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The Commodores performed at the Stern Grove Festival Sunday

Updated on: July 14, 2024 / 5:11 PM PDT / CBS San Francisco

East Bay band the Grease Traps set to open for the Commodores at Stern Grove

The Stern Grove Festival continued its 87th season of free concerts at San Francisco's Sigmund Stern Grove Sunday afternoon but you didn't have to have a ticket to enjoy the music live.

Back in May, Stern Grove Festival organizers announced the full schedule of summer concerts for 2024, including Motown '70s soul/funk hitmakers the Commodores on July 14.

Formed by a group of Tuskeegee Institute freshmen in Alabama 1968, the group became of of the most popular second generation acts for Motown Records in the early '70s after touring as an opening act for the Jackson 5 and scoring their first hit with the title instrumental from their 1974 debut album Machine Gun.

Commodores - Machine gun (SoulTrain) by mavrtje on YouTube

With saxophonist/keyboard player Lionel Richie and drummer Walter "Clyde" Orange sharing lead vocal duties, the Commodores racked up a string of popular singles that mixed dancefloor funk numbers ("I Feel Sanctified," "Brick House" "Too Hot to Trot") and Ritchie-penned ballads ("Easy," "Three Times a Lady," "Still") that would eventually lead him to launch a hugely successful solo career. The Commodores would regroup with new lead singer James Dean "J.D." Nicholas -- who remains in the band along with Orange and longtime multi-instrumentalist William "WAK" King -- and scored one of its biggest hits in 1985 with the heartfelt tribute to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson, "Nightshift."

The band's headlining performance at Stern Grove will be preceded by a DJ set from Bay Area institution J Boogie and and opening East Bay funk outfit the Grease Traps.

Last year marked the first time CBS News Bay Area partnered with Stern Grove to broadcast and stream online most of the season's concerts. Information on how to watch is below.

• What: Stern Grove Festival with the Commodores

• Date: Sunday, July 14, 2024

• Time: 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Location: Stern Grove in San Francisco

• On TV: KPIX+ 44 Cable 12

• Online stream: Live at www.cbssf.com/live on CBSSF.com and on your mobile or streaming device.

Dave Pehling

Dave Pehling is website managing editor for CBS Bay Area. He started his journalism career doing freelance writing about music in the late 1990s, eventually working as a web writer, editor and producer for KTVU.com in 2003. He began his role with CBS Bay Area in 2015.