San Francisco's Music Concourse turns into a free jazz club Friday, with vocalist Lavay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers performing swing and blues alongside special guest Danny Armstrong. The show runs Friday, Oct. 16, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., and it costs nothing to walk in.
Admission is free.
Lavay Smith leads the Red Hot Skillet Lickers as their vocalist and bandleader, according to Keys Jazz Bistro. Smith’s website lists the Oct. 16 concert as a free, all-ages outdoor show at the Golden Gate Park Bandshell with her full band. Special guest Danny Armstrong has also sung after decades as a trombonist.
A Concourse Tradition Built Over Years
Friday's concert is part of Illuminate LIVE. The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department planned more than 125 free concerts at the historic Golden Gate Bandshell in 2025.
The department says the free concerts draw more than 250,000 people annually. A 2025 edition of the Friday Happy Hour format ran from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
Series history and getting there
The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department says Illuminate LIVE began in 2020 as part of Golden Gate Park’s 150th anniversary celebration. For general trip planning, the department’s Music Concourse guide says the 44 O’Shaughnessy stops at the Concourse, with northbound service by the California Academy of Sciences and southbound service by the Japanese Tea Garden; this is general route information, not an event-specific transit arrangement.
What To Know Before Heading Out
The show is open to all ages and free to attend, as Smith’s site confirms. The Recreation and Park Department’s general Music Concourse guide offers transit information, but no event-specific parking, transit or seating arrangements have been detailed publicly for Friday.
For now, the plan is simple: one special guest and a free evening of live music at the Music Concourse to close out the week.
