As March was rolling on, I was looking for something different to attend, something mystical feeling as our season starts to change here in San Diego. I came across Anoushka Shankar in my news feed and thought, “Ahhh, here we go!” Anoushka Shankar at U.C. San Diego Epstein Family Theater on March 16, 2025, and I decided to buy a ticket—$75, row 3—and here is why I’m glad I did…
What a beautiful place! Once you figure out parking, it always feels great to be on a campus, outdoors in the evening when the weather is good. The seats were all concrete benches, but you’re allowed to bring a seat cushion and the amenities were very nice, with concession stands for food and a full bar. This place is rain or shine from what I understand.
An oval, shell-like structure covers the stage, like a giant abalone washed with colors from the lighting. Robust speakers were everywhere and the music sounded very warm with all the instruments sounding exceptionally clear.
Anoushka Shankar, a San Diego and Encinitas favorite, has a large Eastern following. At her near sold-out show, the crowd was quite diverse, with a friendly family vibe.
Celebrating this tour with her new album, Chapter III: We Return to Light (March 2025), following Chapter I: Forever, For Now (2023) and Chapter II: How Dark It Is Before Dawn (2023), this performance was fulfilling for anyone looking for something unique and enjoyable.
Anoushka has an extensive list of accomplishments under her sitar—her revolutionary Grammy Awards performance in 2006, her 11th and 12th Grammy nominations in 2024, and her amazing Carnegie Hall performance. She has lived up to and beyond her father, Ravi Shankar, honoring Indian music while bridging the worldly canyon between Eastern and Western music.
This concert was clear evidence of that endeavor. With a bass player, a rock kit drummer with Eastern nuances, and a keyboardist with jazz appeal who had a beautiful-sounding clarinet, the ensemble was dynamic. Anoushka played her sitar with a groove-oriented, sometimes Stratocaster-like rock feel—droning while playing sweeping melodies that were soft and often became fast and poignant, just as you would expect a sitar to sound, but with familiar uniqueness – contemporary yet ancient.
I could see by the movements of the crowd and the sound of applause that people were alive for it. The little ones were bopping around to it like it was Romper Room. I knew I had found what I was looking for in a majestic mid-March outdoor concert.
Anoushka Shankar, born in London yet a local from Encinitas, California—a British American of Indian descent—is breaking boundaries as her sound and style have developed over the years.
Give a listen to her wonderful music and enjoy her legacy of diversity. Her story is a modern one worth following.
Don’t miss out! Click here to uncover exclusive stories and insights in April’s magazine issue!
