Before Music Box, this building on India Street was Anthology, a Little Italy supper club where people ate at big tables while acts like Los Lobos and Bela Fleck played. After Anthology closed, new owners pulled out the dinner tables and the long bar, turned the main floor into a standing room, and opened Music Box in September 2015.
Three floors
The floor in front of the stage is standing room for most shows, with some tables on the same level. The second level is a mezzanine of opera boxes, sold as VIP seats, and the top floor has couches. When a show is billed as seated, your ticket gets you a seat but not a particular one, so earlier arrivals choose first.
When it opened, the owners described a capacity that tops out around 700, and they said they would fine tune it as they went.
What plays here
The booking runs wide on purpose. The opening plan named the local reggae scene, touring country rock and the kind of legacy acts Anthology used to book, and the San Diego Reader notes that hip-hop is a big part of the rotation. A typical month adds DJ nights, eighties favorites, Americana and Latin rock. You will find these shows on our hip-hop, reggae, country and folk, dance and Latin pages.
Parking and the Trolley
Music Box sits on India Street between A and Ash. It has no lot of its own, so the choice is street parking or one of the pay lots nearby.
The Trolley skips that whole question. County Center/Little Italy station, on the Blue and Green lines, is a few blocks northwest. America Plaza, on the Blue Line, is a few blocks south down India Street.
If you want a second room in the same night, The Casbah is a short ride north on Kettner Boulevard.
Good to know
- There is no re-entry.
- An 18+ or 21+ show means you need to be that age already. The patio is 21 and up every night.
- Doors usually open an hour or more before the music so people can eat and drink first. Your ticket has the night's times.
Little Italy shares our downtown listings with the Gaslamp rooms a short ride south.