When I saw that Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real were playing at Del Mar’s newest music venue, The Sound, I was so excited. First, Lukas Nelson always puts on an incredible show. I highly recommend him. Second, Del Mar is just a quick 15-minute drive from the Leucadia Beach Inn. Surrounded by amazing restaurants, this inn is cute and affordable and one of my favorites. It was the perfect place to stay after seeing the concert, and I could bring Coop! As this was my inaugural visit to The Sound, I did not know what to expect. Read on to see what I found out.

Where is The Sound?

The venue is located at 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. in Del Mar and is inside the Del Mar Fairgrounds. One thing to note is that while it shares general parking with the fairgrounds, there is a small parking lot directly in front of The Sound. To park there, you must purchase preferred parking. You might be wondering if it is worth it. That depends.

Anyone who knows me knows I always try to be prepared, so for the Lukas Nelson concert, I did purchase the preferred parking when I bought my ticket. It cost me about $30. When I arrived, I noticed the fairgrounds were dark. The general parking lot was right next to the preferred section, and the price was only $20. It was pretty empty. Moral of the story is if there is no event going on at the fairgrounds on the same night as your concert, save yourself a few bucks and go for general parking. Make sure to check the fairgrounds calendar though. I imagine parking is difficult if two or more events are happening at the same time.

Seating Options

Inside of The Sound are two levels. One is the floor level and the other is the balcony. For Lukas Nelson, it was standing room only on the floor with just a couple of rows of assigned seating to the left of the stage. This appears to be the setup for the majority of concerts, but according to the website, select shows will have all reserved seating on the floor. If this is the case, you will choose your seat when you buy your ticket.

There is plenty of seating upstairs in the balcony. The chairs are comfortable, and each row has a bar-like counter running in front of it to place food or drinks. Behind each section is room to stand or dance. The best seats in the balcony (in my opinion) are in the very front row. Here you have no one blocking your view of the stage and the floor level below.

Food and Drink Options

Just inside the entrance of The Sound is a large bar and two food carts. While there is a good variety of canned beers, seltzers and cocktails for sale, a full selection of top-shelf alcohol is available too. Prices are a little up there, but are what you would expect at a concert outlet.

For food, Surfside Tacos offers all sorts of tacos and nachos. I heard a person sitting next to me rave about the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Nachos. At Sound Bites, find an assortment of different hot dogs including a veggie dog to pick from. Both carts serve alcohol as well. The food offerings rotate periodically.

There are two more bars upstairs in the balcony. I also noticed servers bringing drinks to people in their seats. You will be asked to pour any beverages into a plastic glass before entering the concert area.

Other Things to Know About The Sound

• This is a cashless venue. Credit and debit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay are accepted.
• Mobile tickets only.
• No in-and-out privileges.
• Small bags are allowed, but no backpacks or bags larger than 10x8x8. Bag and coat check ins provided for $5.
• The parking lots open 90 minutes before the show begins. No tailgating.
• The lobby opens an hour before the start of the show.

Bottom line, I really enjoyed my experience at The Sound. The acoustics were great and as always, my man Lukas sounded amazing.

Who would you like to see at The Sound? Tell me in the comment section below.