Words & Photos: Amy Whitley
Sombr’s “You Are The Reason” tour came to San Diego, California on Tuesday October 13th, 2026. It was his first time performing in San Diego. The show took place at Pechanga Arena.
The night started off with The Hellp, which is an electric duo based in Los Angeles. Colorful lights were flashing on stage as they hit epic beats to the lyrics. Lead vocalist, Noah Dillon, even played a lyric of Sombr’s song “Homewrecker.” Their set list included songs such as “Here I am” and “Ssx.” It was an electric way to kick off the night as the floor vibrated to their rocking beats!
Then the second opener, Tom Odell, graced the stage at his piano bringing the stage to life with his emotional indie pop hits. He said that he was so happy to be there for the crowd as he thanked Sombr for having him come on tour all the way from London, England. Tom Odell sang hits such as “Another Love” and “Black Friday.” He also dedicated “When I Close My Eyes” to fans who have lost someone close to them. The crowd lit up the arena with their phone lights for a few of his songs, connecting with his music.
When Sombr took the stage the crowd burst with excitement as he started with his hit “we never dated.” The stage had a multi-level New York City themed set design, representing his hometown city life. He climbed up fire escapes and performed at the top of the set for some of his songs. He later used the telephone booth on the set for a funny phone call interaction with influencer, Dylan Scott Kevitch.
Towards the middle of the concert Sombr took a moment to read a few of the fans’ signs and interact with people in the crowd. One girl’s sign asked for a hug and he went down to the barricade to give her a hug! He sang his hit songs including “Homewrecker,” “My Body Isn’t Ready,” and “back to friends.” The fan song of choice by loudest applause for the night was “savior.”
Sombr had a ton of energy, making the experience immersive for every seat in the audience. During “would’ve been you” he came into the 100 level of Pechenga Arena to sit in a seat singing next to his fans. It was powerful to see so many fans crying happy tears. He told the crowd ”I created Sombr as a way to hide myself”…“I don’t take this for granted, thank you, I love you…you guys are beautiful people.” While his popularity is on the rise he remains humble and truly cares about his fans.
On a black flag on stage for the San Diego concert he spray painted “Sombr Diego” and then ran across the stage with it. Sombr then took the time to high five fans all around the floor section towards the end of his show and brought his custom flag to the end of the floor section getting closer to fans far away! He then placed the flag in a cone and headed back to the stage.
The most memorable moment was during his last song “12 to 12.” He sang this song twice because the second time he asked the audience to put their phones away and be more in the moment, since they already had taken video the first time. It was an incredible sight to see how much the energy changed. The whole floor was rocking the second time as fans fully embraced the music and danced to his performance during the entire song!
Sombr came outside about 30 to 45 minutes after the show saying hello to fans and signing posters and shirts. One fan even brought a guitar for Sombr to sign! It was wonderful to see how down to earth he is and his strong relatable connection with the audience. With his youthful energy alongside his rocking band, the whole night he was jumping across the stage and interacting with fans. Sombr puts on a show you don’t want to miss!
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