carpool. Notably, those traveling in vehicles with four or more occupants still stand a chance to win VIP passes for life, emphasizing the festival’s commitment to promoting sustainable transportation options.

Additionally, Coachella posted a video on its Instagram account on Tuesday, Feb. 6 sharing some news and changes for the iconic Sahara Tent, known to host predominantly big-name EDM and hip-hop acts.

“We are going into a whole new area of the venue that we have never been into before,” Jason Brown from Goldenvoice said in the video.

ALSO SEE: Coachella 2024 lineup: Lana Del Rey, Tyler, The Creator, Doja Cat — and No Doubt

Brown also shared that construction on the new Sahara stage began in December. Construction crews have been putting underground footings measuring up to 320 feet long. The new Sahara Tent will consist of steel, as the old tent was made mostly of aluminum. Brown notes that the new structure will allow for bigger capacity and better stage production for artists such “Peggy Gou, who brings whatever she wants to bring to the show,” Brown added.

Last year, as producer Metro Boomin’s guest-filled set was letting out of the Sahara Tent, concertgoers were met with the fans trying to get over to see headliner Bad Bunny on the main Coachella Stage. This caused quite a bit of congestion between the two areas, leaving fans frustrated as some were caught in the crossfire simply trying to stand in food, beverage and merchandise lines. Relocating the Sahara Tent will certainly make for better traffic flow in these areas and possibly make viewing acts in the packed Sahara Tent more enjoyable and accessible.

Passes for Coachella are still available, with general admission passes for both weekends starting at $499-$599 and VIP weekend passes starting at $1,069-$1,269. Car camping passes are $149-$375; Tent camping is $149; various on-site lodging options are $3,198-$9,000 for the weekend. All passes, parking and camping options can be found at coachella.com.

So why not do one more tour, says guitarist Peter DiStefano, a founding member of the band in 1993 with singer Perry Farrell and drummer Stephen Perkins, both of Jane’s Addiction. He says the band agreed: Let’s do another.

“These songs are like, it’s almost like doing extreme sports,” says DiStefano, of the group that now includes Mike Watt of Minutemen and Firehose in place of founding bassist Martyn LeNoble who sat this tour out.

Add to that the days and nights on a tour bus and hotel rooms in who knows what city, and DiStefano says the band decided this Horns, Thorns En Halos tour would be it for this kind of performance.

“It’s almost like one last hurrah of touring on a tour bus,” he says. “We can still make music. Like, maybe Perry will do something with me and in film. It’s just in terms of putting the whole thing together on a bus like a traveling circus. I think this is the last traveling circus.

“We’re going to do this tour,” DiStefano says. “Then Perry and Stephen can do Jane’s Addiction. l like doing dance DJ/guitar stuff and film stuff. And then who knows? Maybe we’ll do one-offs, you know?”

Porno For Pyros has released three new singles in recent months, its first new music in 26 years. The tour kicks off  Tuesday, Feb. 13 at the Observatory in Santa Ana. It plays the Observatory in San Diego on Thursday, Feb. 15, before spending the weekend at the Ventura Theater in Ventura on Saturday, Feb. 17 and the Belasco in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 18.

In an interview edited for length and clarity, DiStefano talked about the origins of Porno For Pyros, why he says it’s his fault the band broke up, how it got back together, and what it’s been like to prep for this tour.

Q: Take me back to the early ’90s when Perry and Stephen and Martyn and you got together for this. How’d it begin?

A: I was born and raised in Santa Monica, and Eric Avery, the founding bass player for Jane’s Addiction, and I went to school together. We were in a band. We never played out; we played in the garage. Then he met Perry and they started Jane’s Addiction, and I would go to Jane’s Addiction shows through Eric.

Then I went on a surfing trip to Puerto Escondido (in Oaxaca, Mexico). Perry’s roommate, this guy Greg Lampkin, who passed on now, was like, ‘Pete, I  want to manage your solo stuff.’ And he played Perry a demo tape and Perry really liked it.

(On a second trip there) Perry and I shared the room with Greg, so we became like surf buddies. We came back, and he said, ‘I’m starting a thing called Porno For Pyros,’ and he wanted me to be the guitar player.

Q: Perry also asked you at one point to join Jane’s Addiction around the time Dave Navarro left, and you said no.

A: I said I’d rather just play Lollapalooza on the side stage with my brother. I’ll just do my own stuff because I don’t want the whole world to hate me, because they were at the peak, peak, peak, peak. I was like, ‘I’m going to be so judged and looked at,’ and I just didn’t think I could handle the pressure.

Q: So when Jane’s Addiction broke up, how did you and Perry reconnect for Porno For Pyros? And what was the goal musically with it?

A: We were friends before we did music. We went to Skatemaster Tate’s house. He was DJing records and I was playing over them and Perry was singing. I think that first night with him in his apartment in Hollywood, off Melrose and Martel, we wrote ‘Orgasm,’ ‘Cursed Female,’ and ‘Meija’ (which appeared on the band’s 1993 self-titled debut).

“This is different than Jane’s Addiction. We were doing more jazz because (Skatemaster Tate) was DJing like Coltrane and stuff, and we were making music over it. It’ll be more jazz chords as opposed to rock chords. And instead of blues scales, we’ll use Middle Eastern, we’ll use jazz vocabulary, and it’ll be different.

By then, I could handle the beating because I wasn’t trying to be the next Slash or Dave Navarro, you know what I mean? Somebody that does pentatonic riffs really fast and does a blues-based vocabulary, which I love, and it’s great, but I just felt like we had to do something different.

Q: Let’s jump ahead to 1998 and the last tour until this current one. What caused it to end then?

A: Stopping was my fault. I went through eight drug rehabs, cancer, you know; it was just over for me. It was me. It was the needle and the spoon. So they moved on (to reunite) Jane’s Addiction. But then, miraculously, I recovered from the cancer and I got sober. Now I’m 26-and-a-half years sober, and that’s the deal.

They said (years ago), when you get better come and join on guitar with Dave (Navarro). We’ll do Jane’s and Porno together. And I just, you know, I had to go down a different path. I needed years of work on myself. But I’m ready now.

Q: So how did it happen that Porno For Pyros actually got back together for a few shows a couple of years ago.

A: We did Lollapalooza virtual (in 2020), but it wasn’t for a crowd. It was just in a backyard with Mike Watt on bass, me, Stephen Perkins. And we filmed some songs acoustically and they put that out.

But then Jane’s Addiction was supposed to play Welcome to Rockville (in Daytona Beach, Florida in 2022) but Dave got long COVID. So they said, ‘We’ll honor the deal if you get Porno back together. They asked me and I said, ‘Yeah, I’m ready.’

Q: What did it feel like? To play those songs with these guys again?

A: It felt incredible. It felt great. And recording the new songs feels great. Everything feels really good, you know.

Q: The band has recorded and released three new songs so far. Is that something you think Porno For Pyros might continue to do even if you don’t tour again? How do you see you and the others working together in the future?

A: You know, it’s funny. Porno For Pyros works great because Perry is the bandleader. So it’s whatever Perry wants to do. It keeps it really simple. If he wants to cancel a tour and make new songs and then do this (we’ll do it).

And the whole time (the band was on hiatus), I played every single Lollapalooza with Perry. I played on every single one of his solo albums. When It’s Porno For Pyros, it is a certain way. But when it’s Perry’s stuff it’s his way.

So Perry and I will definitely continue. And Stephen, Stephen and I have been in Hellride (a Stooges tribute band) for 20 years, 25 years. That’s me and Watt and Perk. So yeah, I plan to work with everybody.

Q: You said earlier you’ve also got film music and your own EDM/guitar project that’s been going for a number of years now.

A: I got really lucky. I met this guy named Harry Gregson-Williams right when I got sober and he gave me a huge IMDb of music credits. So I played guitar on all the Shrek films. Every Tony Scott film, like ‘Man on Fire,’ Spy Game,’ all those. I was able to buy a house and pay my bills through Harry doing film stuff.

Then I did 10 solo albums, singer-songwriter albums. I just put them up on Bandcamp. And I did a thing from 2010 to 2020 called Lance Herbstrong with two DJs and me on guitar. And it was hugely successful. We played all over the world and all the festivals. I lived off that and it was just a total blast.

I’ve been able to survive as a guitar player since the 30 years that (Porno For Pyros) started. So I’m grateful.

With the ocean on one side and downtown Long Beach on the other, the third annual Cali Vibes Festival is set to make a big splash when it hits Marina Green Park on Feb. 16-18 with its three stages of music and a very special performance by No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani.

ALSO SEE: Cali Vibes 2024: Here’s when Gwen Stefani, Rebelution, Ice Cube and more are performing

Friday, Feb. 16 will include sets by Stick Figure, Damian Jr. Gong & Stephen Marley, Iration, Shaggy, Common Kings and more. Stefani will be joined by Slightly Stoopid, Sublime with Rome, Wiz Khalifa, Sean Paul, The Interrupters and more on Saturday, Feb. 17; and Rebelution will close out the festivities with Ice Cube, The Roots, Kolohe Kai, Soja, J Boog, Too Short and others.

“We couldn’t be happier with this lineup,” said Nic Adler, vice president of festivals at Goldenvoice. And it’s the vibes these bands will create that makes this particular event a special one for Adler.

“I love music, but what’s more important is the people that come to this festival. I love people having a good time and when I see people here smiling and dancing to this music, that’s my happy place,” he added.

While Stick Figure headlines the main Vibes Stage on Friday, veteran reggae singer and rapper Shaggy closes the night out over on the Greens Stage. Shaggy, a Jamaican-born artist who is known for hits such as “Boombastic,” “It Wasn’t Me” and “Angel,” said he feels right at home on this lineup.

“It’s a good vibe and it’s great to be a part of it and bring our style to it,” Shaggy said during a phone interview while on tour in Australia. “It’s one of those festivals that really represents the culture and I’m happy to see more and more Jamaican artists getting involved in it as it goes every year.”

With decades of music behind him Shaggy said he planning to deliver a hit-filled set during his turn.

“We have an extensive catalog that people know, so the possibilities are endless,” he teased.

While the lineup for all three days is star-filled, Saturday’s show will likely be the highlight for many since the main stage closing acts include Sublime with Rome playing one of its final shows with vocalist-guitarist Rome Ramirez and the band’s album “40 Oz. to Freedom” in full, followed by Ocean Beach group Slightly Stoopid, who are just ahead of Stefani’s closing set.

“They just keep bringing stacked lineups back and it’s been so amazing,” said Slightly Stoopid co-frontman Miles Doughty, who has performed at Cali Vibes every year since the start. “What I like is that they bring so many cultures together when it comes to music. You have hip-hop, reggae, the in between, the rock. I really love how they bring that all together.”

This year marks Slightly Stoopid’s 30th anniversary and they just released a new song,” Got Me On The Run” with Kaleo Kalani Wassman, lead singer and guitarist of the band Pepper, and guitarist Scott Woodruff of Stick Figure. Later this year, the band will be releasing its first new record since 2018, so Doughty is promising a special performance at Cali Vibes to celebrate both the new music and milestone anniversary.

“We got some insane special guests rolling. I’m not going to say who they are because I want it to be a surprise for the fans,” he said.

Meanwhile, Stefani has been teasing something “very special” for her Cali Vibes stint on her social media platforms, too. It’s highly unlikely that Goldenvoice would use this show to jump the gun on the No Doubt reunion slated for its two weekend, three-day Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festivals in Indio in April, but anything is possible.

For Adler, bands like No Doubt, as well as Sublime, laid the foundation for many of the bands performing at Cali Vibes like Slightly Stoopid, Stick Figure, Iration, Rebelution and others.

“To have Gwen sit atop of this poster, I think it shows how far this scene has come and also goes back in time a little to experience where this whole scene came from,” Adler said.

But, will there be a sneak peek of No Doubt at Cali Vibes?

“My wish is your wish. Of course we would be blown away. But I live in reality,” Adler said. “I think we’ll have to let that sit there and if something happens it happens. I’m excited to see Gwen.”

While there are many veteran acts anchoring the festival, this event is also about the future of reggae and other Caribbean music, which it highlights with the BoomYard Stage that was created to give locals a taste of what’s happening with island music today.

“To me this stage is the foundation of Cali Vibes,” Adler said. “It might not be names you hear about every day, it may not be the headliners of the show, but it is the DNA of this show. It comes from the street, the alleyways of Jamaica and the Caribbean.”

Since 2023 marked the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, Cali Vibes is acknowledging that milestone with sets by Ice Cube, Wiz Khalifa, The Roots, The Pharcyde, Too Short and Action Bronson throughout the weekend, too.

“A lot of us grew up with hip-hop evolving to where it is today,” Adler said. “To be able to watch Ice Cube who literally made the Southern California scene, is epic.”

Cali Vibes

When: Noon Friday, Feb. 16-Sunday, Feb. 18

Where: Marina Green Park, 400 E. Shoreline Drive, Long Beach

Tickets: Three-day general admission starts at $330 and $515 for three-day VIP admission; single-day general admission starts at $150 and single-day VIP admission starts at $225. All passes are on sale now at calivibesfest.com.

The band has been out headlining its Punk in Drublic music festival tour and added the last dates to the NOFX Final Tour: 40 Years 40 Cities 40 Songs Per Day outing back in November, revealing that it will all wrap up near NOFX’s homebase at San Pedro’s Berth 46 on Oct. 4-6.

ALSO SEE: Los Angeles punk band NOFX will play its final shows ever in San Pedro

On Tuesday, the band announced some of the special guests that will be joining it during the three-day farewell. MXPX, The Bouncing Souls, Buzzcocks, Lagwagon, Subhumans, Strung Out, Sick Of It All, Good Riddance, The Flatliners, Codefendants, Swingin’ Utters, Mad Caddies, DOA, D.I., Bad Cop/Bad Cop, Get Dead, We Are the Union, The Last Gang, Poli Van Sam, Das Klowns and Luicidal are all scheduled to perform.

Promoters of the event, Orange County-based Brew Ha Ha Productions, shared the additional acts with a poster on the festival’s official Instagram page on Tuesday morning. The poster has several bigger names up top that are blacked out, indicating even more acts will be announced in the coming months.

NOFX’s final tour began on April 22 in Austin, Texas, and includes shows throughout North America and Australia. The band has been playing 40 songs per night, including full albums and rarities and it’s not repeating setlists to ensure each evening is special.

Frontman and bassist Fat Mike, guitarists Eric Melvin and El Hefe and drummer “Smelly” Eric Sandin formed NOFX in 1983.

Tickets are on sale now at punkindrublicfest.com. The San Pedro shows also feature craft beer and craft beverage tastings for those 21-and-older from noon-3 p.m.

The festival, which is currently sold out, is set to take place at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on April 26-28 with headliners Eric Church, Miranda Lambert and Morgan Wallen on the Mane Stage.

Dwight Yoakam, the alternative country star with numerous hits to his name, will lead the festivities inside the Palomino on Friday night. Soul rocker Leon Bridges will headline the on Saturday. The Beach Boys, who made a guest debut appearance at Stagecoach in 2022 during LoCash’s set teaming up for single “Beach Boys,” will close out the stage with their set on Sunday evening.

ALSO SEE: Stagecoach 2024 lineup: Eric Church, Miranda Lambert and Morgan Wallen top festival

Though a secondary stage, the Palomino has hosted some legendary performances by genre greats including Willie Nelson, George Jones, Merle Haggard, John Prine, Jerry Lee Lewis, Smokey Robinson, Emmylou Harris, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Glen Campbell, Kenny Rogers, Charlie Pride and Tom Jones. It’s also been a spot to see new talent that has risen to superstardom including Zach Bryan, Sturgill Simpson, Cody Jinks, Tyler Childers, Cody Johnson, Margo Price and more.

Joining Yoakam on Friday will be Carin León, Paul Cauthen, Shane Smith & The Saints, Vincent Neil Emerson, Wyatt Flores, Zach Top and Lola Kirke.

Saturday will also feature Charley Crockett, Luke Grimes, Trampled by Turtles, Asleep at the Wheel, Drayton Farley, Stephen Wilson Jr. and Kassi Valazza.

And before The Beach Boys take over, fans can expect sets from Clint Black, Pam Tillis, Charles Wesley Godwin, Sam Barber, Brittney Spencer, Katie Pruitt and Miko Marks.

Though passes are sold out, fans can join the waitlist at stagecoachfestival.com/waitlist. This option allows fans to still choose pass options with a $15 deposit for signing up. Waitlist orders are filled on first come, first served availability.

Tickets are $50-$100 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 10 at etix.com. Tickets include same-day admission to the OC Fair.

Young attended Calvary Chapel High School in Costa Mesa and was a noted baseball player. He gave up baseball following an elbow injury and pursued country music full time. He hit it big with his single “In Case You Didn’t Know” back in 2017 and went on to land atop the charts with songs like “Sleep Without You,” “Like I Loved You,” “Lady” and “You Didn’t.” Young also scored ACM’s new male vocalist of the year in 2018 and has been nominated for a slew of other accolades.

Blues singer, guitarist and music icon Bonnie Raitt will also headline Pacific Amphitheatre during a special post-OC Fair concert on Saturday, Sept. 14 with English R&B musician James Hunter.

Tickets are $55-$100 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 10 at etix.com. Since this show is not happening during the annual run of the OC Fair, it does not include OC Fair admission.

Raitt is an acclaimed blues, rock, folk and country artist who has been churning out music since her self-titled album in 1971. Her biggest hits and covers include “Something to Talk About,” “Thing Called Love,” “Angel from Montgomery,” “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” “Love Me Like a Man” and “Right Down the Line.”

Raitt’s last album, “Just Like That…” came out in 2022 and the title track won Grammy awards for song of the year and best Americana roots song at the 65th annual Grammy Awards in 2023.

For more concert information, go to pacamp.com. For more on the annual OC Fair, go to ocfair.com.