Hardly Strictly Bluegrass brought the music and the crowds to Golden Gate Park this past weekend. The free three-day music festival brings multiple stages and a plethora of performances to a large swathe of the park during the first weekend of October each year.
Attendees definitely descended on the park this year as the festival hit capacity on Saturday and had to close all entry gates for the first time ever. The festival stated that the closure began around 4:45 p.m. on Saturday and lasted for about an hour. The start of the closure roughly coincided with the start of indie rock band Rilo Kiley’s set on the Towers of Gold stage. The band was a later addition, brought in to replace Alison Krauss and Union Station after Krauss was advised by doctors to go on vocal rest and had to cancel her fall performance dates.
Rilo Kiley drew a large crowd for their set on Saturday. |Photo: Cheryl L. Guerrero/Hoodline
This year the festival kicked off on Thursday evening at the Masonic Theater with a benefit concert honoring singer-songwriter Steve Earle. Earle is an annual favorite and has performed at every HSB since 2002. The “3x GRAMMY® Award-winner” was joined by other festival performers such as Emmy Lou Harris, Buddy Miller, Gillian Welch, and Molly Tuttle. Proceeds from the event went to Sweetwater Spectrum, a non-profit organization that provides adults with autism or similar intellectual/developmental disabilities, innovative, community-based, long- term housing.”
Steve Earle closed out the festival Saturday on the Banjo Stage. | Photo: Cheryl L. Guerrero/Hoodline
HSB has its roots in bluegrass, but the festival offers up a wide array of musical acts and genres each year, from rock to country, blues to Latin, R&B to folk, and more. It’s also a draw for the performers themselves.
"Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has been on our radar for years,” Patrick Hallahan of rock group My Morning Jacket shared in a statement prior to the festival, “because it is a gift to the people of the Bay Area...a chance for all to enjoy the ritual of live music free of charge. We're honored to get the invite this year, and we can't wait to feel the energy of such a special event."
Patrick Hallahan, drummer for My Morning Jacket’s, forms a heart with his hands before the start of their set. | Photo: Cheryl L. Guerrero/Hoodline
Each year HSB honors those performers and contributors who have passed away in the “In Memoriam” section of their website, as well as on-stage remarks during the festival. This year, however, it also featured performance tributes to Dolly Parton, who passed away in August of this year.
“When Tom Petty passed shortly before Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in 2017, many artists took it upon themselves to cover their favorite tune of his. We are taking a page of that playbook to honor Dolly Parton,” Sheri Sternberg, one of the founders and Executive Producer of HSB, said in a statement. “We have asked the performers to include one of her songs in their set as a way to commemorate her passing.”
Along with various dedications to her from on-stage, at least 15 artists incorporated a Parton song into their set, including Miko Marks, Wreckless Strangers, and Molly Tuttle, who performed Parton’s hit “9 to 5.”
Molly Tuttle performed on the Banjo Stage on Friday. | Photo: Cheryl L. Guerrero/Hoodline
HSB live streams from multiple stages during the event on HSB TV, so those unable to make it to the park can catch the performances. It also carries performances from previous years, so those who missed out this year still might be able to catch a set online.
Here are more scenes from the festival’s three-day run:
Attendees dance in Hellman Hollow during Steve Earle’s set.
Bass player for Salinas-based band ¿QienSave? during their Sunday set.
Robert Plant sings Led Zeppelin’s ‘Ramble On,” during his set on Sunday.
Annual favorite Emmy Lou Harris closed out the festival on Sunday.
Lizzi Dierken of San Francisco dances with tie-dyed flags during Sierra Hull’s set on Friday.
Gillian Welch performs on the Banjo Stage.
Violin/fiddle player with Molly Tuttle on stage during her set.
Punch Brothers graced the Rooster Stage on Sunday.
Amber Morris of Wreckless Strangers sings during their set at the Arrow Stage.
A family enjoys dancing to music emanating from the Swan Stage on Friday.
Jesse Wells played for a packed crowd on Sunday on the Towers of Gold Stage.
Conrad Lozano of Los Lobos plays bass during their Friday set.
Attendees watch Gillian Welch’s set on Saturday.
. Jim James, vocalist/guitarist of My Morning Jacket, performs on the Towers of Gold stage.
Former Jefferson Airplane members Jack Casady (l) and Jorma Kaukonen (r) of Hot Tuna.
Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley on the keyboards.
Robben Levine of San Francisco, and her 4-month old cat Alfie, attend HSB on Saturday. Alfie takes regular walks in the park with her and her dogs, Levine said, so he's familiar with the park, but for the festival she also had a pair of noise cancelling headphones on hand for him.
Cristina Vane performed her set on the Arrow Stage on Sunday.
Chris Thile of Punch Brothers.
Elizabeth Cook performs on the Rooster Stage on Saturday.
