To be held Nov. 18-20 downtown, revamped event is returning with broader musical range and KAABOO-inspired VIP amenities, after a two-year hiatus prompted by the COVID-19 shutdown of live events“I did every job at the arena imaginable before I became general manager,” recalled Hahn, a Santa Barbara native who was 1½ when his family moved to San Diego. He is now a married father of three.
Moss Jacobs, the Santa Barbara president of AEG/Goldenvoice — Live Nation’s biggest global competitor — agreed. In 2007, the arena was the only venue in the world at which Eric Clapton performed with his now-deceased musical idol, JJ Cale, then a resident of Valley Center. That concert was chronicled on the 2016 album, “Live in San Diego,” and a 2017 DVD.
“I took my mom to see Andrea Bocelli at the arena just a couple of years ago and that was amazing,” Machado continued. “In the late 1990s, my band, Sack Lunch, played at a big punk-rock show at the arena with blink-182 and a bunch of other bands. And in 1997, Ernie had me come to the arena to receive the San Diego Gulls’ leadership award for community involvement.
Hahn had five years under his belt working in various positions at the arena, including business manager and events coordinator, before he became general manager. Arena Group 2000, a company co-led by his father, Ronald E. Hahn, purchased the lease to the city-owned venue in 1992. “I loved Ernie’s enthusiasm and energy, and we got along from day one. Before him, there was a primitive approach to producing events at the arena. He was very pro-active in seeking more shows for the building and getting more opportunities.let you forget the arena was open for business, which was a good thing. He’d phone me all the time, saying: ‘This band’s tour is playing in L.A.’; or ‘That band’s tour is playing in Fresno or Sacramento. Let’s get them to come here to the arena.
“Ernie is fiercely competitive and he’s got a lot of charisma,” Mandracia said, speaking from Las Vegas.anyThe members of U2 were presented with custom-made surfboards backstage at the band’s 2005 Vertigo tour-opening concert at the San Diego Sports Arena. From left, U2 bassist Adam Clayton, then-arena general manager Ernie Hahn, U2 singer Bono, then-arena employee Mike Kokun, then-arena employee Sean Saadeh, U2 guitarist the Edge and U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr.
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