Stern Grove Festival Announces Summer Schedule with Joan Jett, Tower of Power, Too $hort
By Dave Pehling
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Organizers with the Stern Grove Festival on Tuesday announced the full schedule of summer concerts including punk pioneers Joan Jett and X, local jazz-soul diva Ledisi and Bay Area legends Tower of Power and Too $hort.
The festival made the announcement via social media Tuesday morning, posting the full schedule along with some details about how attendees will be required to sign up for reservations for each concert.
San Francisco officials announced that the festival would be returning to the Grove last month. The 84th Stern Grove Festival will be among of the first large-scale events to return.
Highlights in addition to the above mentioned artists include the annual performance by the San Francisco Symphony on July 4, the live ensemble version of popular Washington, D.C. electronic duo Thievery Corporation, jazz-funk bass virtuoso Thundercat, powerhouse Southern soul act St. Paul & the Broken Bones and indie-pop outfits Perfume Genius and Fitz & the Tantrums.
As usual, the Grove will spotlight a variety of talent with Bay Area roots. The concert series kicks off with Grammy-nominated jazz-soul singer Ledisi, who got her start singing with the group Anibade and came to prominence as a featured performer with long-running cabaret show 'Beach Blanket Babylon.'
Other local highlights include SF punk greats the Avengers opening for LA roots-punk pioneers X and the annual fund-raising Big Picnic concert that will present an all Bay Area line-up of headlining East Bay funk veterans Tower of Power, Oakland hip-hop icon Too $hort and legendary scratch wizard DJ Shortkut.
The festival also offered the first details of how attendees will be required to get reservations for each concert. Free reservations will open up 12 days before the show date at 2 p.m. That means the season opening June 20 concert will open for reservations on Tuesday, June 8, at 2 p.m. on the festival's website.
The festival will also be streaming all of this summer's concerts for the first time this year.
General admission reservations can be made for up to four people per reservation, while the senior benches can be reserved for up to two people per reservation. There will also be ADA seating available to be reserved for up to two people per reservation.
On the day of the concert, all members of a group must be present to enter the Grove and the reservation holder must present a current photo ID to enter.
Additional details on safety protocols at the Stern Grove Festival and information on how to make a donation to get a picnic table reservation are available on the Stern Grove Festival website.
