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.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is an event that continues to amaze. I’ve been to eight of the nine held. There was only one stage at the first one and about ten thousand people. It was a nice event, but how long would it last? How many people would show up for a Bluegrass Festival? Even for free? It has exploded, and it’s hard to believe it is getting bigger. I can’t remember what year it became “Hardly Strictly” Bluegrass. That opened the door to having acts that attracted a wider range of fans, especially younger fans. Music fans across the country plan their vacations around going to the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. It’s usually held on the first weekend in October.

And it’s free! It’s all bankrolled by Warren Hellman. He says it’s a gift to himself. The crowds are huge. Locals complain about the effects on traffic, parking and the Park itself, but it’s become a huge event for the City. The San Francisco Examiner estimated that 800,000 people attended this year. It also reported that there were two arrests for public drunkenness. Some in the crowd may be oblivious to what’s going on onstage, but it is amazing that there aren’t a lot more of the problems that come with a crowd of that size.

This August had been the Fortieth Anniversary of Woodstock. The media had been going nuts with stories about the counter culture milestone. Network news had a Woodstock story every day for a week. NBC tracked down the couple pictured hugging on the cover of the Woodstock album. There was the usual debate on the effects of the counterculture. Hardly Strictly is like Woodstock every year, without the camping out.

The festival goes Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday is turning out to be the best day to go. There’s only one stage going, The Banjo Stage. It opens with a morning show for school kids. MC Hammer makes an appearance. When people see him on the schedule they have to wonder, MC Hammer at a Bluegrass Festival? Well, it is “Hardly Strictly” Bluegrass.

I arrive early. Volunteers at an Information Booth are greeting people by yelling: “Happy Hardly Strictly Bluegrass!” like it’s Christmas. It is Christmas for Bluegrass and music fans.

Warren Hellman comes onstage to open the festivities. There’s a big ovation for the man who pays for everything. “You guys are going to make me cry,” he says. He introduces Poor Man’s Whiskey. They had to be announced as “PMW” at the kid’s show. They didn’t want to use the W word.

We had just seen Poor Man’s Whiskey at Cafe DuNord. Kathy had won tickets from radio station KPIG. They’re one of the bands that brings in a younger crowd. They do a funny song about their parent’s adventures in the Sixties, “Easy Come, Easy Go.” It’s an odd song about life in the Haight forty years ago. The keyboard player had a great long psychedelic solo. “Shanghai” is “A song that has everything ... Whiskey, women and the Barbary Coast.”

They have a CD “Dark Side of the Moonshine” that is a Bluegrass version of “Dark Side of the Moon.” They do each song from the album note for note with banjoes and fiddles. It’s an amusing recording. Two of the singers met at Hardly Strictly last year. They just got married! “This means they can now discuss issues like the one that will be covered in the next song,” “PMS.” Two female singers come onstage to help with this one. They close with “Good Friends of Mine.”

The MC tells us that he was just in Jacksonville, Kentucky. He noticed that everyone there seemed to be a bit depressed. Everyone was “a bit hang dog.” What was going on? “All the Bluegrass has gone to San Francisco.”

The music they play on the PA during the break sounds familiar. It takes me a while to figure out it’s a Bluegrass version of Led Zeppelin’s arrangement of “Hangman!” Then there’s a version of “Whole Lotta Love” with banjoes and mandolins wailing.

There are many Rage Against the Machine and “The Nightwatchman” tee shirts in the crowd. Tom Morello has a lot of fans here to see him. He is very active politically. He’s alone onstage with an acoustic guitar and plays rebel songs for the Twenty-First Century. “One Man Revolution.” “Guerrilla Radio.” “The Fabled City” (“San Francisco IS the fabled City!”) His whole set is solo. He even does one song while playing only a hand held drum. “This is a song I did for the soundtrack to the movie ‘Sicko.’” “Alone Without You”

Steve Earle and Allison Maurer join him onstage for Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land.” “The REAL national anthem!” Morello is sure using the F word a lot. He’s trying to whip the crowd up for some audience participation. “OK, everybody stand up.” (They do.) He wants them to do some call and response. (They don’t.)

We meet my sister Joan and two of her friends. She’s excited to see John Prine. We spread a blanket pretty far in the back, but she goes up for a closer look. Some fans have come today just to see John Prine. He started playing in Chicago and was a member of “the second wave” of Folk music.

“Picture Show” “Grandpa Was a Carpenter” “Whistle While You Fish”

He does a great version of “Angel of Montgomery.” The crowd seems to settle down for a while and are actually listening. It’s a great song and one of the many highlights of the weekend. “Bear Creek Blues.” “Crooked Piece of Tape” “I Didn’t Hurt Nobody” “Souvenirs”

Prine did demand some respect from the crowd, but as the set goes on the crowd around us starts chattering, maybe because we’re so far from the stage. OK, so it is a bar. There were certainly more people here than when Prine started playing at The Earl of Old Town.

The headliner tonight is Lyle Lovett and His Big Band. It’s an example of how great this festival is. I see acts I wouldn’t go out and pay to see. Lyle and the band look very show business. They are all in suits and ties. The band does an instrumental warm up piece “Jump My Chicken.” “Here I Am” “I Will Rise Up” They do a mournful song from the movie Dead Man Walking, “Promises.” Prine comes back and joins in “Loretta.” “She Don’t Talk To Me Anymore”

Friday’s crowd is not as massive as it will be later this weekend, when there will be five more stages. The crowd is pretty laid back. It’s certainly not a Heavy Mental crowd. There are still some characters. If you’re living in the park anyway, you might as well check out the show. I’ll admit I do have a tendency to dwell on the negative members of a crowd. Maybe you just notice the bad kids more.

There was a group of about thirty near a path in the back. Many had the homeless sun tan. Again, most of the crowd is well behaved, but these guys looked pretty crazy. They looked like they lived in the bushes. They weren’t really doing anything, but they did make a point of blocking the path when an attractive woman walked by. Maybe I just noticed people like this more on Friday. They would get lost in the masses during the next two days. You’ve got to expect to see some crazy hillbillies at a Bluegrass festival!

I spotted a lone San Francisco police officer. He was not with a partner. Kind of unusual. One of the homeless group yelled over to him, “Hey, Officer Fat Ass!” Did this guy just want to get arrested? The lone cop ignored him.

There was a lot of smoking despite announcements from onstage. A couple of years ago all smoking was banned in San Francisco parks. It’s one of those laws that is seldom enforced. People are using the safety of being in the crowd to light up.

Some young ladies were living their Hippie fantasy. They wore peasant dresses and granny glasses. People came over and asked, but it was obvious they certainly didn’t mind having their pictures taken.

The crowd’s attention seemed to wander during some of the quieter, slower songs. Inevitable, I guess. Even this seems better than past years. There’s not as much rampant cell phone use. Maybe it’s because they’re texting. I don’t want to be a total grouch about it. Most of this music did start in bars, but sometimes you have to wonder, why did they even bother coming out here? Oh yeah, they have to make the scene.

Lovett closes with some Honky Tonk Texas style Rock that gets the crowd going.

Saturday.

Friday there is one stage going. Today there are six. The dynamic changes. People show up early to get spots. People set up tarps and wander from stage to stage. It looks like people are not being as obnoxious about taking up space as in previous years. Maybe it’s one of those things I accept about Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. I like to wander, but it is good to have a spot for a while.

I was honored to ride and arrive with two members of The Albany All-Stars, long time colleague John Stuber and The All-Stars’ fiddle player, David Rice. (Check out “The Albany All-Stars” on Youtube. Not to be confused with the Roller Derby team.) Mandolin player Joe Risconi didn’t make it today.

I’ll admit that I’m more of a Heavy Metal guy, so many of these song titles are approximations. Corrections are welcomed. Half the fun of doing this is learning more about the acts I see at Hardly Strictly.

I had taken a look at the schedule on the Hardly Strictly web site. One thing about this event is that there are sometimes hard choices to make. I decided to check out the “rare appearance” by Marshall Crensaw at the Rooster Stage. He had been well hyped in the press that week. He’s been called “the critic’s favorite.”

Sleepy John Estes from radio station KPIG is the MC on the Rooster Stage. It’s 11:00 a.m. when Crenshaw says, “I’m not used to being excited this early in the morning.”

“Fantastic Planet of Love” “Stormy River” “Hurry On” “I’m Never Coming Down”

“Live and Learn. (It’s Your Turn)” “Someday Someway” “Someone Told Me” He does a Richard Thompson cover: “Valerie.”

“Here’s one I wrote with Richard Julian,” “Stormy River.” “Hurry On (Just Passing Through?)” One from the oldies bag: “There She Goes Again.” “There she goes with another guy again. Hope she finds what she’s looking for.”

“Somebody has to do a Buddy Holly song,” Crenshaw tells the crowd. “Crying” (Can’t get you off of my mind.) “I’m Never Coming Down”

A guy is carrying a life sized cardboard cutout of Obama. It would be quite a statement, carrying that thing around all day.

Buddy Miller is the first act on the new Towers of Gold Stage. The new stage would honor Warren Hellman’s grandfather, the first mogul in the family. I’d seen Buddy Miller play at past Hardly Strictly Festivals and didn’t want to miss him. So, I crossed John F. Kennedy drive, which was a maze of cyclone fences and got there in time for the first song, “Daisy.”

“Too Far Gone” I hadn’t noticed it before, but his voice sounds like Alvin Lee! It’s time for the first big surprise cameo of the festival. Emmy Lou Harris joins him for “Gasoline and Matches.” She’s the darling of Hardly Strictly and the crowd has a loud warm reaction to her appearance onstage. They do “I’ve Got a Wide River to Cross.”

I’m tempted to go back to The Star Stage, but decide to hear one more. The crowd roars when special guest Robert Plant is announced. He does a couple of Zeppelinesque yodels to warm up. The song sounds a bit familiar. It’s “Movin’ On” the old Hank Thompson song once covered by the Rolling Stones. Buddy Miller, Plant and the band rock out!

Some in the crowd can’t believe it’s Plant. I can hear them asking, “Is it really him?” Plant did appear at last year’s Friday night show.

“Sea of Heartbreak” “Leave My Woman Alone” Kathy says it’s “Whatcha Going to Do, Leroy” by Lefty Frizell.

I have to admit if I’d missed this one, I would have been mad. The two acts I’d seen already were a great start to the day. It was a great opening for The Towers of Gold Stage.

I go back to the Star Stage for “Roger Knox & The Pine Valley Cosmonauts (Presenting the Aboriginal Country & Western Songbook.)” It’s another example of the width and breadth of the festival. Australian Country and Western! The band is carrying on without Roger Knox who was denied a visa. Immigration officials had decided that he’s some kind of threat to America. Jon Langford does appear with The Cosmonauts. He makes a reference to another wild event in San Francisco, The Folsom Street Fair. “You should see the S and M Fair they have here!”

“I Love a Millionaire” “Ticket to Nowhere” “Taking Me Back” “Seminoles”

There are a couple of members of The Sadies with them. “The Sadies are the best group ever!” someone says from onstage. I’m really winging it with some of these song titles: “Looking Good for Radio” “Get Rhythm (When You Get Blues)” “He Needs a Little Love at Closing Time”

Kathy had gone to the Rooster Stage to see Jorma Kaukonen, but I decided to stay put. I already wanted to give the legs a rest. Kathy reports that he played “Come Back Baby” and “San Francisco Bay Blues.”

We stay at the Star Stage for Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women. They had their debut at last year’s Hardly Strictly. It was an experiment last year, and the band worked well enough to record and tour all year. They start with a jaunty Cajun “Marie Marie.” Laurie Lewis has come over from the Banjo Stage to play fiddle. “She’s the Hardly Strictly cover girl!” Dave Allan tells us. “Weight of the World is on Me.”

Dave Alvin says the band has recently lost a member. Amy Farris, their fiddle player, had passed away a couple of days ago after a long illness. It’s a sad moment, but the band plays on. “Simple Way” “Has She Got a Friend?”

“The next song is a song of sorrow and triumph.” “Bury Me In Potter’s Field.”

Krissy McWilson joins for “Abilene.” Alvin sure does look slick, even in a cowboy hat and jeans. He’s a music business veteran. Alvin tells us that anyone thinking of getting in the music business should be warned: “Being a musician can be harmful to your health.”

“Here’s a song that is one hundred per cent true.” It’s about the old music club The Ash Grove in Los Angeles. “Everybody played there.” Alvin reminisces on hanging out at the club with “The Boss of the Blues” Big Joe Turner. The Ash Grove eventually burned down. Allan returns there every time he plays this song.

They close with a strange one. The old Doris Day hit, “Que Sera, Sera.” “Whatever will be, will be.” I remember hearing it on the radio when I was a kid. They do country rock it up.

We go back to The Towers of Gold Stage to catch some of The Old 97s. This year Stuber was looking for acts he hadn’t seen before. Usually we camp at the Rooster stage, but it was intolerable last year. People kept crowding into a limited space. Most of the other stages have room to spread out, but The Rooster Stage is in Marx Meadow. It’s not a big area and people can’t spread out. Even in Golden Gate Park it can be a bit claustrophobic.

We hear The Old 97s do “A Guilty Thing” and then an old Bob Wills song, “The Bedroom Walls.” “I’m Going Over the Cliff” “I need To Know Where I Stand” “Sweet Blue Eyed Darling.” A big crowd has gathered to see this band. Most seem to be younger folks. Exene Cervenka, the singer from the L.A. punk rock pioneers X joins for “Four Leafed Clover.”

We live near Golden Gate Park. Musicians on several of the stages comment on how great it is to perform in a place that is so beautiful. Each stage has a rustic looking screen backdrop, but it is transparent enough to see the trees of Golden Gate Park through it. It’s clear and sunny, a great weather day in the Park.

We go back to The Star Stage for Nick Lowe. At least they are the two stages “next” to each other. It is a little hike each time we go to another stage. Lowe plays most of the set solo and acoustic.

“Simple Way” “Has She Got a Friend” “Heart of the City” “Same Old Man” “I Live On a Battlefield” “Cruel To Be Kind” “Here’s a song I wrote with Elvis Costello,” “What’s So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding”

Elvis Costello had been a presence at this festival in past years. He usually does his own set and guests during the weekend at other stages. He’s not here this year.

We went back to the Banjo Stage. There’s an unbelievable amount of people there. We went around to the side and even found a picnic table where we sat for a while. It was a bit of a luxury after hiking through the crowds. We couldn’t see the stage much, but we were content to hang out there for Gillian Welch. They did a great version of “Novocaine.” Emmy Lou Harris joined for “It’s Too Easy.” Again the crowd warmly greets her. “I’ll Fly Away” (Old Glory)”

Members of The Old Crow Medicine Show join her onstage for “The Dream Locomotive.” They do a version of The Band’s song, “The Weight.” The crowd really enjoys this one and joins in on the singing.

It had been a great weather day, but the wind started picking up, as it will do in Golden Gate Park in the late afternoon. We could see mini-dust devils whirling around. A small tower that held The Banjo Stage’s schedule on a tall sign almost blew over. This year some of the last acts wouldn’t end until eight o’clock! We started heading back to the car, which was parked past the buffalo paddock. We would stop at stages on the way.

Usually seeing the next act alone would be worth going out, The Flatlanders. “Featuring Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock.” “Hello Stranger” “Baby Do You Love Me Still.” It’s a great group of musicians but things are getting more uncomfortable in the wind and it’s getting cold. We reluctantly move on to The Towers of Gold Stage, which is on the way to the car.

We get to that stage and it’s rocking with Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives. It’s another reason for going to Hardly Strictly. I never heard of these guys. It’s real old Rock and Roll. Marty Stuart looks like a crazy show business cowboy. (Reminds me of the old joke: They do both kinds of music, Country AND Western!) Their music has a Fifties flavor. The guitars almost sound like Surf music at times. “I Met My Baby at the Choctaw Fair.”

Marty Stuart has “big” slicked back hair. These guys are the real deal. They sound like they could play the toughest Honky Tonk in the old days. There are crosses on Marty Stuart’s jacket. Looks like he’s been Born Again, but he still looks like one crazy dude. They do “Branded” another rocker. It’s great Rock and Roll as we make it back to the car at about seven o’clock.

Sunday. We get to the Towers of Gold stage at about 11:15 for Marley’s Ghost with special guest Cowboy Jack Clement. Clement was playing at the Sun recording session when they decided to try something a little bit different, Rock and Roll. There’s some hype in the local press about Clement’s appearance at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. It is a piece of music history onstage. He does look ancient.

“The Story of Job” “The Farmer’s Song” “My Love Will Not Change” “Candy Store” (“She worked in a candy store.”) “What’s that picture in your wallet?” Oh, it’s “Just a Girl I Used to Know”

After the set a young guy comes up to us and wants to talk. We should stay for Dr. Dog. “He’s like if McCartney was still really doing his thing!” Great. I’m glad there’s something for the kids, but we’re going to see Booker T. We walked by Elvis In Dearland at The Star Stage. We didn’t linger. We wanted to get to The Arrow Stage for Booker T & The Drive-By Truckers. I’d seen The Drive-By Truckers tear it up at last year’s festival. They make a great combination with Booker T. They have been appearing and recording together. It was full circle for me. Booker T & The MGs played with Albert King at the first big free show I saw in Grant Park in Chicago.

They play at The Arrow Stage which is at one end of Speedway Meadows. The crowd stretches for a long way towards the Polo Fields. They play old Booker T & The MGs classics and some new songs. It’s great to see Booker T onstage. He’s the master of the Hammond B3 organ. Is there any more recognizable iconic riff than the one from “Green Onions?” Where it all started.

“Time Is Tight” The encore is “Dock of the Bay” and it fits perfectly into a Bay Area appearance. There’s some Sixties nostalgia, with The Drive By Truckers providing a link to today’s music.

We went back to The Star Stage to see The Chieftains. How often do you get to see a historic, legendary act like this? We hear an Irish reel as we get there. There are Irish step dancers onstage in traditional costume. Then they play “Wabash Cannonball.” There is a teaser riff of “Satisfaction.” Some of the Rolling Stones have recorded with The Chieftains. They play “The Rocky Road to Dublin.”

“March Across the Rio Grande” The first of several guests joins: Los Centaurus, a Spanish Folk dance act. Rosa Flores sings with Los Centaurus. Tim O’Brien comes onstage for “Sweet Georgia Brown.” They close with some rocking Irish music. The crowd loves them and The Craic is grand!

We’ve been avoiding the crowded Rooster Stage. Stuber’s goal this year is to see someone new, or at least someone he hasn’t seen before. So, we check out Rodney Crowell at The Arrow Stage. Crowell tells the crowd about his brother who was gay and was turning tricks down in L.A. Eventually he was a victim of AIDS. Crowell plays “Rent Boy.” It’s certainly a sad song, and I have to give Crowell credit for singing about something that must have been very painful to him. Rosa Flores guests and they do “Like a River.”

It’s day three and we’re starting to drag a bit, but we pour it on for the end. It is only once a year. We’ll do one giant lap and catch acts as we go to the Porch Stage, the eastern entrance to the festival. Then we’ll circle back to the car. We decide to see some of “the old guys.”

Earl Scruggs and a great band are playing “Easy Chair” when we get there. They’re at the Banjo Stage. We go towards the back of the stage. At this point we don’t care how close we get. We can’t get into the backstage area, but there’s an interesting view from a small hill behind the stage. The crowd is huge. We get a bit of the musicians view and the crowd looks Biblical in dimension.

What Earl Scruggs appearance would be complete without “The Ballad of Jed Clampett” the theme song from The Beverly Hillbillies? That song has to be the first Bluegrass many Baby Boomers heard.

Warren Hellman comes onstage and joins Scruggs and Co. for “When the Cold Winds Blow.” Hellman has his arm in a sling, but he plays banjo anyway. He does make cameo appearances all over the festival. He’s an able musician with a love for the music, and he is paying all the bills. They play an odd version of “Lady Madonna.”

“Rolling In My Sweet Baby’s Arms” “All Night Long”

The band really lets loose for the finale: “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.”

We headed to The Porch Stage. It has acts that are not as well known. The crowd and atmosphere is very different here. It’s a small stage with a small crowd and a nice break from the huge crowds that are migrating from stage to stage. Any stage at this festival would be a great event by itself. I tell myself that someday I’m just going to sit at The Porch Stage for the whole thing.

The Brothers Comatose are onstage. They’re a young band. “Way to Reno.” “Keith Richards called me last night and asked us to do this song,” the singer tells us. “Dead Flowers.” They do a good and amusing cover. A red tailed hawk swoops overhead. They play a song called “Time To Go.” It’s bad timing on their part. The song sounds like something they use to finish a set, but then they play two more songs: “Turn It Around” and “Y’All Come.” Maybe they were asked to fill some time.

We leave The Porch Stage and start the long trek back to the car. We’ll stop at stages on the way out again. We’ve learned you can look at the schedule and try to plan, but after a while it’s a crap shoot. You just can’t see and hear as much as you want to at this festival. It’s almost a matter of chance what you’ll see.

Ralph Stanley and The Clinch Mountain Boys are jamming at the Banjo Stage. They’re playing “O Death” as we walk up. We stand behind the stage again and get the musicians’ view. The crowd really is impressive. It seems to go on forever towards the next stage.

People near the side of the stage are content to just sit on their blankets. There is a lot of smoking going on. We’re able to walk up and get a closer side view of the stage. They play “Katy Daly” an old Irish song I remember we sang as kids, “Come down the mountain Katy Daly, Come down the mountain Katy do.” It’s another Bluegrass Irish connection.

“Three Time Loser” “Nature’s Call” “Searching for His Grave” The last songs are long picking classics. Each member of the band gets a chance to solo in the spotlight. Each tries to upstage the others with their picking prowess. It’s a rousing finale!

John F. Kennedy Drive divides the festival in two. It has cyclone fences up so musicians and VIPS can scoot from stage to stage. People are now spreading blankets across the street from the part of the Park with the stages. They’ll take the spot even though they won’t be able to see anything. At least they will hear.

We’re headed to The Arrow Stage to see Todd Snider. He’s another guy I learned about at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. He does long hilarious monologues between songs. He tells us about his short high school football career. “Yeah, I played football.” There are laughs. It’s hard to imagine this slacker Hippie dude in a football uniform. “I was on the team!” he declares. He describes American high school football. You get out of school and change into uncomfortable clothes and then pound on each other. Coaches yell and berate you.

Snider began to notice that some students were slipping away into an area behind the football field. “What’s that?” “It’s The Smoke Pit,” another student informed him. “That’s where The Burnouts hang out and smoke cigarettes. He becomes more interested in the Burnouts than football. One day, one of The Burnouts offers him a hit of LSD at lunch time. Snider didn’t really know what he was getting himself into. He didn’t go to practice that day or ever again. He sings “One Shot At Having It All.”

“This is another song about psychedelic drugs and athleticism.” It’s a funny song, “America’s Favorite Pastime.” Dock Ellis was a major league pitcher who arrived at the ballpark one day not expecting to pitch, so he decided to take a hit of acid. (It was the Seventies.) For some reason he was moved up in the rotation and wound up pitching that day. He did walk about nine batters, but there wasn’t a single hit against him. The crowd loves it and exults when Snider sings the last line, “The day Dock Ellis pitched a no hitter while he was on LSD!” The last song is “White Conservative Christian” in which Snider tells us that he’s “A pot smoking, porn watching lazy ass Hippie.”

I see San Francisco’s demonstrating eccentric Frank Chu marching with his picket sign. He appears at just about every big gathering of people in the Bay Area. The top word on the sign is “Tedford.” It’s an odd, puzzling mention of the University of California’s football coach.

Marianne Faithful was appearing at The Towers of Gold Stage. Her appearance is another stretch for a Bluegrass Festival but it is Hardly Strictly. We were curious, but by the time we got to that stage she was long gone.

Kathy pointed out that The Knitters would be playing at The Rooster Stage. We were a bit cautious. The stage in Marx Meadows had been a crowded mess last year. We figured we’d hang in the back. I did want to see Exene, and it really wasn’t that crowded. Maybe it was because many people crowded to the front leaving gaps in the crowd.

Exene Cervenka is the singer from the Punk Rock band X. She and John Doe drifted into “Roots” and Americana music in the Eighties. Dave Alvin joins them. People are just sitting on blankets in the back. The front half of the audience was rocking though. It was more of a Punk Rock and Roll show with Exene, John Doe and Dave Alvin!

“Something to Brag About (With You)” “Poor Old Heartsick Me” They do a Dave Allan song: “Dry River” with the line: “Someday It’s Gonna to Rain” “Poor Little Critter on the Road”

There is some explanation of the next song. “The day after Obama’s inauguration I started thinking, what’s really different? It’s supposed to be a new world. Has anything really changed?” “This is supposed to be The New World”?

Exene: “Let’s do a Porter Waggoner song!” “Way To Go” “In This House I Call Home.” “Wear Some Lillies In My Hair” The band rocks: Fort Lauderdale has burnt to hell! Marx Meadow becomes a punk rock club for a short time.

That was about it for us. It was getting windy. The weather wasn’t as bad as it had been Saturday evening, but it was time to go. We knew that Malo, and then Little Feat would be playing at The Arrow Stage later. It was hard to pass up, but we kept going to the car. Eight hours was enough. People were streaming past us, headed in the opposite direction for the traditional Hardly Strictly finale, Emmy Lou Harris. We stopped for a break at a park bench near the Star Stage. We could hear Neko Case through the trees, but we couldn’t see anything. The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival was over for us for 2009.

We had heard great music, but we had missed some great acts. I had wanted to see The Austin Lounge Lizards, always a fun act, do “Too Big To Fail.” Boz Scaggs had gathered an all star band including Austin De Lone and James Cotton, but they were playing at the dread Rooster Stage while we were at Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women. It’s just an example of some of the choices that have to be made. At about the same time former Saturday Night Live comedian Steve Martin had drawn a huge crowd to The Banjo Stage. We missed Hazel Dickens, who we had seen almost every year. Clips started to appear on YouTube that night.

The Follow Widget

If you're reading CommanderBlog, do me a favor and use the "Follow" widget. Click on "Follow" in the upper left. It will send you a message when something new is posted. Thanks.

Ron Thompson

Kathy won two tickets from radio station KPIG to see Ron Thompson at The Union Room. It’s a bar above Biscuits and Blues. We had seen him twice this year on our free festival tour. He was a presence at “The California Blues Festival” at the Golden Gate Park Bandshell on Memorial Day. We saw him again at The Redwood City Blues Festival. We’ve seen him many times over the years in North Beach. He’s played the San Francisco Blues Festival. Winning the tickets was a good excuse to go out.

It was the Tuesday night after Labor Day. It would probably be a slow night. Biscuits and Blues has a video screen in a window on the street. You can see what’s going on onstage. Michael Burks would be playing in the big room downstairs. We went upstairs and the bartender and his assistant seemed surprised to see anyone tonight. “What brings you to my neck of the woods?” The free tickets seemed to be enough of a reason for them. They were charging ten dollars at the door.

A silent replay of last year’s Super Bowl played on a couple of TVs. Ron Thompson came in. He’s short and wore a white pork pie style hat. He had a tiny goattee, a “whiff.” The bartender looked half Thompson’s age. They talked about cars.

It’s a great little room for music. The last time we were upstairs it had been a thriving Irish restaurant. That was over ten years ago. The Internet boom was still going on. We’re a long way from that. Tonight we were the only two sitting at the bar. On one side of the room there were couches with cushioned seats and tables for nightclub lounging. Two other couples sat at table. I assumed they were tourists. I had to wonder how they found the place. The total attendance all night, counting us, was ten.

Thompson started playing on a portable Roland keyboard. He started with an old doo-wop song, “Ain’t Got No Home.” It had been a novelty song with the deep croaking voice of Clarence “Frogman” Henry. Ain’t got no job, no home, no woman, etc. Doesn’t seem to matter with Thompson rocking the piano. The song was a good match for his voice.

Then he did Ray Charles “I Believe.” Thompson would play everything solo tonight. He didn’t have a great voice, but he was pouring his heart and soul into it. He’d take a very short break between songs. He kept things moving. He threw out a lot of sound for one guy. Crunching Boogie. He played a few very old songs on mandolin. It wasn’t a night for scribbling notes, so I don’t have all the titles of this one man cavalcade of Blues and American Roots music.

He played an acoustic, but it was wired. He just kept blasting. He played a few more old tunes and then switched to electric guitar and belted out some old Boogie numbers. He did “Little Red Rooster” and other old Blues songs. He really lets it rip during “The Devil Has 99 Women.” “But there’s room for one more.”

It was time for a break and he joined us at the bar. He’s a little guy, a bit hyper and friendly. We started talking. We shook hands. His hand was calloused and rough. He’s played a lot of guitar. He was curious about why we were there. We told him we’d seen him many times. Where? North Beach! We talked a little about the North Beach Blues scene of the past. There were three bars on Grant Street cooking just about every night. Some nights sets would alternate between The Grant and Green and The Lost and Found. The Saloon was just up the street.

We talk about seeing him at Redwood City. He seems surprised. We explain that we try to go to as many free music events as we can. “Marin City was good,” he tells us. They have a Labor Day “Blues, Jazz and Soul Party.”

There was some non-musical chit chat. Where did we live? How long have we been in the Bay Area? Kathy has lived in San Francisco since ’73 and I arrived in ’76, so our credentials were impeccable.

Thompson talked about living in the Ingleside in the early Seventies. “It was rough.” He was one of the few white people living there then, “And I didn’t have a car!”

The only white guy around, “And I used MUNI!”

Kathy played interviewer, “Where was his first job?” He hesitated and had to think about it. “Fremont! That was pretty bad. The Fremont was bad.” “The old Black guy hired me because I knew the songs.” I realized later “the old Black guy” might have been John Lee Hooker. Thompson was born in Newark. He’s an East Bay native.

The other two couples had left, so we were the only ones there. It really was a private show. He wondered if he should go back onstage. We told him we didn’t mind just talking at the bar. He didn’t have to start again for us. It’s rare that we get to talk to the musicians we’ve gone to see. It can be disappointing. Thompson was personable and seemed to enjoy talking to us. He had another Grand Marnier. I knew he had played with a lot of the greats. He must have some good stories.

Kathy asks him what his first instrument was. I’m surprised he has to think. Piano! Somehow the subject of unions comes up, maybe because we had been talking about North Beach. He talked about two guys he knew that worked for the union. He said you didn’t see them until it was time to collect union dues or some other fee. Local 510. “They probably pocketed the money.”

“I played with a lot of people. I played with Mick Fleetwood.” He waited for signs of surprise. “Believe it or not, they were a Blues Band at first.” I had seen Fleetwood Mac back in the day and always thought they were a great Blues and Rock band before they were ruined by commercial success.

He met and played with Peter Green. “He was crazy! He’s still crazy!” I wanted to draw him out on that one. What “crazy” things did Peter Green do? He moved on without further comment. I’m sure he was aware of the cult of Peter Green. Any tales would probably be repeated.

So, he must have played in Chicago? He did, but he can’t remember where. What part of town? Can’t remember. It’s understandable with all the gigs this guy has done over the years. He did remember Wise Fools, “where everybody went to drink.” Wise Fools did have a lot of great Blues acts.

He talked again about living in the Ingleside. He reminds us, “Without a car.” Mark Naftalin picked him up from the airport and when Thompson told him their destination, Naftalin couldn’t believe it. “You can’t live there.” Thompson claimed a visitor from Chicago told him the Ingleside was worse than the South Side. (I had to express my doubts on that one.)

He played with John Lee Hooker for years and said he met a lot of the old Bluesman through him. He met Lightnin’ Hopkins through John Lee Hooker. (He later did two Hopkins songs.) “I met Eddie Taylor through him!” He must have told these stories hundreds of times, but obviously liked telling them again. He subtly mentioned playing with Jimmy Reed. I jumped on it, “You played with Jimmy Reed?!” Yeah, he sure did. He mentions playing with Homesick James.

How did he like being a solo act? He loved it. There were definite advantages. He liked playing in a band, but he could play whatever he wanted when he was on his own. He also didn’t have to worry about other people showing up. “If you make a mistake, then it’s Jazz!”

A couple more tourist couples came in and it was time for Thompson to go back to work. “Anything you want to hear?” Kathy suggested “old stuff.” Probably what he was going to play anyway. He pumped out more Blues history. Some great slide guitar. “Love in Vain.”

I noticed a Black man standing near the back of the bar. It wasn’t too hard to notice anyone entering or leaving tonight. It was Bobby “Spider” Webb. Thompson said hello from onstage. Would he join in? No, just a look in tonight. Thompson plays a couple more songs and takes another break.

A place he did remember was Kiko’s on Broadway in North Beach. It still had Rock and Blues acts there when I first came to San Francisco. Thompson played there and somebody told him the owner, Kiko, was in “The Flower Drum Song.” This was a setup. Thompson asked her about being in the movie. Apparently she was not in the movie. The guy who had clued Thompson in knew she hated hearing the story. She wanted to kick Thompson out of the club. It took her a while to calm down and allow Thompson to stay.

He must have played Merced, Kathy’s home town. Highway 99 had many Blues Clubs on it’s route through the Valley. “Of course.” He thought for a minute. “The Blue Notes! They were a great band!”

Kathy mentions seeing Dan Hicks at Yoshi’s. Thompson is a bit surprised he played there. We discuss Dan Hicks unique sense of humor.

Thompson says he hasn’t travelled across the country much this year because he’s recording. He’s working on what he thinks will be a great song. Later he does “Ocean of Tears” Which I think is the song he mentioned.

He tells us that lately he’s been driving to San Jose for a gig on Friday night then drives to Fresno for a Saturday night gig. Then he drives to Point Arena. (On the coast, far North of San Francisco.) He may not be traveling across the country, but he’s sure covering some miles every week.

He goes back for the last set. He does some more standards: “I’ve Been Loving You.” He did two Elmore James songs in a row. “It Hurts Me Too.” More great slide. He does a couple of Lightnin’ Hopkins songs including “Mojo Man.

The free tickets saved us each the $10 cover. They made up for it at the bar. It wasn’t the greatest of deals, but the SF Blues Festival is cancelled this year, so we hope to make it up on nights like this. Back in the North Beach days I’d have a night like this about once a week. It's a rarity now. Have to wonder how “The Union Room” can survive.

Jerry Day

Jerry Day is an annual celebration of Jerry Garcia’s birthday. His real birthday is August 1, but the celebration is held on the next day, Sunday. It’s a free event held in McClaren Park. McClaren is a big park with hills and wooded gullies and some sweeping views. You can see the Bay at certain points. Compared to Golden Gate Park, McClaren is remote. Usually it’s only the locals that know and use McClaren Park. I’d played softball at nearby Crocker Amazon, and have gone to some of my nephew Daniel’s soccer games at the new fields there, but I’ve never seen the amphitheater. It was named The Jerry Garcia Memorial Amphitheater a few years ago. It’s near The Excelsior, the neighborhood Garcia grew up in. It was a blue collar, working class part of San Francisco.

We took the right exit from 101 South and soon spotted some cars, vans and small trucks parked by the roadway. Bumper stickers for ecology and peace told us this must be the place. We heard an earnest young woman warning others that, “No glass is allowed.” We took heed of her righteous warning. We found out they were serious about the no glass thing. There weren’t many people heading down the road, but there wasn’t much doubt about which way to go. Just follow the tie-dye.

It was a steep walk to the Amphitheater. Then we went through a wooded area with pines. We missed the first act, Loco Bloco. They are a youth development organization trying to get youth involved in music and theater and give them an alternative to the gang life. The Hendrix tune “The Wind Cries Mary” drifted up. The terrain leveled off. A young security guard was on the trail to the Amphitheater. She searched our bag. I’m glad we didn’t gamble. It’s a steep walk back to the car. There was another bag check before entering the amphitheater area. They really are serious about keeping glass out.

The stage is concrete with some risers in the back. It’s in the middle of a natural bowl. There is some seating on concrete bleachers, but they’ve been all been taken. There were tie-dye backdrops onstage and a painting of the whimsical Jerry. Two official looking San Francisco Street signs were onstage: Excelsior, and Jerry Garcia.

Check Engine Light were playing as we arrived. The Jerry Day web site says they are “an acoustic band from Marin” that plays “Geezer Rock.” I heard someone say Garcia’s brother Tiff is in the band.

We went up the hill and around to the other side, stage right. The crowd was laid back. It wasn’t a huge crowd like a Dead show of old. This was a free local event that wouldn’t have the intensity of an actual Grateful Dead appearance. I wondered how many fans would show up if a single surviving member of the band showed up.

The hill was dry and dusty. Most of the grass had been burned away. We spread a blanket. Search Engine Light did a humorous number. “Mothers Don’t Let Your Children to Grow Up and dance Disco.” Then “Sunshine Superman” with a little of the “Put the lime in the coconut and stir it all up” song. There were five musicians onstage and a kid banging on a small drum set. He couldn’t have been more than five.

The crowd really does have a Sixties attitude. There are grizzled veterans in long gray hair, reliving the old days, at least for today. It was scary to see how old some people looked. People seem to be aging with each event. There were some younger people. Some were part of the gypsy caravan that lives on Haight Street. There are family groups making a day of it. Mom and Dad taking the kids to the Rock Show. There are young clean cut couples with babies. They struggle up and down the hill with strollers. There are a lot of dreads. Kathy later remarked that one age group that was missing were teenagers. Maybe they’re waiting for Outside Lands. There were enough younger people there that it certainly looks like the Beat will go on. Many people brought their dogs.

There was that odd cross section of Deadhead types. I’m sure there are computer programmers in this crowd next to other fans that look like they’re either living on the street or a step away. There were old aging biker types. People set up around the edges of the hill, using what little shade there was. There were familiar faces from other free shows, but no one we really know. Many obviously knew each other and there were joyous reunions during the day.

Onstage Check Engine Light wonders what song to do next. Did they forget what song they were going to do next? “It’s an older guy thing,” the singer tells us. They play “Dee Dee.” “Dee Dee thinks she’s Jesus Christ.” Then they play “Mister Charley.” Load up the shotgun!

Check Engine Light is good. Maybe they’re a little too laid back. The sound is great. There is a natural bowl, but it sounded like they really worked on the sound. It is great all day.

Two young women are walking around the crowd with a ripped cardboard sign saying, “Phish” and “We Also Need Ride” in Magic Marker. I assume they’re trying to find tickets. One of them has her legs completely covered in tattoos. It’s something you’d only see in the circus years ago.

A guy sets up to our right. He’s sixty, I’ll guess. Gray hair, beard. He takes off his shirt so everybody can see the electrode things on his beer belly and chest. He still has a hospital ID on his wrist. Did he just escape to get to Jerry Day? He’s wearing a Yankee hat and taunts anyone with a rival baseball hat. He holds his we’re number one finger up.

Vendors wander the crowd. Pinwheels. Ganga cookies. A black guy in dreads and Rasta clothing is selling “The best brownies in San Francisco.” There is quite a variety of bongs, roach clips and other trinkets. Some just lay out their wares on a blanket in front of their spot. There is much smoking, but I don’t see open selling until later. I only saw two San Francisco cops all day. There are private security guards. I do see a guy wandering around later offering buds in his outstretched hands.

A young couple settles in near us. The guy has long dreads. They lay out some small art objects for sale. Most have already set up camp, but some people are still coming in.

A grizzled biker type sets up next to them. He wore a Harley-Davidson of Merced tee shirt, “The Gateway to Yosemite.” It looked like the colors of a biker gang with a picture of Yosemite Falls. (What are the odds? Kathy grew up in Merced.) He sits on a small cooler. Later, he tells war stories of epic Dead shows he’s gone to in the past. Sounds like he’s talking about Watkins Glen. The Biblical epic of a show that had about a billion people at it. “I live four blocks away,” he told the youngsters.

“We live in our van. So, we live right here too.”

During the break there’s a spiel from Rock and Dog Rescue. They tell us of their fine dogitarian work. There are a lot more abandoned pets these days. There were other calls for support and funds for other causes. Help is needed in these dark times. It wasn’t too bad. It reminded me of the endless political diatribes we had to listen to during equipment changes in the old days.

Stu Allen and Friends are warming up onstage and do a version of “CC Rider.” It’s an admitted sound check while they wait for Stu Allen to arrive from the airport. Allen will have a full day playing here with two bands and then he’ll play the After Party that night at The Boom Boom Room. He makes it just in time.

I have to depend on Kathy for many of the song titles. She’s the real Grateful Dead fan. There is the inevitable Google.

“Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodeloo” Across the Rio Grandio.

Stu Allen’s guitar playing and voice sound like Garcia. OK relax, I know he’s not Jerry, but he does sound like him. He’s played in other Grateful Dead related bands including Working Man’s Ed. I think he’s the founder of Working Man’s Ed.

“That Lucky Old Sun.”

Kathy says the next one is from Blues for Allah, “I Will Stay One More Day.”

“Roll Away the Dew”

“Trucking” and “Good Loving.” There’s a great band of “friends” onstage with Allen. Again, the sound is crystal clear. The keyboards, a Roland 700 and a Hammond B3, sound great. The music is much better than I expected. A growing number of people are dancing in an area in front of the stage.

I wondered how long it would be before this event will be posted on YouTube. When would pictures appear on Flickr?

Event security in black jackets wandered around. They didn’t have much to do today. They looked like professional wrestlers with shaved heads and big biceps. What security staff does NOT look like pro wrestlers now?

Sandy Rothman is paged to the stage. He and another guest (A guy in a straw hat that played guitar. I never did catch his name.) will join for the encore.

“Friend of the Devil.” A long version, each song has a lot of jamming.

A guy wandered around with those protective wraparound shades. He had a cane and it looked like he was legally blind. I had spotted him earlier. He kept wandering around the crowd. Maybe he was looking for someone. He stumbled around bumping into people in that “It’s not my fault, I’m blind” kind of way. Another guy stopped near us. Maybe he really was an acid casualty of some kind. He seemed to have a hard time walking. Like he had either forgot how to walk or there was some kind of brain motion disconnect. Maybe he was just old. Why don’t these guys just get a spot and settle down?

An attractive young woman was looking for a place to put on her hula hoop display. It wasn’t that crowded, but there wasn’t enough room for a whirling hula hoop. She did find a spot later when things started rocking more.

Most of the tee shirts today were from old Dead or other shows from the past. Some of the shirts were getting pretty old. There were many from Dead tours in the post Jerry era. Phish was well represented.

There’s a delay and some equipment changes. Melvin Seals and the Jerry Garcia Band take the stage. Melvin is a big man and sits behind the keyboards. Two large black women sing backup. Stu Allen returns to guitar after “rehydrating.” The first song sounds like “Long Way from Home.” They do a great, interesting cover of The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There.” It’s a crowd favorite. Everyone knows this one.

Yankee Electrode guy is waving his drivers license and some other form of ID back and forth in the air. It’s some kind of celebration of survival, or persistence.

They do the Chuck Berry song: “You Never Can Tell.” It’s the one Travolta and Uma dance to in Pulp Fiction. It’s another great cover version. Don’t hear too many Chuck Berry covers nowadays.

“That’s What Love Will Make You Do”

“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” I see a young guy fervently singing along. He couldn’t have been born when that song came out. Still, he’s into it. The torch is passed.

Sitting on the side of the hill is OK, but it is getting dusty. It’s steep enough that there is that slow, gradual slide down the hill. We make a move to get a different perspective and to make sure we’re on the side of the crowd where we entered before the end. We estimate 2,000 in this crowd. (The San Francisco Chronicle also estimates 2,000 in an article the next day.)

At the top of the hill kids have congregated, climbing the trees. As people reach the top a young guy leans over and in the hushed conspiratorial tone of the street dealer offers “Doses.”

We listen to a couple of songs at the top of the hill. The stage isn’t that far away. People have started to leave and we find an empty spot near the bleacher area. It’s closer to the stage than our hillside perch. We get a good view of the finale.

The dance area in front of the stage is getting jammed. “After Midnight” brings more people into the relatively polite Hippie mosh pit. People flail their arms. Many are spinning. I see a guy I’ve seen at other shows. His white hair is pulled back in a bun. He looks very serious as he spins and spins, barely in control.

They do another great Beatles’ cover, “Dear Prudence.” The two female back up singers sound great. They slow it down a bit with a “male torch song,” “Tore Up Over You.” Then it’s another Dead song, their version of the Charlie Poole song “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down Blues.” Just about everybody is rocking now.

We start back to the car during “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You.” It’s been a great little event. As we go up the hill we hear the crowd sing Happy Birthday to Jerry.

I check Flickr and YouTube after a couple of days. There are a few photos. There is a short clip from this year already and clips from Jerry Days from the past. The Jerry Day web site is at http://www.jerryday.org/