Stern Grove Festival announces 2023 line-up featuring Buddy Guy, Patti Smith, Flaming Lips
SAN FRANCISCO -- Organizers with the Stern Grove Festival on Tuesday announced the full schedule of summer concerts including blues guitar hero Buddy Guy, punk pioneer Patti Smith, modern psychedelic rockers the Flaming Lips and more.
The festival made the announcement for its 86th season via social media Tuesday morning, posting the full schedule. The free festival concerts take place on Sunday afternoons during the summer starting June 18 and running through August 20.
This year's lineup kicks off with jazz-funk outfit Snarky Puppy for the June 18 season opening concert. Other acts include folk duo Indigo Girls playing with a full band and support from Canadian songstress Neko Case (June 25), alternative electronic dance-pop artist Santigold (June 2), country star Lyle Lovett (July 9), African singer Angelique Kidjo (July 16), the San Francisco Symphony with guests Lettuce (July 23), songwriter Bob Moses (July 30), blues great Buddy Guy (August 6) and punk poetess Patti Smith (August 13). The festival's fundraising Big Picnic on August 20 will help close out the summer with modern psychedelic rockers the Flaming Lips taking the stage after special DJ sets by Neon Indian (the stage name for electronic artist Alan Palomo) and DJ Foodcourt (aka notorious SF scene fixture Parker Gibbs).
The festival has overcome a series of hardships in recent years with the pandemic shutdown coming before catastrophic flooding from a burst water main in August of 2021 that led to the cancelation of that year's Big Picnic fundraiser with Tower of Power and Too $hort. Last month during one of the intense windstorms that plagued the Bay Area this year, a huge eucalyptus tree toppled onto the historic Trocadero Clubhouse in the Grove, severely damaging the landmark building.
"This is soul crushing. The Trocadero and Stern Grove are San Francisco treasures," said San Francisco Recreation and Park General manager Phil Ginsburg in a prepared statement. It will take political leadership, resources and community resolve to put the Trocadero back together again."
More information about the Stern Grove Festival is available at the festival website.