Prior to construction of the Rady Shell, the San Diego Symphony had held summertime concerts at the same location for 15 years using temporary structures.

[2] The new permanent venue, initially called the Bayside Performance Park, broke ground on August 29, 2019,[3] and was designed by Tucker Sadler Architects.

[5] The symphony originally planned to invest $45 million in construction of the venue and associated improvements to the park, such as new lighting and public restrooms.

[9] A six-course dinner and a fireworks display accompanied the following evening's opening San Diego Symphony performance of music by Mozart, Gershwin, Saint-Saëns, and Stravinsky.

[6] Artists who have performed at the Rady Shell include Sting, Boyz II Men, Leon Bridges, Stewart Copeland, Sheryl Crow, Norah Jones, Gladys Knight, Ledisi, Smokey Robinson, Olivia Rodrigo, Ben Platt, Charlie Puth, Lea Salonga, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, and Brian Wilson.