Paul McCartney Up and Coming Tour

“We should go see McCartney.” My lovely wife Kathy was looking at the San Francisco Chronicle’s Pink Section ads. I thought she was kidding. Our music expeditions lately have been either free or very cheap. She had a hunch this show would be a really big one. There were tickets advertised in the fifty dollar range for “The Up and Coming Tour.” I had to admit I had been craving a Big Rock Show. Music tours and shows were taking a beating in today’s economy. Some tours had been cancelled. I went through the phone tree ordeal and got us two in the third deck. Section VR312.

I was always a Lennon fan, so I hadn’t even considered going. This would be Paul’s first appearance in San Francisco since the last Beatles show ever at Candlestick Park in 1966. Since then he had played in the Bay Area, but not in San Francisco.

Why did I have such a loathing for McCartney? Was it because they shot Lennon and not him? That was hardly fair to Macca. Maybe it was the Lordship thing? It was because of Wings. Lennon may have gone off the deep end sometimes with his revolutionary rhetoric, but most Wings songs made me sick. Kathy pointed out it might be a last chance to see a Beatle. I knew he’d be playing Beatles songs. Well, he did get busted for pot in Japan.

McCartney had just caused a minor stir when he visited the White House. He joked that at least this president would know his way to the library. A Republican politician demanded an apology. Sir Paul ignored his request.

Touring can be aggravating, even for a British Lord. There had been a scary incident near Mexico City. After a show there, the tour bus driver got lost and turned off into an area of town they should not have been in. The bus drew attention and a crowd grew. These weren’t Beatles fans. They probably didn’t know who was inside. It was an impoverished neighborhood and they resented what they thought was a party bus full of rich tourists. They started rocking the bus. Those in the bus said it was a scary moment. Federales intervened.

The day approached and we started to get excited. The show was at AT&T Park, where the Giants played. It was familiar territory and we thought we would have a jump on most of the crowd. We’d get there early, park and stop in one of the local restaurants. The demographic for this show was very similar to the crowds at Giants games. So, we shouldn’t have been too surprised that many had the same idea we had. We did find parking, but the local restaurants were jammed.

On the way to the park we saw two Hippie mamas sitting in their car enjoying a joint. Grandmamas really. They passed it back and forth on a big roach clip, oblivious to any legal repercussions. I thought no cop would really want to mess with these two.

We arrived at the park and there was a big crowd around the gates and in the plaza with the Willie Mays statue. Frank Chu was standing on the corner with his sign detailing intergalactic conspiracies. Another sign told us to: “Fear God.” They were ignored. There was more than the usual Big Rock Show excitement in the air.

It was almost seven o’clock and I heard someone say they had just opened the gates. Everyone got the usual search on the way in, but I noticed there weren’t that many people working the lines. It took about forty minutes to get in. It could have been an ordeal, but this crowd was very polite and orderly. Peace, Love and all that.

We got in and there weren’t many people working security or crowd control. We knew where our seats where, but many did not. This caused logjams of people. A few people giving directions would have been great. It was more obvious cost cutting. I think they counted on the peaceful, more mature Beatles fans to do it on their own.

We made the climb to our seats. We were near the top of the upper deck. It was a long walk up the stairs. There’s an awesome view of the Bay from up there. We could see sailboats and other vessels on the Bay. We couldn’t see the sunset, but the water and clouds were a great sight. We could see clear to the other side of the Bay. It had been unseasonably cold in San Francisco. It was cold, but it wasn’t windy. Most of the crowd was bundled up. AT&T isn’t as windy as Candlestick, but you have to be prepared.

To our left were piers with large shipping docks. There’s not too much shipping that goes on in San Francisco anymore, but the huge dry docks are still used for repairs. If McCartney could see this view would it remind him at all of Liverpool?

We were very high up in Section 312, almost near the top. A light tower blocked our view of the grand piano a little bit. They would be dots from up here anyway. There was the now obligatory big screen above the stage.

A weird Macca party tape played while images from the Sixties rolled on the big video screen. There were 45 RPM record covers, photos of celebrities of the time, lunch boxes, ads for shows, concerts and sock hops. They were relics of a distant past. The items scrolled across a background of what looked like psychedelic wallpaper for a kid’s bedroom. It was very Yellow Submarine. Icons of the Sixties rolled by including Eric Clapton and Frank Zappa! There were even a few bars of Michael Jackson songs in the mix tape. It was strange considering the bitterness after Jocko bought the Beatles’ song rights.

The Union Jack flew next to the American flag in center field. Was it just a friendly gesture, or was this some kind of requirement when a Lord of the Realm was present? A large Coast Guard cutter circled in the water beyond the center field scoreboard. Were they just cruising, or was it a security precaution?

The music tape and the pictures kept circling. There was an hour wait. An opening act would have been nice. Was this another cost cutting measure? It could have been a big gig for someone.

The crowd was like a Giants baseball crowd. There were a few more geezers. Some came huffing and puffing up the stairs to section VR312. Some leaned on canes. Most paused for a breather. A few looked like they might not make it. There’s no other way to say it, some of this crowd is elderly. There were family groups. The parents were taking their kids to see a Beatle. They were passing the torch and hoping the kids could experience some Sixties magic.

It’s finally show time and the band takes the stage. They open with a couple of Wings songs. “Venus and Mars/Rock Show.” (I’ve listed the Wings song titles from the San Francisco Chronicle account.) “Jet.” The band does sound great. The response of the crowd shows there are obviously many Wings fans in attendance.

Paul is in a Nehru style tuxedo. He works the crowd a bit. He says it’s his first time here since the Candlestick Show. “We couldn’t hear ourselves. Everyone was screaming then,” and on cue there is a chorus of female screams. “Now they have these loud things.”

Macca says he “wants to take this all in” and walks around the front of the stage looking at the cheering crowd. “We have to do all these things up here,” like play the chords and remember the words. He says it can be hard, especially with all the distracting signs in the crowd. He reads one: “Remember me from Cow Palace 64?” Paul laughs, but then he says, “Oh yeah, I remember you now.”

It’s the first Beatles song of the night: “All My Loving” and just like that, it’s all worth it. The song brings a flood of memories for most of the crowd. Over forty years ago. This song came out before they were condemned by many after Lennon said they were bigger than Jesus. It was before they smoked pot with Dylan. Before LSD. It was before Paul died. It was before the Maharishi. It was before they sent Charles Manson messages on The White Album. Paul might have been “the cute one,” but he’d survived some weird scenes.

There was some animation of the Fab Four on the video screens. I assume it’s from The Beatles’ version of Rock Band. It looked a little creepy as they bounced around in the background.

Rusty Anderson plays lead guitar on most numbers. He looks familiar and I learn later he also toured with Ozzy. Brian Ray switches on and off with Paul. If Paul puts on the bass, he puts on a guitar. If Paul plays guitar, he fills in on bass.

“All My Loving” really cranks everything up a notch. It reminded me how in the old days bands would play a Beatles song in their set, especially if things weren’t going well. A Beatles song at least livened things up a bit, and many times it saved the night.

There was another Wings song, “Letting Go" and Paul says, “We thought it would be hot here.” It was amusing to think of Sir Paul making the stereotypical San Francisco tourist mistake. He said he didn’t bring his overcoat, “I’m keeping the jacket on. This kind of weather builds character.”

He looks great, spry and energetic. He is sixty-eight and his hair is dyed, but he still has the Beatle charm. Sometimes he looks like a bloke just going out for a good time. It’s also obvious he’s enjoying playing for a live audience.

“Got to Get You Into My Life” is another Beatles Rocker. There are no horns, but keyboardist Paul Wickens fills those in with his synthesizer. Every Beatle song takes us back. The nostalgia fest is on!

The band starts “Highway.” There’s feedback and the piano squawks, out of control. Paul stops the band. “It would be easier if this was on tape. This is LIVE!” Paul is always the crafty entertainer. He makes light of the technical problems. They’re going to happen. At the end of “Highway” he breaks into the riff from “Foxy Lady.”

Paul takes a seat at the piano. He talks about Jimi Hendrix. It was a privilege to have known and played with him. “Hendrix was a nice guy. He was shy.”

He tells a story about Hendrix and the release of the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. “We always released on a Friday back then.” That Sunday Paul went to see Hendrix play in a London club. Hendrix opened the show by playing Sgt. Pepper’s. It was an amazing tribute.

“Back then we had whammy bars,” Paul tells us. Using the whammy bars would knock the strings around and put the guitar out of tune. Hendrix was looking for Clapton. “Is Eric here?” he asked the crowd that night, “I want him to come up and tune my guitar.” Paul says Clapton hid.

There’s not too many that can tell a story like that. It made me think of all the scenes McCartney had seen.

“The Long and Winding Road”

I didn’t realize you could see the lights of the Oakland Coliseum from VR312. I thought the lights came from some industrial docks. I was only sure it was The Coliseum after I saw the lights of the large electronic marquee in front of the stadium through binoculars. It was fireworks night. So we did get an extra fireworks show. There were tiny dots in the sky across the Bay.

“Nineteen-Hundred and Eighty-Five.” “Let ‘Em In.” I’m starting to squirm a bit. There are too many Wings songs. Maybe Paul is too good of a songwriter. He writes peppy and happy, positive songs. They stay in your head like commercial jingles.

“Here’s for the Wings fans,” “My Love.” Yuck.

“I’m Looking Through You.” I remember listening to this and the rest of Rubber Soul. We had a copy we listened to so many times it turned white.

Paul dons an acoustic for “Two of Us.” Maybe most of the Wings songs are behind us!

Paul says they were aware of the Civil Rights conflicts going on in America at the time. He said they wrote "Blackbird” to send some kind of encouragement to the people in the struggle. This would have been pretentious for almost anybody else. “Things are better today,” Paul says and it sounds a bit ironic in the Bay Area. There had been tension in the East Bay after the Mehersle verdict a week ago. There were few Black people in this crowd. Tiny dots of light swirl around on the screen behind the band. They spin around and coalesce into the head of Obama.

They do Paul’s tribute to John Lennon, “Here Today.” It’s what Paul never had a chance to say to Lennon. I’m sure they were mates for a long time. It’s hard to imagine what it was like to be a Beatle. We thought it had to be the greatest thing ever. We didn’t know The Beatles were trapped. It’s been a long time since Lennon was killed. Maybe it’s my bitterness that he’s been gone so long, but the song left me feeling flat.

Back to more Wings with “Dance Tonight” and “Mrs. Vanderbilt.”

They play “San Francisco Bay Blues.” It’s a nice touch and a great sentimental favorite here, with a great view of the San Francisco Bay in front of us!

Paul talks about George Harrison. He still misses him. “Not many people knew that George was a great ukulele player.” They often played ukuleles together. He asks the crowd to look skyward and say Hello to George and everybody does. They play George’s signature song, “Something.”

“Sing the Changes” “Band on the Run.” How many Wings songs are there?

Paul says they’re playing the next song for the first time in San Francisco. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La Da” Wait a minute, aren’t almost all of these songs “the first time in San Francisco?” Most of them are being played for the first time in America.

The drummer doesn’t have much to do on a couple of songs. He’s a large Black man, Abe Laboriel. The few times he’s not needed he grabs a tambourine and sings along with great enthusiasm.

“Back in the USSR” One of the expected highlights. The band sounds great, and they do a great job on the Beach Boys harmonies. The crowd rocks out. It’s hot enough on stage by now that the big jacket Paul wore is now gone. At the end Paul raises his bass over his head in triumph, exactly like he did with The Beatles.

Paul talked about playing Russia a couple of years ago. The Beatles grew up in the Cold War era and never imagined visiting Russia, never mind playing Red Square. He met the Russian Minister of Defense. “He was younger than me!” Many in Russia learned English by listening to Beatles records. Paul is glad and honored this happened. Another high ranking Russian official told Paul, “I learned English by listening to your records! Hello Goodbye!”

They do a great version of “I’ve Got a Feeling.” The band gets to let loose.

“You may wonder why we change guitars so often up here... We’re showing off!” There’s a reason for bringing this guitar out for this song, it’s the guitar Paul played when they recorded the next song: “Paperback Writer!”

“A Day In the Life.” To me it sounds eerie, especially in the beginning. It’s more drama for Beatles fans. Did they ever do this one live? Anywhere? They tack on a little bit of “Give Peace a Chance” at the end and the crowd sings along.

Paul goes back to the piano for “Let It Be” a song many have been waiting for. It’s a moving moment. How many times has Paul played this? He knows how much it means to the fans who have paid to come out and see him. It’s like the first time we heard it.

Fire pots onstage explode to start, “Live and Let Die.” It’s still hard to believe this one was covered by Axl Rose. The band rocks and we get a much closer look at our second fireworks show of the night. Are we getting near the end? Paul is shaking his head and has a smug look on his face. No, it’s not going to end like this. There’s much more to come.

A smaller piano is brought center stage for “Hey Jude” The crowd is already singing, but Paul leads them in a sing along. Macca calls for just the men to sing and does some exaggerated macho posturing. Come on guys, loosen up. The women do sound louder, but the men do sing.

They leave the stage for a short time and the cigarette lighters come out. They come back with “Day Tripper.” Paul goes back to the piano onstage and rips into “Lady Madonna.”

The piano revolts before the next song. “It’s gone crazy,” Paul says and goes back to the baby grand. “I like this one better anyway.”

“Do you want more?” Paul asks. The crowd does seem to be fading. McCartney and the band seem to be gaining energy. It’s amazing, considering his age. It dawned on me. No wonder. This isn’t the original Paul! The Walrus really was dead! If this was the second cloned “fake” Paul, he was still quite the trooper. Even the second Paul has been around for over forty years. The crowd cheers when they recognize “Get Back” They’re really churning them out now.

They leave the stage again, and come out for a second encore. Paul names some of “the greatest crew in the world.” We don’t know how much goes into a production like this, he tells us. I don’t think he ever named those in the band. “Believe it or not, we have a pyrotechnician named Shakey!”

It was a Saturday night, but big outdoor shows get complaints by the NIMBYs in all parts of San Francisco. Even a Lord of the Realm has to answer to the dread Entertainment Commission. Eleven o’clock is the usual witching hour for big outdoor shows at AT&T Park, but the show went on.

I found myself wondering what’s left? What have they not played? How could I forget? “Yesterday.” I remember hearing it on TV that first time on Ed Sullivan. I was suspicious because it wasn’t a Rocker, but knew it would be a huge hit. It was another song many had come out to hear.

Next was one of the big surprises of the night: “Helter Skelter.” The screens behind the stage showed animated roller coaster footage. Just in case anyone thought the song was about leading a violent overthrow of civilization with dune buggies. This song reminds us that The Beatles were a great Rock and Roll band.

“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” We can feel things winding down. The band plays a great version of “The End” the jam that ends Abbey Road. They do a great version on a song most of this crowd knows note for note. Abe Laboriel plays great drums.

It’s been a long show with many Beatles hits. The crowd does seem to be pretty well spent. They do the last lines of “The End,” “The love you get is equal to the love you make.” The crowd is happy, upbeat and buzzing as they walk down the catwalks on the way out.

Local political columnists Mattier & Ross reported there were only three phone calls complaining about the McCartney show. Two were from the same guy saying it was too loud. The third was from a woman sitting on her deck complaining that it wasn’t loud enough.

Alice's Summerthing

It had been cold, gray and windy all week. Sunday was a glorious sunny day and even a bit warm. We blew off some World Cup drama and got outside. There was a free music event in Golden Gate Park, Alice’s Summerthing. It was being run by radio station Alice, 97.3 on your dial. It was music we usually didn’t listened to. We never listen to that station. but figured we would walk there and see some birds on the way.

We saw an ad with a list of the bands. We’d never heard of any of them. This would be a great chance to catch up with what some of the kids are listening to. I kept thinking of the Zappa line: The kids and their music are really where it’s at.

We’d be entering unknown territory for us. Alice played today’s version of Middle of the Road Rock. The kind of music that I would usually jab the dial to change the station as quickly as possible. It was a free event. Why not give it a chance? It was an event we hadn’t gone to before. It might not be a whole new subculture we were discovering here, but it would at least be different from the events we usually go to.

It was late in the season for birding. Most migrants had left. Veteran bird watchers said it was one of the worst spring seasons for seeing migrants. We’ve been to other events in Golden Gate Park and most birds flee the events with big crowds, but there always seemed to be hawks around. We’d seen them circle large Bluegrass Festival crowds. They seemed at least oblivious to the crowds and noise below. It almost seemed like they enjoyed it.

Alice’s Summerthing is held at Speedway Meadows, the site of free shows in the Sixties. We parked by the buffalo paddock. A recent article in The Examiner said they were thinking of adding some buffalo to the herd there. The ones in the paddock are getting old and the herd needs some new blood.

We knew the route from the buffalo paddock to Speedway, but we took a small detour to the area around the Polo fields. On the fields there were a couple of Soccer matches going on. These players must be hard core to be out here during The World Cup. They were missing Argentina vs. Mexico.

Many locals don’t even know there are stables near the Polo Fields. They’re slated for demolition. I remember reading about it, but can’t remember exactly why they have to be torn down. We saw some swallows zipping around the now shuttered stables.

There had been a section of concrete stands that had been erected almost a hundred years ago. It had been demolished and removed. A neighborhood group had protested, saying they had some historic value. I’d found the stands fascinating. They were a link to another time when the Polo Fields had actually been polo fields. They had been falling apart and were now gone.

The San Francisco Police Department have stables for their mounted Golden Gate Park patrols here. God knows what sights they see out here. I’m sure there must be tense situations in this stretch of the Park. Besides looking for miscreants, the mounted patrols of San Francisco’s finest have provided many great photo opportunites for the tourists.

We spotted some swallows and some interesting looking doves on a wire outside of the SFPD stables. A female officer came out of the stables. She seemed friendly, but I had a touch of the old paranoia. Was she going to chase us away? “Are you bird watchers?” she yelled. We must really look the type now. The binoculars may have given us away. Did she think we were spying?

She invited us in to see a sparrow’s nest inside the stables. We plunged into the belly of the beast. It was a police facility. It was nice of the female officer to call us in. “I’m going back to eat,” she told us. The nest was in the back, near a horse walking area. A pair of adult barn swallows landed on a fence near the nest and kept a wary eye on us. They are colorful birds.

We snooped around the stables a bit on our way out. There was a small room with trophies and photos of past mounted patrol officers. I was tempted to ask if the police stables were also slated for demolition. On our way out we saw our host officer was watching the last half of Mexico vs. Argentina. It looked like the end for Mexico.

We went farther on a path surrounded by eucalyptus trees. The trees almost created a tunnel. The music from Alice’s Summerthing came through the trees. We heard hawks screeching overhead. One flew into the trees. We saw at least four of them. We got a great look at them perched overhead. They looked like juveniles. They were screeching at each other and flying around. They put on a good show. The music coming from Alice’s Summerthing sounded good and had some psychedelic edge. It did sound a bit like the Jefferson Airplane.

We later found out it was One Eskimo. Later research revealed they were “a shoe-gazer band” from England. The chorus had the word “Baby” over and over. At home I did the inevitable YouTube search. The first hit was on their song, “Kandi” and it did use the word baby over and over. It must be their big hit. I would have listened to more of them, but found myself imagining how cool it would be if The Jefferson Airplane were on the other side of the eucalyptus.

We turned the corner and left the relative tranquility of the eucalyptus path. A huge banner told us we were entering “Generation Alice.” The crowd stretched across Speedway Meadow. The field was pretty well filled up with the only apparent spots way in the back. People had already been camped out for a while. We’d missed the first act, Thriving Ivory. It was hard to guesstimate how big the crowd was. I’ll say 40,000. We walked around a little and settled down on the left side, far from the stage. This spot was all right with us.

It was one of the most laid back crowds I’ve been in, and young! There were a few geezers, but most of this crowd was college age, even younger. Many of the older people looked like they were acting as chaperones. It was a change from the Baby Boomer crowd at events we usually went to. We’re teeny boppers again.

They were giving away many free samples. This was a great marketing opportunity. I suspect the Alice radio station is just one big marketing opportunity. There was a booth handing out hand and face cream as we entered. This is the demographic that makes them drool. Booths along the side of the crowd passed out swag to the young attendees.

The next act was “American Idol winner, Kris Allen!” Young girls in the crowd screamed. It was a bit Beatlesque. I hadn’t heard female screaming like that since Rod Stewart. Well OK, Chris Isaac. I hate American Idol and braced for the worst. It might be tough to make it through this one. Kris Allen had some kind of star thing going and the first song wasn’t bad.

I recognized some lines from the second song. It sounded vaguely familiar. Kathy figured it out! It was “Gangster Paradise” the song by Coolio that Weird Al parodied in “Amish Paradise.”

“Can’t Stay Away From You” “The Truth” “It’s All Right”

My attention wandered. I took a walk up the left side of the crowd. There were booths with more freebies: Pop-chips. Fruit snacks. Diet Dr. Pepper, and ONLY Diet Dr. Pepper! There was a big VIP area with a few people inside the tented barricades.

People in the crowd closer to the stage were standing. There was a backstage VIP area. About ten people were hanging out near the stage exit in there. They were patiently waiting for the winner of American Idol to leave the stage.

Kris Allen said it was it was the one year anniversary of Michael Jackson’s passing. (The exact date was the day before.) To commemorate this event, they would perform “Man In the Mirror” with everyone singing along. Some people did sing along. It wasn’t exactly a tearjerker. I had to hide the snide.

On the way back I passed a couple of tables where they were passing out excess food from the VIP buffet. It was a nice touch. We had a great Cuban pulled pork sandwich among other goodies. Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch? I’m still not going to listen to their radio station.

Another passable song, “Live Like You’re Dying” and then they do the Beatles’ “Come Together.” Was it a nod to the parents and chaperones in the crowd?

“I don’t get this demographic.” I was just kidding, but we usually weren’t around this kind of crowd. “There are no tattoos,” K noted. That’s it. On any walk around San Francisco you’d see more tattoos than all the freak shows in the Midwest combined used to have. There were very few illustrated people here today. There were many kids and family groups. Fun for the whole family!

It’s Dork Rock. These are all the good kids. I assumed most of the crowd were college students. There were many Asian fans. I wondered how much of the crowd had been drawn by the American Idol connection. I smelled a little weed, but there wasn’t much smoking and drinking going on. There was an ID station to get wristbands to buy beer and drinks. The drinking area was across the meadow and we never did make it over there.

There were some big banners informing us that Bud Lite was a sponsor. So, Bud Lite sponsors this, but Budweiser has pulled out of sponsoring The San Francisco Blues Festival. I’m sure it makes sense for their marketing purposes, but WTF?

The last band would be Lifehouse. A tape played of Alice 97.3’s “Alice Generation” sounds. It was largely peppy party music. At least there was some good synthesizer. Oh my God, am I getting soft?

There were some weirdos on the crowd. A young guy with a whiff was wearing a black fedora and had on a tee shirt that said: “Lucky Fuck.” Does he have to advertise it?

It was a long wait before Lifehouse. “What do you think they’ll play first?” a young teen age girl behind us asked her friends. That’s what we used to do. She had the excitement of going to the Big Rock Show. We still get excited, but we hadn’t expected much today. I was losing patience, then they played the big Lady Gaga hit. Now this I can understand. A Big Beat and a lot of hype. I was a bit annoyed when it was cut short by the introductions for Lifehouse.

The first half of the crowd stood in the opening excitement. Many stood throughout. Kris Allen and his band had looked very clean cut. These guys reminded me of Rockers from the Seventies. They looked more like a Rock band. The guitar player sported a big Ourobous tattoo, the coiled snake. They acted a bit more like Rock Stars. They looked older than their fans. The bass player had a weak combover. They reminded me of bands that banged around in the Seventies. Not having huge success, but living the road life. The hair was shorter, and the music more Pop, but it was the same kind of act. I’ll assume Lifehouse makes some money.

They did a song called “Nerve Damage” and then “Take Me Away.” They rocked, but they didn’t cross the line into reckless abandon. They had all the stage moves down. It might have been a little too rehearsed. They looked like real professionals. I wondered what they did backstage. I had no reason to, but I imagined them being total louts, terrorizing their young fans.

One song had a long bass run at the beginning. I thought it sounded like the beginning of Alice Cooper’s “Dead Babies.” They sounded good, and their fans were digging it, but I was still looking for something with a little bit more edge. I hadn’t expected to find at it something named “Alice’s Summerthing.”

A few of their songs were obvious popular anthems for Generation Z and/or “The Millennial Generation.” The guitar player raised his fist and held it in the air, like the Black Power salute at the ’68 Olympics. Many in the crowd returned the salute.

It was time to leave. This would be a “dumb” crowd. They would be confused and have a hard time getting out of Golden Gate Park. It would probably be a big traffic jam. We wanted to get a head start on this crowd. We made our way back up the sidewalk on stage right and got a last glimpse of the spectacle. We had a laugh when we ran into our next door neighbors. Still making the scene. It wasn’t my kind of music, but it had turned out to be another great afternoon in Golden Gate Park.

A Conversation with T Bone Burnett

A Conversation with T Bone Burnett. April 23. Saturday Night. Sundance Kabuki. Presented by the San Francisco International Film Festival.

I arrived early. I’ve worked at the Festival, so I know what they mean with the warning on the back of the tickets. “Ticket holders must arrive 15 minutes prior to show time to be guaranteed a seat.” “Get your seat,” I’d been advised earlier.

On the way in I spotted staff waiting for the man to arrive. There were some staff people in the audience, a sure sign that this should be a special event. Jeannette Etheridge, the owner of The Tosca Cafe in North Beach was in a group of VIPS in reserved seats.

T Bone Burnett had just won an Oscar for Best Original Song, “The Weary Kind” from “Crazy Heart.” He also had to be celebrating Jeff Bridges’ Best Actor Oscar.

They played some T Bone Burnett tunes while we waited, among them “Zombie Land” and “Fear Country.” I’d been lucky to catch Burnett play at The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. It wasn’t expected that he would play tonight.

We’re in the big theater. This is the same room where I saw Rock shows before The Kabuki was converted to a movie theater. I saw Iggy in this room. There were great Tubes New Year’s Eve shows here. The configuration is much the same, but it’s a movie theater now. It’s redecorated and certainly more sedate. There are large Japanese fans on the wall. It’s the biggest theater in Sundance Kabuki and is used for the bigger events.

Deputy Director Steven Jenkins gave a short introduction. There was a short description of Burnett’s musical accomplishments. A complete listing of the records and the artists he’s produced and appeared with would be too long to repeat. “We’d be here all night.” “Take a good look at your favorite CDs.” There’s a good chance T Bone Burnett was involved. Burnett worked on the Coen brothers’ “O Brother Where Art Thou?” movie soundtrack. The hit movie gave “Roots” Americana music a big boost.

Jenkins thanks some people and sponsors. He also thanks his brother Larry. Larry is in Burnett's management team and helped talk him into appearing tonight. Elvis Mitchell will act as MC. He’s a film critic from Detroit. He hosts a public radio show, The Treatment.

Burnett and Elvis Mitchell come onstage to big applause. “Oscar winner T Bone Burnett!” Elvis is a Black man with dreads in a ponytail. Burnett is in a suit coat and dress shirt. I really didn’t notice until later, but he wasn’t wearing sun glasses. There would be no Roy Orbison look tonight. There are two chairs and a small table onstage.

Elvis starts by saying that Burnett is one of the few people who was directed by Bob Dylan. Burnett says that playing in the Rolling Thunder Revue with Dylan was “his first gig.” The tour was filmed and released as “Renaldo and Clara.” “Did anyone see ‘Renaldo and Clara’?” A show of hands reveals that over half of this audience has seen it. Burnett is surprised. “I told you these were your people,” Elvis tells him.

So, what was it like being directed by Bob Dylan? Burnett talks about Dylan’s directing style. Everything was improvised. Dylan would choose a few actors and a location. “You’re going to have a scene with her.” There were no lines, and that’s all the direction they got. It was like the tour. “We were winging everything.”

Burnett says the tour was great. Every night was different. The music performances were better than the film. “Joni Mitchell would come out and sing a song by herself. Then she’d play one with Dylan.” “Then someone like Rambling Jack Elliot” would join them onstage. The combinations of musicians and songs changed every night.

Burnett said he never saw “Renaldo and Clara.” “Oh wait!” He was at a meeting with Japanese investors who were shown an eight hour version. They were puzzled and didn’t invest.

Burnett says that despite his sometimes gruff manner, Dylan was great to work with. “Directors can be stubborn. Isn’t that right, Jeannette?” The owner of The Tosca Cafe in North Beach gets a mention from onstage. I’ve heard that Burnett stops in there when he’s in town.

Elvis says the sound track for The Big Lebowski is underrated. How did it get started? “We were very stoned,” Burnett says. The director, Joel Coen, had great musical taste. “We started with Beefheart and went from there.”

The room goes dark for some clips on the big screen. The first clip is from “O Brother Where Art Thou?” It’s the scene where they’re recording “Man of Constant Sorrow.” Burnett says we’re too used to hearing those old songs with scratches in the sound. “We wanted the music to sound new. It can’t sound old and scratchy. It’s always now in movies.” He says George Clooney can sing, but in the end they had it dubbed. There’s a clip from “Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood.”

What were the films that influenced him to make music for movies? “Gilda” and “American Graffiti,” especially “American Graffiti.” “It changed the way music was used in movies.”

Burnett talks about editing. It’s hard to explain. You work on it and work on it, and suddenly it’s there. He compares it to being a sculptor. He cut fifteen minutes from “Crazy Heart” and then realized it was done. “It was just there.”

They go back to “The Big Lebowski” soundtrack. “We wanted to get that guy who did the strange instrumentals in the Fifties. Who was that guy?” Someone from the crowd suggests Martin Denny. Yeah, that guy! Elvis says, “Yes, it’s a very knowledgeable audience.”

They talk about “Stone Mountain.” The director was Anthony Mighela. Burnett: “You can’t understand this country unless you understand The Civll War.” Elvis: “So, you were interpreting it for him?” Right! Burnett talks about Civil War songs. Most of them were bloody. “Both sides would go back to their campfires and sing. ‘We killed a thousand of them today. Just wish it was more.’” It was real righteous God is on our side stuff.

“The Folk process takes place over years.” “The guy we call Homer was the result of three hundred years of different singers and storytellers in Greece.” “I want to be a story teller.”

Elvis asks Burnett about the “Gothic ethos of the South.” Some of his music is Gothic, “Like the South.” Yes, Burnett is from there. He grew up in North Texas. Texas is a little Gothic. New Orleans is very Gothic. Burnett says it’s a good place to be from.
We see some more clips on the big screen. In the “Walk the Line” clip Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix) plays a Rock and Roll number. The young audience starts rocking. Everyone starts to realize that Cash will be a big star. After the clip, Burnett comments that Johnny Cash had a unique way of holding the guitar. Phoenix had a hard time duplicating it.

Another clip from the movie is Reese Witherspoon singing “Wildwood Flower.” “Wildwood Flower is the song everyone learns guitar on,” Burnett says. The song is familiar to many and Witherspoon had a hard time doing the song. At one point she left the studio. “I heard doors banging shut.” She went outside and screamed. Burnett went out and told her to just sing the song as if she was with a baby and singing a lullaby and no one else was there. It worked and Witherspoon nailed it. Burnett’s comment, “You can conquer worlds with enthusiasm,” draws applause.

Johnny Cash was intense. Burnett tells a story about a fellow band member who had borrowed an expensive Martin guitar from “Brian.” Cash saw it and asked, “Is that Brian’s guitar?” Yeah, he was told. Cash pulled out a key and put a big scratch on it. This left the band member in a spot. How could he return it now? He didn’t confront Cash.

We see a clip from “Lady Killers” and there’s another clip from “Crazy Heart.” It’s the scene where Colin Farrell sneaks onstage behind Bridges’ character, Bad Blake, to make a surprise cameo appearance. The crowd erupts when they see the Country and Western heartthrob. Bad thinks the adulation is aimed at him. When he sees the Colin character he figures out quickly that the excited applause and cheers were not meant for him. He looks a bit disappointed, but continues the song.

We’re shown a great version of “Strawberry Fields” from “Across the Universe.”

In a clip from “Cold Mountain,” a group of cowpokes are sitting around the campfire singing. It’s quiet and a bit ominous. One of them figures out that it could be his last night on earth. He’ll soon be dead. He starts singing anyway.

“The guitar was an anachronism. There just weren’t that many guitars in the Old West back then. They used banjoes and harmonicas.”

Jeff Bridges liked to work with first time directors. “He just likes it.” It has cost him in the past. “Jeff Bridges survived being in a Michael Cimino movie,” Elvis cracks. Bridges and the lead character from Crazy Heart “have much biographical in common.” They both went through frustrations and disappointments. “He couldn’t be Leonard Cohen. He couldn’t be Bob Dylan. He couldn’t be David Allan Coe.”

Every song has to have something to do with the story. The music can’t just be a diversion anymore. It has to have something to do with the story. Each song must move the story. Burnett compares the making of Crazy Heart to the story of Excalibur. “We just pulled the sword from the stone.”

The conversation keeps going back to influences. Was Elvis Presley a big influence on Burnett? No, Burnett says, “I missed Elvis... I was into Ralph Stanley and Jimmy Reed.” When he saw Elvis on “that TV show” “The “Comeback Special,” he was “Elvisized.”

What movies do you first remember the music from? What was your first movie music memory? Burnett says it was “Gilda.” He had been learning guitar and realized Rita Hayworth wasn’t close to forming any chords on her guitar. Burnett figured he could do better. Elvis Mitchell says the first movie music experience he can remember was “Cat Ballou.” In one scene they used a banjo that didn’t have any strings on it.

Burnett says that years ago people didn’t know as much about how music was made. “Now with MTV and Youtube, people know more about the mechanics of someone playing music.” In the past it was easier to fake it. Any lip synch that was even close was accepted. The actor’s musical motions didn’t have to make sense.

We see some more clips. They show the song mentioned from “Gilda.” Rita Hayworth sings and plays guitar. There’s a clip from “To Have and Have Not.” Hoagy Carmichael plays piano and Lauren Bacall joins him on “Am I Blue?” “There’s a lot going on in that scene.” Conspirators are lurking and “Bacall is trying to seduce Bogart.” “Hoagy wrote one of the greatest songs, 'Stardust.'" Elvis Mitchell says that Lauren Bacall’s voice was dubbed by Andy Williams in the movie.

We see a rare clip of Elvis Presley in “Loving You.” “This is one of the last looks at the ‘real’ Elvis. He still wore blue jeans!” Elvis is performing onstage in a small theater. Most of the crowd are teenyboppers, but there are some middle aged frumpy chaperones who show their disapproval. Elvis works his magic. Even the chaperones are won over and rocking by the song’s end. It is Elvis in his prime. The lights come back on. Elvis Mitchell says, “I’m a Black man named Elvis, but I’m not going to try that.”

The influences question comes up again. “I liked ‘One Eyed Jacks,’” Burnett says. “Marlon Brando was great in that.” “And ‘Giant... There was so much going on in that movie.”

Burnett says, “I’m not at my top game tonight.” He did sound a bit hoarse. Maybe he was a bit under the weather. “You’re doing great!” Mitchell assures him and the audience agrees.

It’s time for questions from the audience. “Would you collaborate with Ry Cooder? A lot of what you do sounds like Ry Cooder.”

“Don’t let him hear you say that!” Burnett says quickly. (Cooder has accused some, especially The Rolling Stones, of borrowing from his work.) Burnett praises Cooder, and says he’d love to work with him, but says it’s unlikely.

The next person doesn’t really have a question. He says he wants to give something to Burnett. A vinyl record is brought onstage. Does Burnett remember it? “I made this when I first got to L.A.” We couldn’t see the record. Burnett says he’ll autograph it. “It’s going on E-Bay,” Mitchell cracks.

What movie really inspired him to make music for movies? Burnett mentions “American Graffiti” again. Another film that influenced him was “The Last Picture Show.” “It was shot in North Texas, where I’m from... Before I escaped and joined the smart people in California.” Burnett talks about “the water tank scene.” In the scene three characters are hanging out on top of a water tank. The camera slowly pans across the desolate landscape. It’s in black and white. Ben Johnson says, “Isn’t it beautiful?” Burnett again says he’s glad he escaped Texas.

Burnett says you could always hear the drone of B-52s from the nearby air base. They were always circling the area. He “recently learned” that bombing sorties were flown from there during the Vietnam War. The planes would refuel somewhere over the Pacific, drop the bombs in Vietnam and then come back to Fort Worth.

Question: Why wasn’t Colin Farrell in the advertising for “Crazy Heart?”

If they used Farrell’s name in the advertising, it would be very similar to the clip we saw where Colin comes onstage behind “Bad.” The film makers were afraid that if Colin Farrell was mentioned in the advertising, it would have sent the wrong message. “It would have become a Colin Farrell movie. We didn’t want that to happen.”

Question: Can you tell us about the album you just made with Willie Nelson? “Fantastic! Willie is the best!” Burnett says they tried to bring Willie in to help promote the soundtrack for “Crazy Heart.” The studio executives said they couldn’t see how Willie Nelson could help sell Country and Western music. Everyone has a good laugh at that one. “Idiots!”

“Does anyone remember the song 'Glow Little Glowworm'" by Johnny Mercer?” Burnett asks. He says again that the Folk process takes place over time. “Bob Dylan is the Homer of our time!”

Question: Was he influenced by the “Bonny and Clyde” movie? “Yeah, I should have been there!” Burnett says. He wishes he had done it. He loves Peter Bogdanovich, “Especially that movie he made in North Texas, ‘Paper Moon.’” Maybe Burnett is a little under the weather, but he corrects his mistake. “Bonnie and Clyde” was made by Arthur Penn. “You can’t do chase scenes anymore,” Burnett says. “Bonny and Clyde” had the best combination of music and chase scenes. “It doesn’t make sense to try and do them better.”

Elvis Mitchell asks: How about “Deliverance?” Did Burnett like it? “You had to like Ronny Cox playing live.” Burnett didn’t like it. He feels the music was “co-opted” or “bastardized.” “I loved Ralph Stanley and Bill Munroe.” “The music was used.”

There’s a question from the back. It’s a young woman with a heavy French accent. “First of all, thanks for not wearing zee glasses. You look very elegant and dreamy.” Was her question going to be what hotel he’s staying at? “How did you get so beeg in Texas?” A few audience members laugh. Burnett rolls his eyes. “I spent a lot of time by myself in Texas.”

Question: What kind of musical education does he have? “Did you go to school for this?” Burnett says he has no formal musical education. “It was fifty years of listening.” He was lucky because his parents were big music fans and had a great collection of 78s including Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. “I remember listening to 'Begin the Beguine.’ That was one of my favorites. Does anybody remember that song, ‘Naughty Lady of Shady Lane?’”

Time is up. The conversation has covered a wide range of music and film history. The two get up to leave the stage to a standing ovation.

Timothy B Schmit at the Great American Music Hall

Peter B. Schmit at the Great American Music Hall 12/13/2009

We got the call. Any interest in using tickets for Sunday night’s Great American Music Hall? Sure! It was a good excuse for a night out. Who’s playing? One of the Eagles. The bass player, Timothy B. Schmit, was doing a show to promote his new CD.

We showed up early. We had dinner tickets and the web site said to be there at 6:30. We stood in line with some excited Eagles fans. They talked about Eagles shows they’d been to. There was some kind of mixup and the doors didn’t open until 7:40. If we’d known what was going on, we’d just have gone somewhere and come back, but no one explained anything. The staff seemed to be avoiding the front door area. Two guys carrying instrument cases showed up, and pounded on the front door until someone finally answered. Great. Now we’ll probably have to wait for a sound check.

We finally entered the venerable building. It’s great to go to this storied club. It’s ornately decorated with Baroque flourishes and Rococo furnishings. This room has a great history. There are friezes in the ceiling and a big chandelier. It was built to be THE place for extravagant night life and entertainment in old San Francisco. Sally Rand of fan dance fame was one of the first owners. You can just tell there where some wild nights here. It’s a temple to San Francisco nightlife of the past. There are stories that staff members have heard and seen a ghost who wanders the club after closing.

Prohibition worked out all right for the Great American Music Hall, and it was popular with servicemen during World War II, but things change. The place did fall on hard times during the Fifties. It was a bordello at one time. It was a restaurant for a while, but that eventually closed and the building was abandoned. The building was condemned by The City, but it was saved by the Rock and Roll club that opened there in 1972.

Tonight there will be tables on the dance floor. They expect a more laid back, older audience. It’s a small, but enthusiastic crowd. The balcony will be closed tonight. It is a Sunday night. It looks like there are a lot of comp tickets for family and friends in attendance.

The opening act is Jim Bruno. He plays acoustic guitar and is accompanied by John Koontz on mandolin and guitar. They’re the guys who were trying to get into the club earlier. It’s a small but vocal crowd that greets Bruno with applause and cheers. They’re definitely fans. The music is crisp and the sound is great.

“Blue Love”

“Here’s a song of regret,” Bruno says, “We Were Blind.”

“California Rain” “A Matter of Time”

A couple of years ago Bruno read about Ray Davies getting shot in New Orleans. Ray had witnessed a purse snatching and played the good samaritan. He chased the guy and got shot for his trouble. What is this world coming to? Bruno thought when he heard the news. Ray Davies getting shot! So he wrote a song about it: “Ray Took a Slug in the Leg.”

Bruno invites everyone to a songwriting event he performs at. It’s at Biscuits and Blues on Wednesday night.

“We’ll Always Remember Tonight” “I Do It For You”

All the songs are on the new CD (On sale at a table in the back!) except the last one. Bruno is the opening act and only gets about a half hour onstage. He and Koontz give us a great warm up.

We had the dinner package. We had to chase down a waitress to get our order in. The upside with the dinner package is that you get to go in first and get the best seats. A couple of staff guys kept the seats reserved. The food was great, but it was a little awkward eating at the small cocktail tables.

A couple joined us. Mike and Kathy risked the wrath of staff by entering the green “dinner ticket” zone. They had good timing. They were a nice couple and big Eagles fans. Mike wondered about some of the great shows here the past, “Can you imagine seeing the Grateful Dead here?” It is a bit mind boggling. I wondered how they fit everyone onstage.

Its time for the main attraction: Timothy B. Schmit. We can see a good Rock setup: Drums, keyboards and a lot of guitars. He gets a great greeting from the crowd.

He reminds me of Jorma. He has very long hair and wears blue jeans. This guy has to have a lot of touring miles on him, but he still has a youthful look.

“I’m from Sacramento,” Schmit tells us. “This is what we used to call ‘going to the City.’”

“Stir the Wind” “Friday Night” Song titles are an approximation.

Schmit has a wry sense of humor. “I’m the guy who isn’t Don Henley.” He says there will soon be a tour by “That other band I’m in.”

“One More Mile”

Schmit says it’s great to play in at the Great American Music Hall. Schmit admits he’s lucky. “I got to play The Fillmore, Winterland ...” “You should come to Modesto!” A female fan yells from one of the front tables. Comments from the crowd can easily be heard. “I’ve played Modesto!” He starts rattling off Valley towns he’s played in: Lodi, Truckee, Tracy. My wife grew up in the Valley and got a big kick out of this.

“Because of poor management” there are no CDs for sale! Schmit says, “You can buy it from the aether. There’s no stores left anymore!” This gets a laugh from the Baby Boomer crowd. The music business has changed since he started.

Schmit changes guitars every song. He picks up a bass for the first time for an Eagles song: “I Can’t Tell You Why.” It’s his big Eagles song. There’s even a little dry ice smoke with some laser lights shining on it coming from the back of the stage for this one. The keyboard player stands out on this song. He’s playing a synthesizer and makes it sound like a big church organ.

Three black female backup singers come out for the next song. Schmit calls them, “The icing on the cake.” Schmit was a music business veteran before he joined The Eagles. He said that often questions of hipness would be brought up, “As would happen in those days.” He would just say, “What do I know, I’m just a white boy from Sacramento.” They do the song: “I’m Just a White Boy from Sacramento,” a very funny song. The backup singers seem amused and are certainly having a good time.

Schmit talks about being in the band Poco. He does a Poco song: “Keep On Trying.” Schmit mentions Richie Furay and the crowd applauds. He thanks Furay for getting him into Poco. When Furay joined The Eagles, he brought Schmit along.

Schmit was going to sing this next song, written by Richie Furay, when it was recorded: “What Am I Going To Do?” He says that Furay lived the lyrics on the next tour they were on and Schmit deferred to Furay, letting him sing the now autobiographical song on the album.

They rock out on “Parachute.” It features guitarist Hank with a big solo by him. “I Don’t Mind”

Schmit’s wife is in Hawaii. She’ll stay there longer than expected. She does album cover art on Expando. “Have I mentioned the CD yet?” He sings about missing his wife, “Ella Jean.” “I Don’t Like It When You’re Gone.”

The female backup singers come back for the finale. They ham it up and again look like they’re having a blast onstage.

“Something is Wrong” and then, “A Good Day” The last song on Expando.

“I Don’t Want to Feel Anymore”

“Love Will Keep Us Alive”

A great show on a Sunday night! Thanks to Al Cooper for the tickets.

West Fest

West Fest

If the spirit of the Sixties still survives anywhere, it had to be in Golden Gate Park on October 25, 2009. West Fest was a celebration of the Fortieth Anniversary of Woodstock. There had been events commemorating the epic counter culture event across the country in 2009. There was an event on the exact anniversary dates at Bethel, New York, the site of Yasgur’s farm.

In August the media had gone nuts on Woodstock. During the week of the anniversary there was a Woodstock story in every newspaper and nightly features on TV. Remember the couple wrapped up in a blanket that were on the cover of the Woodstock album? NBC tracked them down. They were a local couple who got married shortly after Woodstock, and still live there. It seemed every angle was covered.

Now it was October. This should be the last commemoration. It was a good excuse to have a gathering in the Park. There have been some legal battles over having music events, or any big events, in the Park. The locals hate the disruption. Outside Lands, a huge music festival that charges admission, was held in August. The San Francisco Department of Recreation and Parks got about two million dollars from the promoters. One argument is that if you live in the City, you’ve got to expect events like this to happen near your neighborhood.

The Chet Helms Tribute and the celebration of the Fortieth Anniversary of the Summer of Love had both been held at this time of year. Both events had been extremely lucky with the weather, and it happened again. It was a beautiful day in the Park. There’s got to be some kind of Hippie good Karma at work here. It was sunny and clear, almost a perfect day.

B21 records and Boots Hughston would be running the event. They did a great job running the Chet Helms tribute and the Fortieth Anniversary of the Summer of Love. Posters said that the event would be dedicated to the memory of Jimi Hendrix.

The event opened with various incantations and prayers. I had heard it would be streamed online for free. We were still at home, so I checked it out. There was a $15 fee to see it live. There would probably be free footage online later.

Narada Michael Walden was leading an attempt to enter the Guinness Book of World Records. They were trying to get a record number of guitars to play “Purple Haze.” Jimi Hendrix’ brother Leon was there to add some familial legitimacy to the event. The attempt at the record was originally planned to close West Fest. They expected 3,000 guitar players to join in. They encouraged players to register on the B21 Records web site. They must have figured out there wouldn’t be as many guitar players as expected or needed for the record, so it was held earlier in the morning. Sounds like it was a bust.

We got there about 11:30 a.m. We parked and hiked in. Loud psychedelic music was coming from Speedway Meadows. We could smell weed on the way there. There was a huge crowd at Speedway Meadows already. It was filling up. This is where many of the big free shows were held in the Sixties. We spread a blanket far from the stage. There was another stage at the other end of the meadows. (Where the Banjo Stage was, for you Hardly Strictly Bluegrass fans.) Eventually the crowd filled Speedway Meadows and reached all the way to the “East Stage.”

We were far enough away that the people onstage were dots. Maybe it’s better not to see these guys? There were two big video screens on each side of the stage, and that was a help, but it was still hard to see what was happening onstage. The screens also flashed psychedelic light show patterns and designs like the old light shows.

We arrived to hear most of Barry “The Fish” Melton. “Love Machine” “I’ve Got a Love.” I’m not sure of the song titles. The band had a rougher, Rockier sound than I remember The Fish having.

The MC for this portion is Paul “The Lobster” Welles. There was the first of several “Don’t take the brown acid!” jokes that would be heard today. I didn’t see or hear Wavy Gravy all day. He has been having health problems. It would have been great to have heard him onstage: “New York State Freeway is closed, man!”

The Nick Gravenites Band is announced next. Gravenites is on the list of performers who will appear today, but he’s not on the schedule that has been handed out. It’s our first hint that the printed schedule probably won’t mean much today. Many musicians will be shuffled on and off the two stages.

Gravenites is seated through the set. He’s been in bad shape physically for some time. He did a song about his home town, Occidental, Ca. “When the Gas Station Left Town.” “Hamilton Camp wrote this one,” Gravenites growls before, “Pride of Man.” It’s one of the first recognizable classics from the Sixties played today. Some of the crowd rises up and does some Hippie dancing.

Gravenites tells the story of the next song. He wrote it for Janis Joplin. She had called him asking him to write her a song. He came up with “Buried Alive in the Blues.” She died the night before she was going to record it.

There were short speeches during the equipment changes. It sounded a little like the old days, but the speeches were shorter. With all the acts scheduled, there wasn’t enough time for too much ranting and raving. Rabbi Joseph Langer prayed for peace. Robert Perela from United Light spoke.

Artie Cornfield comes onstage. He was one of the promoters of Woodstock. He’s seen in the Woodstock movie looking extremely chemically altered and giddy, even though he’s just learned the festival is a financial disaster. The young promoters are ruined, but they don’t look too concerned in that old reckless Sixties way. Cornfield still makes some money off Woodstock. He’s asked if he ever thought the festival would still be celebrated forty years later. “I can’t believe it!” he says. They never imagined the spirit of that weekend would last for forty years. They didn’t expect anything to last for forty years.

West Fest is not as massive as the Bluegrass festival held here a couple of weeks ago, but it’s still a huge crowd. There is great sound all day. There wasn’t long delays between acts, an accomplishment in itself with all the musicians and equipment moving around. I noticed a few more police in attendance than the Bluegrass festival, but that may have been because they weren’t spread out all over the Park. They did keep a low profile.

We could see many people in the backstage area, especially where it came close to the stage. Through the day, people crowded close for a great view and became part of the backdrop.

Country Joe McDonald is next. “Are You Ready.” They did the song: “Entertainment Is My Business” with some hand clapping participation by the crowd. Country Joe leads the F cheer and then sings “Fixing to Die Rag.” That one always gets the crowd going. They play an odd combination of the music from the Donovan song “Season of the Witch” but with the lyrics of “For What It’s Worth.”

The guy next to us has a tarp spread out with a cart on it. He’s got long gray hair and a beard and looks like an old traveler. When Country Joe comes onstage he starts yelling, “Look how old he is!” He keeps yelling about how old Country Joe is. This guy yelling looked like he could have been seventy. Country Joe didn’t look as old as he did. It made me wonder what the guy expected.

You’ve got to expect some smoking at this event, and for the first time I see an attempt at enforcement of the ban on smoking in San Francisco parks. Some women next to us are burning about a cord of sage. A woman in a Park Ranger uniform came by and made them put it out. She threatened other evil doers with a ticket, “No smoking of ANYTHING in the Park!” Park Rangers do have some authority in the Golden Gate Park, but it was still a little weird. She wandered away and after she left and half the crowd she passed through lit up.

Michael McClure and Ray Manzarek brought their combination of music and spoken word. Manzarek played great keyboards while McClure recited his poetry. I had to think that if Morrison was alive, this might be what he’d be doing. McClure sounded like Morrison at times, but he is a Beat Poet, not a Rock Idol. The last poem ended with a line that he repeated a couple of times, “Silver and Blackishness .... Silver and Blackishness ...” Who would have thought, Michael McClure, a Raider fan?

We went for a walk. At the other end of Speedway Meadows there was a smaller stage, The East Stage. We passed the army of vendors who were set up in long rows of booths. This must be the big one. If you sell Sixties stuff you have to make an appearance at this event, even if it’s just for the advertising and word of mouth. The possibility of future events could depend on if the vendors make money. Just about anything Peace and Love related is for sale. There are the usual trinkets: jewelry, beads, clothes. Many booths offer posters. There are at least twenty posters for today’s event. The Leather and Lace booth offers an interesting diversion. Stanley Mouse is autographing posters at one booth.

The scene at the East stage is much different from “the big stage.” It’s easy to walk up close to the stage. There is a smaller, more laid back crowd here. There aren’t too many big names appearing on this stage, but it would have made a good event by itself.

The group onstage has an interesting sound. There is a guitar player, a bass, drums and a cello. It’s Mitchell Holman from It’s a Beautiful Day. The cello player uses his bow on the cello like Jimmy Page. After a spacey jam, Holman tells us his two sons are with him onstage today.

People are crowded on top of a couple of buses on the road to stage right. One of the buses has “Furthur’ on the bus’s destination sign above the windshield. People are dancing on top of the bus. It really does look like a scene from the Sixties.

We thought of staying for Peter Kaukonen, but there was some kind of delay or schedule mixup onstage. The MC made odd threats that if any in the crowd left, “You’ll be zapped by bolts of Sixties energy.” Well, isn’t that what we came here for? Then he promised us “a lot of percussion” would be coming up with Soul Medic. We started wandering back. The percussionists did sound good. They were a professional group that sounded much better than the impromptu groups that hang out at Hippie Hill.

We headed back to the main stage. There is an odd combination of musicians onstage. We could hear the surviving Chambers Brother, Lester, belting out “Time Has Come Today.” Ronnie Montrose came out for “Bad Motor Scooter” and then led a version of “Child In Time,” a song from the Deep Purple In Rock album. It’s one of my favorites, but the music did seem to stray from the Woodstock theme as the day went on.

David and Linda LaFlamme were among the group onstage and played “White Bird” another anthem from the bygone era. LaFlamme’s violin soared during another highlight of the day.

Again, the schedule means nothing, but it’s strange. The acts are not running behind schedule, everything is happening ahead of schedule!

David Hilliard of the Black Panther Party speaks. He says the Black Panthers were at Woodstock. Most of the political speakers point out that things look worse than forty years ago. Now there are two wars that people don’t want. There’s unemployment, and the effects of the economic meltdown. “But we did elect Obama.” Maybe it’s the start of better things, Hilliard says.

Harvey Mandel and the Snake Band. He plays two greasy Blues instrumentals and then “Wade in the Water.” The set brings a bit of edge to the event.

Between acts Bettina Aptheker speaks. She is a radical feminist from Santa Cruz. She spoke at our daughter Anita’s graduation. It’s hard to hear her. It’s one of the few times the sound gives out today.

“Kantner and Family” will represent the Jefferson Airplane sound today. It’s another group whose name has been tied up in legal battles. They toured the country this summer in package groups celebrating the Woodstock anniversary.

They blast into “Somebody To Love” and sound like The Jefferson Airplane of old. Cathy Richardson sings and she does sound like Grace. (We had seen Richardson as Janis Joplin in the play “Janis.”) They keep the Airplane vibe going with “Three-fifths of a Mile in Ten Seconds.” There’s a Starship tune, “Jane” and then back to vintage Airplane with “The Other Side of This Life.”

They sound great, sharp. They’ve been touring so there are no cobwebs, there’s no struggling to get to know each other. Most of the crowd is standing and rocking. It’s hard to see what’s going on onstage, but I do spot David Freiberg. He’s been joining in throughout the day. (He was onstage during both Barry Melton and Country Joe.) Slick Aguilar is playing guitar. It’s another great appearance by the Airplane/Starship in Golden Gate Park. Speedway Meadow has always been their stage. Most acts get about twenty minutes stage time today. “Kantner and Family” gets double that.

They start “White Rabbit” and there’s that knowing recognition of the song from the crowd. Heads nod. This song always gets the psychedelic nostalgia going. “We’ll leave you dancing,” Kantner says and they rock “Volunteers.” We always depend on the Airplane/Starship or at least Kantner to put on the great Rock show in the Park, and they don’t let us down. The crowd rocks out to the spirit of “Volunteers.”

“Kantner and Family” ends at about three. It’s early but some people do start leaving. I hear some people say, “That’s what we came for,” as they pick up. It’s getting a little windy but it’s still sunny in the Park.

I’ll quote the schedule for the next act: “Alameda All Stars (Gregg Allman’s Band) Denny Laine (of Paul McCartney, Wings, Moody Blues); Leslie West (Mountain)”

They do a version of “All Shook Up” followed by “a new song” called “Street Talking.” Denny Laine is announced. He sings “Go Now.”

There’s a little introduction to the next song. “Forty years ago Joe Cocker appeared in front of that huge crowd and did this song.” “A Little Help From My Friends.” It’s not Joe Cocker singing, but it does have the Woodstock feel and spirit to it.

“How many of you were AT Woodstock?” the MC asks. There isn’t much of a response. Woodstock was really just a movie for most of us, or an album you could put on at parties. We didn’t slog in the mud or camp out for three nights, but we did have the three record set that livened up many a party in the Seventies. The Sly and the Family Stone songs were guaranteed to get people up dancing.

Our MC points out the synchronicity that Leslie WEST is appearing at WEST Fest. They do the old Freddie King song, “Down, Down, Down.” West has lost some weight. He doesn’t look as physically imposing as he used to with that big girth and over sized Afro, but he still rips on guitar. The band trades some great Blues licks, but they’re just warming up for the next one. There’s the cowbell count down, and then the opening riff blasts the crowd. “Mississippi Queen!” West rips on guitar and the crowd gets moving. It’s the Heavy Mental highlight of the day!

We decide to walk around again. There are so many vendors it’s worth another look. There are many causes, petitions and smoking accessories. Most of the petitions are for legalizing marijuana. Some of the cannabis activists have rented booths, but many wander the crowd or set up ironing boards or some other kind of table. It’s a worthy cause, but I assume most of the activists are getting paid to get signatures.

There’s a booth selling marijuana candy. There is “Kush” and “Sticky Icky, All Natural Medicated.” There is “Hot Buttered Pot Corn” “Chronic Candy” and “Hemp Iced Tea.” There sure are many ways to ingest marijuana.

People walked around like human billboards, proselyting their favorite cause. There was shopping bag guy. His costume was all shopping bags and statistics on shopping bag abuse. There were people carrying picket signs for many causes including one that said: “955 architects and engineers want new 9/11 investigations. Google A E 9/11” So many conspiracy theories, so little time. People walked around handing out free “California Condoms.” “Spare the Air” cards for free rides on BART were passed out.

One booth offered “Musical Rarities” CDs and DVDs of vintage live performances. The proprietor had some great stuff for sale in his booth, but business didn’t look too good. He was partying though. He was blasting the Rolling Stones appearance on The Hollywood Palace. It’s the one where Dean Martin roasts them during the introduction. Have to give this guy credit. He was determined to have a good time.

We passed two guys at a table getting signatures for the Legalize Marijuana Initiative. They were blatantly smoking a big joint. It looked like something out of Cheech and Chong. It must have been good. They were giggling and laughing it up.

It wasn’t all fun and games though: “Major Catastrophic Earthquake coming September 2010. Severe infrastructure damage to hit! Do not get trapped! Details on 2ww4.blogspot.com.”

Hundreds of CDs were passed out free. “Celebrate the New Age of Earth. “An inspiring, Magical, Mystical, Musical Odyssey.”

There was the Alcatraz Conversion Project. Now was the time to convert the site of the cruel prison to “The Global Peace Center.” There were drawings of the future utopian institution.

A booth offered small ads that looked like U.S. Currency. The bills drew attention to the government’s complicity in 9/11. George W. Bush was on the face of the bill. “Unmask State Sponsored Terrorism.” 911blogger.com. Towers of Deception, New World Order. It’s all here.

The Eco Dome is a large geodesic dome set up a bit away from the main stage. It had room inside for small performances. There was some bell ringing and singing going on in the crowded Dome. Flyers were passed out: “Join us for Global Peace and Love Meditations at The Ecodome. “WITH SACRED HARMONIC INSTRUMENTS IN A CRYSTAL AMPLIFIED SETTING.” Outside the Eco Dome was The Bike Stage. It’s a smaller area for local younger bands. We passed through later in the day and people were rocking to a young group.

I usually lurk while Kathy shops. I spotted these guys setting up a small table in the aisle formed between the rows of vendors. They set up some portable pig nose amps and started blasting. It was some kind of guerilla musical attack. You could hear music from the other stages until these guys set up. They were loud, and they were terrible. (Even to my high tolerance.) I’m not sure what motivated these guys. We wandered off one way. They went the other.

Another interesting booth was the Daly City chapter of the Hell’s Angels. I don’t think they were actively recruiting, but they had paid for a booth and the privileges that come with that. It looked like it enabled them to bring in supplies easier.

The event was a big opportunity for many vendors. There were many who wandered the crowd without having to pay for booth space. People sold bongs, cookies, brownies and other baked goods. No beer or alcohol was sold at the event. This set up the giant BYO situation. Entrepreneurs wandered the crowd selling cans of beer.

Aaron “Pieman” Kay spoke from onstage. He was a member of the Yippies. He told us yes, he’s the guy who smashed cream pies in all those politicians faces in the Sixties! I vaguely remembered his antics, but I don’t think many in the crowd knew who this guy was.

We get to the East Stage to hear Joli Valenti sing the Hippie anthem, “Let’s Get Together.” The act is listed on the schedule as “Valenti and Tony Saunders.” The crowd is getting into the Peace and Love classic. “C’mon people now, smile on your brothers.” There were rare, almost quaint good vibes during the song. Maybe they should have been on the main stage.

The whole crowd was well behaved. I never saw anything close to a fight all day. Things were still a lot more relaxed at The East Stage. We could not only see, but we could walk up to the front.

There were still weirdos here. Every bohemian, beatnik, Hippie low life in the Bay Area had to be in Golden Gate Park today, wearing their strangest getups. Everybody is a star. Get your craziest tee shirt out of the closet. The crowd was mostly aging survivors of the Hippie era, but there were a good number of young people here too. It was good to see that the entire crowd was not all Baby Boomers.

Glitter Guy was walking around. He’s hitting these free events almost as often as Frank Chu. Glitter Guy is covered head to toe in a costume of silver and glitter. He has a metallic mask that makes him look like some hybrid of high tech and tribal. He speaks through a synthesizer that makes his voice robotic. What is he? A robot? An alien?

People take his picture and he wants donations for that. It is a great costume and it looks like he’s making some money. He’s arguing with a black guy. I’m not sure if the brother wants a picture for free or is suggesting some kind of collaboration. “I’m not about that,” says Glitter Guy.

A group had started a Peace Garden. They had supplied stones, flowers and other things to add to a big peace symbol. Kathy got into it and decorated a small part of the growing garden. It reminded me of the sand paintings Tibetan monks made. It was a nice, spontaneous piece of art that would have a short life.

There had been strange combinations of musicians playing onstage all day. Ronnie Montrose was joined by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads for “Candy” and “Bad Motor Scooter.” Not all the music today was from the Sixties. They did “Life During Wartime,” The Talking Heads song. “This ain’t no disco!” It’s another song the crowd really got into and sang along to.

Some young people have been handing out a small newspaper all day. It looks like another Woodstock tribute on the cover, but inside the articles point out how we lost the way. The Hippie dreams of Peace and Love had been subverted and perverted. We can learn more on their web site. “The Twelve Tribes of the Commonwealth” will show us the way back with our Lord and Savior. There’s an ad for a book in the paper about fighting “deprogrammers.” “Don’t be confused by the 'Cult Scare!'" “Call us toll-free, 24 hours a day!” It reminded me that ’69 was also the anniversary of the Manson murders.

“The Original Low Rider Band (with Lee Oskar)” Most of the original members of War are in this group. Another legal battle was lost, and they can’t bill themselves as “War.” The MC doesn’t care, “They can’t say it, but I can,” and he introduces them as “War!” “Cisco Kid” “Low Rider” “Why Can’t We Just Be Friends.” They get a great reception. Forget the Woodstock old Hippie stuff. It’s party time! Most of the crowd is up and dancing.

We knew there was more to come, but we left at about 5:00. It had been another great event in the Park run by Boots Hughston and the 2B1 Records people. Kantner and others have lobbied for a yearly event like this. The locals lobby against it, but free music in the Park is a part of San Francisco History.