UC San Diego Reflects on 40-Year History of Sun God Festival Legacies
For 40 years, the annual Sun God Festival has been a beloved tradition – a time for UC San Diego students to gather together for live music and good times, celebrating what some may come to remember as the best years of their lives.
In recognition of this major milestone, UC San Diego Today sat down with two people who were there to support the event in its earliest years. Marc Geiger, a one-time UC San Diego student, and Larry Weintraub, an alum who graduated with a degree in economics in 1990, are two titans of the music industry. Over their separate and storied careers, they’ve worked with legendary bands and helped shape various aspects of the fan experience, including everything from how you learn about shows and purchase artist merchandise to how you interact with fellow fans.
Together, their stories illuminate UC San Diego’s history of fostering music culture and performing arts entertainment on campus. Here’s your chance to get to know them both.
Marc Geiger: Planting the Seeds of a Celebration
Proof that it pays to be unafraid to follow your own lead, Marc Geiger arrived at UC San Diego in 1980, mostly for the iconic La Jolla views. “I’m a failed pre-med student from the early eighties who tripped into a career in the music business while at UCSD, and have been doing that ever since,” he said. While he began with a major in biology and minor in computer science, his true focus was to keep the music flowing.
As a freshman in Warren dorms, Geiger was invited to work at a new campus record store called Assorted Vinyl. “That was the start of my music business,” he said. “It was a blast, and it was a real community.”
Leaning into his ear for rising artists and expertise in music trends, he also joined the campus events committee and radio station before getting hired to be the first alternative DJ on 91X FM radio. By his senior year, Geiger was booking 120 shows in San Diego a year and had founded Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay.
Ultimately, Los Angeles called, and Geiger decided to leave UC San Diego in 1984, just 12 units short of being able to graduate. But, his efforts in music both on and off campus helped kindle the fire for the first Sun God Festival that year. He describes the event as his last hurrah on campus, using his expertise to help his fellow students with production, staging and ticketing.
“At that point, the campus needed to do it,” he said. “Putting on a big festival on campus was mandatory.” He then followed up on his comment stating that Sun God wasn’t so much a festival as “a celebration and ritual of campus life.”
Geiger went on to have a trailblazing career that included highlights such as working with The Smiths and co-founding the Lollapalooza music festival.
“You’re in college. Take advantage of all the free offerings,” advised Geiger. “Go sign up and do something and get involved. Meet people in an area of interest. You don’t know what’s going to happen or who you’re going to meet. But, usually, it’s got to be connected to a passion for it to really spark.”
Larry Weintraub: Enriching the Campus Music Scene
What’s a music lover to do if they can’t play an instrument? In Larry Weintraub’s case, the answer was to manage a band. Weintraub knew from a young age that he wanted to be involved in the music industry, so the Los Angeles native started managing his friends’ band in high school and working in a record store. In 1986, when it was time to start college at UC San Diego, he found many opportunities to get involved with his passion.
“I remember being on campus those first couple of days and seeing that there was a radio station,” he said. “Then there was a flyer for a big concert in the gym. R.E.M. was going to be playing, which at that time was one of the biggest bands in my world.”
Although shy, Weintraub became a leader in UC San Diego’s music scene. “I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to walk into the radio station. I walked by the door probably 10 times before I finally walked in the door,” he said.
As a student, Weintraub followed in Geiger’s footsteps, managing the campus record store, Assorted Vinyl. He also became the music editor for the UCSD Guardian, and led concert programming and a mobile DJ squad at KSDT radio. Using his connections to agents, he assisted his fellow students in booking bands for Sun God Festival for several years. After graduation, while working at A&M records, he even made a point to send several up-and-coming artists to perform at Sun God or RIMAC – artists including Blues Traveler, Gin Blossoms and Sheryl Crow.
Weintraub’s biggest win during the entire four years he booked bands for campus? Getting Jane’s Addiction for two shows in the Price Center before their world tour. “Nobody gave me anything. I just saw opportunity, and showed up over and over again,” he recalls. “I felt like I was bringing things to campus that people would be proud of.”
He added: “UCSD is what you make of it. … I tell my friends with kids who ask about UC San Diego that I had the greatest experience of my life.”
Weintraub’s involvement with the campus music scene helped jump start his career, which included becoming vice president of Artist Development at A&M Records and president of the Music Strategy Division at Omnicom as well as managing bands such as Social Distortion, Taking Back Sunday, Korn and the Offspring.
Sun God Festival 2024
Geiger and Weintraub lit up a live music scene on campus that is about to be reignited during the 2024 Sun God Festival on May 4 at RIMAC Field from 12 to 6 p.m. Curated by the Associated Students office of Concerts and Events (ASCE), this year’s lineup features diverse musical genres for the UC San Diego student body: JPEGMAFIA, Fousheé, William Black, Grentperez, and Frex. Students can also enjoy art displays, carnival rides, food vendors, a photo booth and more.