Eric Burdon at Stern Grove

Eric Burdon and the Rock and Roll Rebels at Stern Grove. July 16, 2017. 

Stern Grove is a unique venue out in the avenues of San Francisco’s Sunset district. For eighty years free concerts and cultural events have been presented there on Sunday afternoons. The shows are free and usually attract a large crowd. I took a casual look at the schedule and flipped when I saw Eric Burdon would be there! 

Stern Grove is closer to the ocean. This means fog. The performances start at two o’clock, so the sky usually does clear up. It’s a pleasant hike under the canopy of eucalyptus to the Grove. The Grove is in a long valley that leads to Lake Merced and then the Pacific Ocean. The two steep hills are covered in eucalyptus trees. It’s not bowl shaped, but it does form a natural amphitheater. There is a large stage in The Concert Meadow. Chairs are set up, but most people spread a blanket in the lawn area or climb the steep hill.   

There are some picnic tables along the back. They are given away in a lottery. The Stage and the Concert Meadow were renovated a few years ago. The stage is larger and there are more facilities. Concrete dividers were put in around the Concert Meadow.

Near the Grove is one of my favorite hidden spots in San Francisco. The Trocadero Clubhouse is a rustic white building. It looks a bit like a gingerbread house  that blends into the trees. It was one of the first buildings put up in this part of the City. A post in Outsidelands.org says that it was a residence at first, but it was in a remote location that encouraged its use as a roadhouse. This was especially convenient during Prohibition. It’s now used for lectures and events before the concerts.  

Stern Grove was built with smaller crowds in mind. Vintage photos show polite, well dressed crowds. Most of the programs featured the San Francisco Symphony, Opera and Ballet. Eventually shows that featured Jazz, Folk, Rhythm and Blues and Rock were added to the schedule. Other artists that will perform this year are Kool & The Gang. Nicki Bluhm & The Gamblers. WAR (who Eric Burdon joined forces with in the Seventies.) Mavis Staples. International acts this year include Los Angeles Azules and Amadou & Marian.

It’s a great venue, but bigger crowds did lead to problems. The Concert Meadow would get too crowded. Parking is usually a problem anywhere in San Francisco. The staff and volunteers did learn how to deal with the larger crowds. As people enter the Concert Meadow they get a hand stamp. Eventually only those with a hand stamp are allowed back into the Meadow, so there is a limit to how many can get into the Meadow. I don’t know what the capacity is on the hill. I was early, but I wanted to walk around the area and check out Pine Lake. The weather was almost perfect. 

Past the Grove the park has a trail between the two hills. The bluffs form a huge rectangle. The hill on one side has houses that have a great view of the park. They’ve always fascinated me. The backyards are steep, but the back porches look like they would be a great place to hang out. It wasn’t a good bird day. Maybe they were scared off by the event. There were a couple of Red Tailed Hawks. 

It’s always better to be able to see the musicians and performers, but Stern Grove was built for more classical music events. There’s a lawn next to the Grove that has no view of the stage. It’s still popular, especially with families that need more room to spread out.     

It was time to find a spot. I went up the hill into the eucalyptus trees. Most of them were planted about a hundred years ago. That’s about their life expectancy. What to do with the eucalyptus has become a problem in parts of the City. There were plenty of big roots and stray branches. I’ve sat on the hill, but I forgot how steep and awkward it was to get around. 

Any distant view of the stage would be acceptable for me today. I found myself a spot in the roots of a tree. My view of the stage through the trees wasn’t that bad. The binoculars helped. It was hard to get settled. I’ve been coming out here for years, but I forgot how steep the hill is. It’s a constant battle against gravity to stay in place. No matter how you position yourself, it’s steep enough that there’s a constant slow sliding down the hill. 

There are some small, relatively flat areas on the hill where people have thrown out a blanket and set up picnics. Some even use small tables. I guess you have to get here early for that. There were ingenious little spots on rocks and fallen trunks. 

The place was filling up, and there were fewer visible “spots.” It’s not very encouraging for people who had just arrived. People still show up at events like this at the last minute and then they’re amazed that anyone else is there. It’s always more crowded than they expected. Stern Grove draws a big crowd for every show. Why are they so surprised? It looked like the crowd reached to the top of the hill. People just arriving might have to climb way up the hill to find a spot. Getting up the hill meant navigating a maze of loose dirt, tree branches and felled trees. Footing was difficult. 

Even some obviously athletic types were having a hard time getting up the hill. I was surprised to watch a guy carrying a skateboard stumble and almost wipe out. Another guy wearing a bike helmet was obviously struggling on the way up.

Our MC today is Liam Mayclew from KPIX TV. He’s a friendly local TV personality. He’s a veteran of these events, but he does sound excited to be here today to see Eric Burdon. Before some routine announcements he says hello to, “The people on the hill.” 

Stern Grove does have a good vibe about it. People are usually in a good mood here. People seem to be more excited today than usual. Some are still floating along on Summer of Love nostalgia. It’s not really a Summer of Love event, but Eric Burdon just played the Monterey Pop Festival’s fiftieth anniversary show. He’s one of a very few that played at both the original and the fiftieth anniversary.  

The Stone Foxes will open up and get things started. They’re a local band that have played at Stern Grove before. “We’re glad to be back ...” They have a classic Seventies Rock sound. The first song is an interesting rocker: “Everybody Knows.” They play twanging riffs that sound like The Rolling Stones. 

Spence Koehler is the front man. He really does sound like Ray Davies! He’s a good performer and stalks the stage, generating excitement. 

The Members of the Oakland School of the Arts Choir come onstage to sing “Eye for Love.” Bringing the choir out at Stern Grove is a nice touch. The place was really built for choral singing.     

  They have a Stones sound, but they’re not very loud. Maybe they’re victims of the old keep the volume down until the main act trick. “If I Die Tonight.”

They do an old Blues song the Stones covered long ago: “I’m a King Bee.” The Stone Foxes do a more Heavy Mental version. They do get the afternoon off to a great start.  

It’s time for intermission and an equipment changeover!  

I rearrange my position to the other side of the tree trunk. The view is the same, maybe even a little bit better. I have more of a perch to sit on, so I’m not sliding down the hill as much. People are still arriving and struggling up the hill. 

The Stern Grove programs lists the headliners today as: “Rock and Roll Rebels. Eric Burdon & The Animals.” I remember first hearing about them. The band name struck us as being very cool. “They’re Animals, man!”  

The band starts with a very familiar instrumental intro: “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.” It’s an old Cannonball Adderley song. “Have mercy on me!” 

Eric Burdon gets an enthusiastic introduction from Liam and bounces onstage to “Mama Told Me Not to Come.” I think of it as a Three Dog Night song, but a later Google search reminded me that Randy Newman wrote it. It was a surprising choice for the first song, but the crowd was into it. Everyone knows this one. 

Burdon is dressed all in black. It makes his head of white hair more striking. He’s a small guy, but his voice is still huge. He doesn’t look or act like someone who is seventy-five. From my perch up on the hill, I’m able to hone in on him with the binoculars.  

Burdon talks about meeting Bo Diddley. They play “Bo Diddley Special... The Story of Bo Diddley.” It’s a tribute to a pioneer of Rock and Roll that many have forgotten.  

“This is a song I wrote when I was young so that I could sing it when I got old.”  “When I Was Young.” It’s the first of the songs that I came to hear. 

The song becomes a medley with “Inside Looking Out.” I’m more familiar with the Heavy Mental version immortalized by Grand Funk Railroad, but Burdon wrote the song and recorded it first.    

Burdon talked about being in Monterey recently. “I just played there for the Fiftieth anniversary.” Burdon is one of the few survivors of that event so he drew a lot of attention from the media. “People kept asking me how it happened ... Was it the love or the drugs?” After a pause Burdon confesses: “It was the drugs!” Few would admit this in today’s anti-drug PC climate.   

“It’s My Life.” Another song that really gets me. It was another Sixties song of  freedom. “It’s a hard world to get a break in...” How did this little guy from England write these songs that hit us teenagers in Chicago right between the eyes? Burdon was older than us, but he had his finger on teenage angst. Music is all about the emotional connection.  

Burdon sings “Bring It On Home To Me.” The Animals recording of this was the first version of the Sam Cooke song that I remember hearing. It’s a song that can test the vocal cords.

“Don’t Bring Me Down” was one of the original songs of teenage alienation. It wasn’t just the feedback guitar. Burdon was older than me, but he sure understood teenage angst.     

  “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” is another classic. Burdon gets some audience participation. Prompted by his cue, the crowd sings the song’s last line. 

  

I scanned the crowd in the Concert Meadow from my perch. Most were standing and dancing. It looked like everyone was having a great time at this, probably one of the last Summer of Love anniversary events. There was a wave of recognition when the opening chords of “House of the Rising Sun” started. This was the song most of the crowd had come to hear. 

The traditional classic had touched everyone here at some point in their lives. It was an old song when it was released. How much did any of us know about “real Blues” or life in general back then? Well, we thought we knew. What could a bunch of grammar school kids in Chicago have in common with the short singer from England? There was the Blues connection.   

Burdon dedicates the next song to those who went to Vietnam: “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.” It also became a song we sang at miserable jobs while watching the time clock. “If it’s the last thing we ever do!” Burdon had a knack for writing songs that became anthems for many of us.   

People had started leaving after “House of the Rising Sun.” Stern Grove can be a hard place to get out of. There would be more room in the Concert Meadow, and I had the precious hand stamp. At least I could find a spot to stand in. 

I had a much better view for the last songs.  We get a Summer of Love surprise: “For What It’s Worth.” As usual, Burdon makes the song his own. “There’s something happening here ... But it just ain’t exactly clear ...” 

People have been dancing during the show, but everyone gets on their feet for Sam and Dave’s R&B classic, “Hold On, I’m Coming.” This is a party song everyone remembers!  

The crowd is loving it and nobody wants to leave. After “Hold On” MC Liam Mayclew Liam really works the crowd to cheer for one more song. I didn’t realize it until later, but they didn’t play “San Francisco Nights.” I thought that was kind of odd. Really expected to hear that one today. Burdon and the band must have made a quick exit. It was another day of great memories at Stern Grove.