Yerba Buena Gardens Festival hosts first free concert of season Saturday afternoon
It's the time of year when the outdoor concert season heats up throughout the Bay Area, and many shows are free.
One of the most impressive and rewarding performance series is the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. The concerts held in downtown Dan Francisco kick off this Saturday afternoon with a blast of Latin jazz.
The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival offers more than 100 free concerts, dance performances, kids' shows, poetry readings and a regular group workout/dance lesson called Dance Outdoors through late October.
The series' first concert arrives at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon and will feature Cuban-born, New York City-based percussionist and band leader Pedrito Martinez. Early in his career, Martinez was, coincidentally enough, a founding member of a band called Yerba Buena.
These days, he's a revered bandleader and musician who's jammed with music stars including Wynton Marsalis (who calls him "a genius"), Paul Simon, Paquito D'Rivera, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, James Taylor and Elton John. Explosive Paris-based Cuban combo La Dame Blanche led by singer, flautist and percussionist Yaite Ramos Rodriguez will open the show with their mix of hip-hop, cumbia, dancehall and reggae.
Due to the rainy weather forecast for Saturday, the start time for the performance was pushed back two hours from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the hopes that there will be less precipitation for attendees at the later hour. Those coming to enjoy the music should plan accordingly with waterproof accessories and umbrellas.
Others on the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival lineup include the women's vocal group Kitka (May 11), Bay Area singer Thao Nguyen (May 18), jazz/soul singer Pher (May 23), Bay Area dance troupe RAWdance (June 14-15), Circus Bella (three shows June 21-22) and many, many more.
All shows are free and held at the Yerba Buena Gardens Great Lawn off Mission Street, between Third and Fourth streets in San Francisco.
A complete schedule and more information are at the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival website.