Sunday concerts will start June 23
Tegan and Sara are set to kick off the 87th season of San Francisco’s Stern Grove Festival, part of a diverse lineup that also includes musical legends Herbie Hancock, Lucinda Williams and Chaka Khan.
The free Sunday afternoon concerts begin with the Canadian indie pop duo on June 23 and continue with Chicano Batman, an indie rock act from Los Angeles, on June 30; the San Francisco Symphony performing with Broadway star Jessica Vosk on July 7; soul icons the Commodores on July 14; Jamaican singer and saxophonist Masego on July 21; British pop duo Franc Moody on July 28; and musical shapeshifter Alex G on Aug. 4.
Hancock, the Grammy-winning jazz pianist who rose to fame as a member of the Miles Davis Quintet in the 1960s, is expected to be joined by the SFJazz Collective on Aug. 11. Williams, who made her name with her breakthrough 1998 album, “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road,” is scheduled to perform on Aug. 18.
For the first time, the festival’s annual fundraiser, the Big Picnic, will span two days toward the end of the series, featuring indie pop acts Sylvan Esso and Poolside on Aug. 24, followed by R&B songstress Chaka Khan on Aug. 25.
The season-ending shows play a crucial role in keeping the summer concerts free of charge, a tradition that has been part of the city’s cultural calendar since 1938. The series also supports arts education programs in the Bay Area.