Candlebox & Sponge soak up decades of adoration in San Diego

Candlebox brought their Can’t Quit You Tour to The Observatory North Park in San Diego, California on October 2nd, 2026. Fellow 90s grunge standouts Sponge opened the show. This show brought two bands on divergent career paths: Sponge having just released their purportedly “final” album, Recuerda Tu Muerte, on the day of the show joins Candlebox after their “final” album announcement, The Long Goodbye in 2023… although neither act shows signs of stopping anytime soon.

Sponge’s set list focused heavily on songs from their mid-90s era.

The lead single off of the new album, “Self Inflicted Loss”, fit in well. Lead singer Vinnie Dombroski is the band’s only constant member although bassist Tim Patalan and guitarists Andy Patalan and Kyle Neely are longtime bandmates. Ex-Taproot drummer Dave Coughlin joined Sponge in 2021, even though he ran this show like the seasoned veteran he is, joking that the band was recording the concert to broadcast on MTV, while actually doing a Facebook livestream. He went into the pit, too, climbing onto the barricade for an extended version of their biggest hit “Plowed”.

Vocalist Kevin Martin has kept Candlebox going for more than three decades, touring and releasing new material along the way. Three years ago, he announced that The Long Goodbye album and tour would be their final farewell in celebration of 30 years as a band. ‘Retirement’ was short-lived, as original guitarist Peter Klett wanted back in after 10 years away; the band was born anew, recording new song “I Remember Everything”, released on September 25th of this year to a huge reception.

Candlebox delivered a setlist to San Diego that made everyone in the crowd happy.

There was a large dose of tracks off their self-titled debut, which always goes over well. Martin told stories about some of the lesser-known songs, including a dedication of “Miss You” to his late father and all other veterans. He dedicated “Far Behind” to Andrew Wood, for whom he wrote the song, as well as other Seattle legends we have lost, including Layne Staley, Mark Lanegan, Kurt Cobain, and Chris Cornell. He also mentioned San Diego-rooted Scott Weiland, praising his performance skills. Martin sang “Far Behind” from the pit, touching hands with as many people as he could.

This version of Candlebox may very well be their best ever. Bassist Adam Kury has been around for two decades, providing excellent backing vocals live. Rhythm guitarist Island Styles is a natural rock star with 10 years under his belt, while BJ Kerwin has been manning the drum kit for five years now. The crowd ate up the band’s performance, singing and screaming along to every note. One song that really riled up the audience was “Happy Pills” from the 1998 album of the same name; a line from it perfectly sums up the entire evening: “Well, it’s so fucking nice to have you here”. That was the vibe and the implication that it would not — in fact — be the last time Candlebox was here, made it all the sweeter.

Photography by Johnnie Crow

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