San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Some shows to help you get back into the swing
Remember concerts? The parking hassles, egregious ticket service fees, overpriced drinks and the tall guy (it’s always a guy) who blocks your view, never puts his phone away and reeks of B.O.? Sounds heavenly, sublime even. What I wouldn’t do to be in your sweaty, smelly clutches again.
Well, the curtain is about to lift. After going dark for more than a year, Bay Area venues are reentering the concert fray, opening their doors for crowds ready to give their support, and providing the community and catharsis that only live music can bring. Many are taking a safetyfirst route early on, limiting capacity and arranging seating pods, while staff — from bartenders to sound techs, security to ticket takers — are working to make the experience feel safe and normal. So here’s a reminder: Be patient, treat others with respect, tip well, and mask up.
It’s going to feel weird at first, being around so many people again. But when the lights go down, the roar goes up and the band plays the first recognizable riff through a powerful sound system, muscle memory will kick in. Expect to see, and shed, more than a few tears as the power of live music triggers waves of emotion, and we ponder what we’ve been through and the ones we lost.
We’ll see you in the socially distanced pit.
Joshua Redman and Zakir Hussain, with Joel Ross and Zachary Moses Ostroff: For years, Stanford’s Frost Amphitheater has filled summer skies with a dazzling array of headliners and collaborators, and this gathering is especially colorful. Acclaimed saxophonist and Berkeley High School graduate Joshua Redman, tabla master Zakir Hussain, rising vibraphone star Joel Ross, and bassist Zachary Moses Ostroff will showcase a range of textures and influences. Redman and Hussain have previously performed together as a duo, continuing a conversation that merged worlds and sounds but also shared an elevated mentality. With instrumentalists like these, this is the only fireworks show you’ll need during the Independence Day holiday week.
7:30 p.m. July 1. $35$100. Frost Amphitheater, 351 Lasuen St., Stanford. live.stanford.edu
Bambu: As the adage goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. But for Filipino American rapper and activist Bambu, who has been uplifting the voices of the oppressed through politically sharp lyrics, ain’t a damn thing changed — they’ve gotten worse. His latest album, “Sharpest Tool in the Shed,” took 2020 society to task, putting both sides of the political spectrum on blast (“Dittybop” calls out both Gov. Gavin Newsom and Donald Trump). And with increased attacks against communities of color in 2021, especially Asians, Bambu’s empowering message demands to be amplified. Indoor concerts at the New Parish will be limited to 100 seats per show, so snag those tickets fast.
7:30 and 10 p.m. July 910. $30. The New Parish, 1743 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. thenewparish.com
San Jose Jazz Summer Fest:
The South Bay’s most anticipated music event of the year returns in 2021 with a full slate of acts including Morris Day and the Time, Ozomatli, Judith Hill, Kurt Elling Quartet with Charlie Hunter, the Motet, and the Pete Escovedo Latin Jazz Orchestra.
Billy Idol: I think we’ve all collectively calmed down since Idol’s Super Bowl LV TikTok Tailgate performance with Miley Cyrus. The cameo — as well as his scenestealing turn in the 1998 film “The Wedding Singer” — showed that the “White Wedding” superstar has been spiking his flask with the elixir of immortality. Speaking of spikes, Billy’s shock of blond hair, trademark sneer and upturned lip remain potent, going back from his Generation X days to his ’80s’90s reign to today. He’s got a bank of karaoke classics, and guitar nerds still fawn over Steve Stevens’ criminally underrated technical prowess. Don’t expect to be dancing with yourself at this one.
7:30 p.m. Aug. 21. $49.50$149.50. Oxbow RiverStage, Oxbow Commons, Napa. oxbowriverstage.com
7:30 p.m. Aug. 19. $79.50$179.50. Mountain Winery, 14831 Pierce Road, Saratoga. mountainwinery.com
The Hella Mega Tour: This alternative rock extravaganza bridges four decades with landline clarity, featuring headliners Green Day (est. 1987), ageless wonders Weezer (1992), emopop greats Fall Out Boy (2001) and skapunk flagbearers the Interrupters (2011). Expect a multigenerational crowd, epic singalongs and some crazy, unexpected things from Green Day in the band’s Bay Area backyard.
5:30 p.m. Aug. 27. $69$449.50. Oracle Park, 24 Willie Mays Plaza, S.F. hellamegatour.com
Stern Grove Festival Presents: Tower of Power, Too Short and DJ Shortkut: It’s “Town Business” all day with this double shot of legendary Oakland firepower closing out this year’s Stern Grove Festival.
Tower of Power brings its sophisticated funk and soul, while Too Short will repeatedly bless the gentle, pristine grove with his favorite word (Hint: It rhymes with “WIIIIITCH”). Tack on DJ Shortkut of Invizibl Skratch Piklz and Beat Junkies fame and you’ve got the musical manifestation of Bay Love.
Check out the full lineup of the free festival for other great acts, including indie pop crooner Perfume Genius ( June 27), the legendary Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (Aug. 1) and the eclectic bassist from the Brainfeeder collective, Thundercat (Aug. 8).
2 p.m Aug. 29. Stern Grove, 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard., S.F. Free, Reservations required. Live stream and more information available at sterngro
ve.org.
BottleRock Napa Valley:
Napa Valley’s threeday concert rivals any international openfield music festival and goes beyond with its lux amenities. This year’s no different. BottleRock boasts quite a lineup — a mixed varietal, dare we say — blending old, new and cuttingedge acts that helped the festival sell out of tickets less than two days after announcing the bill. Headliners include Guns N’ Roses, Stevie Nicks, Foo Fighters, Megan Thee Stallion, Run the Jewels, Miley Cyrus, Brandi Carlile and GEazy.
With concertgoers intoxicated by the combination of live music, sunshine, good friends, better wine and Michelinstarred cuisine, don’t forget to pace yourself. This Labor Day weekend event is just the beginning of life after COVID.
Sept. 35. Sold out, but the festival has partnered with Lyte as its official ticket exchange service. Napa Valley Expo, 575 Third St., Napa. bottlerocknapavalley.com
Lost 80’s Live: Millennials, this is the music you were conceived to. This revue of 1980s relics include opening acts (Trans X, the Flirts, Stacey Q, Burning Sensations) who will play their new wave hit (note: singular), while topliners A Flock of Seagulls, Thomas Dolby and the Romantics get the benefit of extended stage time. In between are a range of Reaganera rebels — Musical Youth! Glass Tiger! Naked Eyes! Animotion! Josie Cotton!
But Lost 80’s is just one of the highlights at Mountain Winery. The Saratoga summer concert venue’s season opens July 31 with Little Big Town, followed by other artists visiting this summer like Roger Daltrey (Aug. 24), Gogol Bordello (Aug. 31), and Gary Clark Jr. (Sept. 14).
6:30 p.m. Sept. 4. $49.50$109.50. Mountain Winery, 14831 Pierce Road, Saratoga. mountainwinery.com
Big Freedia and Too Many
Zooz: New Orleans bounce music is a treat, an ultrapropulsive expression of freedom and body/booty positivity, and Big Freedia is its reigning queen. The bounce ambassador has taken the regional subgenre into the mainstream via her reality shows and highprofile features, and she has been a staple of San Francisco’s Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival for the past few years. If you haven’t already made it to one of her shows, now’s the time. It’s something every music fan must experience — energy levels are off the charts, the bass pounds like a cannon, and posteriors defy the rules of physics.
8 p.m. Sept. 8. $30. The UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. theuctheatre.org
Andrew W.K.: Who better to break your concert fast with than this perpetual party machine? And the pandemic made Andrew W.K. double down on the get down — his upcoming album “God Is Partying” comes out the day before this gig at Bimbo’s 365. This San Francisco show is going to go off, and we’re totally here for it.
9 p.m. Sept. 11. $30. Bimbo’s 365, 1025 Columbus Ave, S.F. bimbos365club.com
Deftones: You know the unsettling thoughts that come to you in fever dreams, leaving you unable to get back to sleep? Deftones collect those and transform them into epic suites of skullcrushing sound. Sacramento’s hard rock heroes value sonic experimentation and emotion equally, finding beauty in unexpected places.
Their Bill Graham Civic show will be a leisurely trip down Interstate 80 for the guys
7 p.m. Sept. 18. $59.50. Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, 99 Grove St., S.F. billgrahamcivic.com