H.E.R., Phish, SFJAZZ ready to melt our COVID blues
It’s not the same to go to a concert in 2021.
You have to be aware of vaccination, mask and other COVID19-related polices at venues. And you’re probably thinking twice about sharing some popcorn, a hug or even simple conversation with that person who just took the seat right next to you.
What hasn’t changed, however, is the thrill of hearing live music — that spiraling guitar lead, towering trumpet solo and single vocal note held oh, so impressively.
So, enjoy some live music, when you feel it’s right to do so, but please take proper steps to insure your own safety and that of others.
Here are five top shows we’re looking forward to this fall.
LIGHTS ON FESTIVAL >> Bay Area superstar H.E.R. deserves a victory lap or two, given the type of year she’s had in 2021 — performing at the Super Bowl, winning both an Oscar and a Grammy, etc. The Vallejo native will have the chance to take her bows, and eat up the applause, when she hosts her own Lights On Festival at Concord Pavilion on Sept. 18-19.
The singer-songwriter — who is also a sensational guitarist — is set to headline the event with a special H.E.R. & Friends set. She also curated the lineup, which features Erykah Badu, Bryson Tiller, Ari Lennox, Ty Dolla Sign, Keyshia Cole and many other acts.
Lights On’s inaugural year was 2019 — making its debut as “the first female owned and curated festival in decades,” according to a news release — and reportedly drew a capacity crowd to the Pavilion. It was a one-day festival in its debut, but expands to two days in 2021.
DETAILS >> Showtimes TBA; twoday tickets are $130-$701 (price subject to change), no single-day tickets, lightsonfest.com, livenation.com
PHISH >> The world’s greatest jam band hasn’t visited the Bay Area since summer 2018, when it performed yet another epic multinight stand at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.
Thankfully, that streak is due to come to an end this fall when Vermont’s “Phinest” — guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman and keyboardist Page McConnell — set up shop for two nights, Oct. 16-17, at Chase Center in San Francisco.
The quartet, which ranks among the greatest live acts in rock ’n’ roll history, also performs Oct. 15 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
And, yes, thousands of “Phans” will likely attend all three shows. DETAILS >> 7:30 p.m.; $55-$95; apeconcerts.com
SFJAZZ >> SF Jazz has so many great shows in its 2021-22 season it’d be foolish to try to mention them all. The season kicks off in-person Sept. 23-26 at the SF Jazz Center in San Francisco. That first batch of performances features such acts as Kris Bowers (Sept. 23), Kat Edmonson (Sept. 23-24) and Pat Metheny’s Side-Eye band, making its Bay Area debut (Sept. 25-26).
Other top picks in the months ahead include Berkeley’s own saxophone superman Joshua Redman, fronting a trio that includes bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Marcus Gilmore on Oct. 1-3; terrific Bay Area singer-songwriter Meklit on Oct. 16; and the SF Jazz Collective featuring saxophonists Chris Potter and David Sanchez, trumpeter Etienne Charles, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, pianist Edward Simon, bassist-vocalist Aneesa Strings, drummer Kendrick Scott and vocalist Lizz Wright on Oct. 28-31. DETAILS >> Prices vary per concert; sfjazz.org
AFTERSHOCK >> Metal fans have been counting down the days until the hardest rocking of all the major NorCal festivals gets underway at Discovery Park in Sacramento Oct. 7-10.
Topping the bill is Metallica — not once, but twice! — as the top-selling Bay Area band of all time headlines on Oct. 8 and 10 and will reportedly perform a different set list on each of the two nights.
Falling in between those mighty Metallica sets will be the Original Misfits, the legendary horrorpunk act led by vocalist Glenn Danzig, which headlines on Oct. 9.
But this festival is about so much more than just the headliners, boasting a deep lineup highlighted by Rancid, Seether, the Offspring, Social Distortion, Rise Against and — oh, yeah! — the French metal powerhouse known as Gojira.
New for 2021, organizers have added a Thursday showcase with Limp Bizkit, Anthrax, Testament, Exodus and others on Oct. 7. DETAILS >> Showtimes TBA; ticket prices start at $129.50 (subject to change); aftershockfestival.com
LOS BUKIS >> The long-awaited Los Bukis reunion tour is a major hit, selling out massive stadiums in multiple cities and prompting concert promoters to add even more dates.
That most definitely describes the scene in the Bay Area, as fans snatched up ducats to the band’s first date at the RingCentral Coliseum in Oakland on Oct. 1 in such eager fashion that organizers quickly offered up a second show on Oct. 2.
Those local dates are part of Los Bukis’ Una Historia Cantada tour, which finds the group reuniting 25 years after their last performance.
The incredibly popular Mexican grupero band, featuring superstar Marco Antonio Solís, is also set to perform two-night stands at Soldier Field in Chicago and the new SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.