Street musician plays last show outside San Francisco's Ferry Building
SAN FRANCISCO -- A familiar voice at the San Francisco Ferry Building just gave the city his final performance on Saturday afternoon.
The popular street musician Marc Coleman has been serenading tourists and locals for the last seven years. He played his last show here before leaving the country with his family.
Coleman said aside from making a living playing live on the street, he has been using his music to bring more humanity back to a city that can feel very transient and corporate.
"It's important for me to push the human envelope here as much as I can. I've done it for the past years and just really made people feel like you're not just a number, you're not just an employee, but you're a person on this planet," said Coleman.
He moved to the city in 1986. But he didn't start pursuing music until he was in his early 40's. He sings music in many genres but focuses on soft rock. His sultry voice earned him a lot of supporters over the last seven years.
"When the pandemic happened, sometimes I would be the only person out here listening to his music. His music was super, super therapeutic to me. When it was some of the darkest days in the world, his music would just light up the streets," said long-time supporter Dana Jakoubek.
Coleman even met his wife here years ago. She was a German tourist drawn to his voice.
And after spending years talking about it, they've decided to move to Germany.
"It's very emotional for me. I'm going to miss you all. I'm going to miss the city. San Francisco, I love you," Coleman told the crowd.
Saturday was his final concert. He and his wife, and their son hop on a flight on Monday. He'll continue to play music. He plans to form a band and play in the clubs.
"I'll be 50 next year, and I'm trying to be a rock star in my 50's," said Coleman. "I'm going to play, I'm going to make as much noise as I can in Europe, so it's heard all the way back in the states."