Live Nation, well-known for their evil ticketing practices, have been trying to do something decent by giving the Nob Hill Masonic Center a proper rock venue upgrade ever since the event promoting company lost booking rights at the Warfield back in 2008. Although the Board of Supervisors approved using the venue for concerts last May, the neighbors are still fighting plans to upgrade the venue with more seats, more bars and room for - horror of horrors - a mosh pit. As the Examiner reports today, the hill top crowd have employed all the usual NIMBY Tactics: suing the city, calling out the Planning Department for not doing a proper environmental review. But this quote from the president of the Nob Hill Association really ought to be framed in some kind of NIMBY Hall of Fame: more ›

SFist interviews Brian Regan more ›

Nice package. more ›

Lotta stuff going on today, a lot of which we've mentioned before: Another Hole In The Head continues and the Black Film Festival gets started! Also, it's the Berkeley Edge Fest. Here's some other stuff too. more ›

We've got a really cool giveaway this week. Everyone knows who Rufus Wainwright is, right? Please, tell us that you do. He's still crooning luxuriously behind the piano, wearing fabulously tailored suits and hasn't aged a day since his auspicious self-titled debut nearly ten years ago. His brand new record, Release the Stars, is hot off the presses and he's coming to play a special show at Nob Hill Masonic Center with Sean Lennon and A Fine Frenzy on Friday, August 3rd. Tickets are on sale this Sunday, and we're giving away a pair of tickets to one lucky SFist reader. Enter to win below (Contest ends June 6th; winner will be notified via email.) more ›

Here's a reminder that there's only four days left in our big SFist contest for tickets to "An Evening of a Thousand Scowls" For those who don't remember, it's a comedy show put on by 826 Valencia and featuring Janeane Garofalo, Patton Oswalt, Al Madrigal, Jasper Redd, Brent Weinbach and others. The performance will raise money for 826 Valencia's student writing and tutoring programs. more ›

Our next big SFist contest is for "An Evening of a Thousand Scowls" a comedy show put on by everyone's favorite writers workshop, 826 Valencia. The night features such comedians as Janeane Garofalo, Patton Oswalt, Al Madrigal, Jasper Redd, Brent Weinbach and others, and will be hosted by non-comedian Daniel Handler (aka “Lemony Snicket”). The performance will raise money for 826 Valencia's student writing and tutoring programs. more ›