What would you pay to see dozens of great live acts, hailing from a wide range of musical genres, perform in one of the most beautiful historic settings in all of Northern California?
Probably a lot, right?
Well, just keep your wallet right in your pocket, music lover, because we’re talking about the annual free Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival.
This year’s three-day event, set for Oct. 4-6 at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, once again offers a mind-blowing lineup of musical talent, extending from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artists and acclaimed indie-rock acts to blues and R&B greats. And, as per usual, there will be a goodly number of country, folk and, of course, bluegrass musicians performing as well.
And admission won’t cost you a dime.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get the most out of the festival. So here are a dozen of must-see acts scheduled for the 2024 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. The Music starts 1 p.m. Oct. 4, and 11 a.m. Oct. 5-6. For set times and other information, visit hardlystrictlybluegrass.com.
Oct. 4
Sleater-Kinney
Let’s kick off our list with the act that surely caught a lot of people’s eyes when the lineup first came out. Was it a misprint or could these punk/indie-rock icons really be playing this event? Whoa. We did not see that coming. Talk about underscoring the “hardly” in Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Yet, we absolutely adore the booking and can’t wait to hear Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein rocking their old classics as well as new tunes from this year’s “Little Rope” album on Day 1 of the festival. Details: 4:45 p.m. Oct. 4; Swan Stage.
Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway
It will be yet another nice homecoming for this rising bluegrass star, who last year sold out two shows at the Guild Theatre in Menlo Park — just a stone’s throw or so away from where she grew up in Palo Alto. Tuttle is an amazing musician who has twice won the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Guitar Player of the Year award, and a really solid vocalist as well. She and her Golden Highway band have also nabbed the last two Grammy Awards for best bluegrass album — in 2023 for “Crooked Tree” and in 2024 for “City of Gold.” Details: 4:05 p.m., Banjo Stage. (Note: the band also performs with Steve Earle 5:45 p.m. Oct. 5 on the Banjo Stage.)
Cat Power
The adventurous singer-songwriter has something really cool in store for fans this time through town. She’ll be performing from “Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert,” her new live album that re-creates an iconic Bob Dylan gig from May 1966. Unlike that original show — which, as it turns out, Dylan actually performed at the Manchester Free Trade Hall although the location was misidentified during the bootlegging process — Cat Power actually record her version at Royal Albert Hall in London. …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
