Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2022

  One by one the big events in San Francisco have returned. It had been three years since Golden Gate Park had heard the twang of banjos and the screeching of fiddles that is Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Five hundred thousand were expected. It’s held over three days in early October. I had to miss Friday. I really wanted to be there for the return of the festival to Golden Gate Park, but duty called. 

I wasn’t in San Francisco in the Sixties, but I imagine that Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is the event that comes the closest to the vibe and atmosphere of those free shows in the Golden Gate Park. Most of the HSB crowd are white geezers, but it is a very family friendly event. There were plenty of strollers. People are encouraged to spread a blanket and picnic in the park. The crowd is still diverse. 

The event has changed. Security was increased after the shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival. It’s still a free festival, but cyclone fences surround the festival grounds. Everyone passes through a cursory check and metal detectors. The days of just walking in from any point outside the park are gone.  

HSB usually gets lucky with the weather. Today there was a gray cloud cover, but no wind or fog. I could hear the Bobby Fuller song, I Fought the Law as I walked towards the park. One of my favorite songs. I could hear it pretty good considering the distance.

I walked around Spreckels Lake and entered the festival grounds. Security barely looked at me on the way in. Everyone does pass through metal detectors. Another change this year: no coolers. I heard no backpacks would be allowed, but I did see many inside the festival grounds, especially on Sunday. There was no line getting in.  

Few people wore masks. That seems to be normal here now. 

Headed to The Towers of Gold for The Waco Brothers with Guest Mekons. They had played I Fought the Law. 

“We played this one for Lee Scratch Perry!” The Harder They Come. Two of my favorite songs in the first set of the day. They played Twentieth Century Boy.  

The Traveling McCourys couldn’t make it due to the storms back east. A group with very colorful stage outfits did a great job at filling in at The Swan Stage. I Am the Devil. They didn’t know they were going to be onstage today so, “We didn’t bring our acoustic instruments.” I learned later they were the Jake Blount Band. 

Jim Lauderdale at The Rooster Stage. Slick Country and Western from a long time show business veteran. Buddy Miller joined for one song. 

The cyclone fences are aggravating. I can’t use my old shortcuts. New areas have been blocked off. As the day goes on the human traffic flow is directed by the fences. Sometimes it does help to get from stage to stage.   

There are more food trucks this year. The lines would grow longer as the day went on. I had an arepa from a local pop up. It’s a Venezuelan burrito. Very handy and very tasty. 

A band called Joseph was playing at the Banjo Stage. It featured three female singers. They did sound good, but I heard some Bible thumping going on up there. It might have been in jest. They did a great version of The Rolling Stones’ Moonlight Mile. 

The smallest stage is The Porch Stage. Every year I have to at least take a look. The smallest stage here would make a great music event on its own. Meklit is a female Ethiopian singer with a band. She had a very PC lovey-dovey message. After a couple of nice songs I wandered. 

Hardly Strictly has always been a very peaceful event. It seemed even more so this year.  Like other events people appreciate them more after the three year absence. The increased security really promotes a family atmosphere. It’s not just geezers. There is a wide range of ages.  

There were gaps were nothing much was happening. It’s a little odd considering there are six stages going.  

I caught a little of Marco and the Polos at The Bandwagon Stage. The area around The Bandwagon Stage can be a great haven from the masses. It’s a very laid back scene there, but the sound was bad unless you were near the speakers. It didn’t seem that windy, but the sound was getting blown away. 

A large tent is set up near the end of the Meadow. It’s the Hardly Strictly Museum. There’s a poster there for every year of HSB. A list of who played what year. And some video clips were being shown. The history of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. There are other relics including the  rhinestone jacket Warren Hellman wore when performing at HSB. 

The Contemporary Jewish Museum had a similar exhibit honoring Warren Hellman several years ago. It had a lot of clips and highlights from HSB through the years. There should be something permanent.

Almost every performer over the weekend thanks Warren and the family. A trust fund will keep HSB going in the future.

Near the museum another tent was set up. Free Covid tests and vaccinations were available. About ten people were lined up.    

I had planned to stay a little later, but as the day wore on so did I. The spirit was willing… I made my way to the Rooster Stage and watched a little of “Black Opry Revue F. Leon Timbo, Lizzie No & O.N.E.” It really is “Hardly Strictly.” 

  Now my strategy is to get back to the apartment and watch the main acts online. It’s not the same as live, but I can see what’s happening onstage. 

Back at the ranch: I missed the very beginning of Elvis Costello. They played a Grateful Dead song: Loser. Elvis mentioned The Warlocks. They played some Dead and Jerry Garcia covers. Wharf Rat. Ramble on Rose and Sugaree. The Grateful Dead sound was filling Golden Gate Park again. He did put a new twist on the songs. How’s this for obscure? They do a  Brinsley Schwarz cover!    

An ancient looking Austin DeLone on keyboards. Allan Mayes joined. Elvis said that they played songs from the San Francisco scene of the Sixties in Liverpool. No one had heard the San Francisco Sound there yet, so the English club goers thought they had written all the songs! 

A couple of Neil Young songs. Including Everyone Knows This is Nowhere. 

And of course the big hit: What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding.

Next to stream online was a mini Talking Heads Reunion. Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew. No David Byrne.  

 

Sunday. Arrived a little earlier. Entered at 30th Avenue and went to The Banjo to see Dry Branch Fire Squad again. Thomasson is still humorous. Heidi Clare joined on the “fiddle” and did her clog dance. It brought the sun out. 

Do I Ever Cross Your Mind. Fifty Miles of Elbow Room. Wander My Way Home. Thomasson still tells some great stories and anecdotes between songs.    

Caught a couple of songs by Kevin Welch at The Bandwagon. He did the solo acoustic thing. Very laid back crowd today. Especially in the early going.

The weather is much better. Sunny. Not perfect, but a great day for this time of year in Golden Gate Park. The dread fog was held at bay. 

Moon Alice is a Sixties nostalgia act featuring surviving Chambers Brother Lester and his son, Dylan. They can really take you back. Especially when playing in Golden Gate Park. They played a long jamming version of Turn On Your Love Light. (Bobby Blue Bland)

The cowbell announced the first beats of the classic: Time Will Come Today.  

Saw Steve Earle riding in one of the golf carts to The Banjo Stage. He had his game face on. He was headed to The Banjo stage to play at “Fare Thee Well,” a tribute to those who had passed away in the last three years, including his son Justin Townes Earle. It must still be tough. 

But first I went up on the hill to the right of The Rooster Stage. This used to be my old spot. I’d spend most of the day here when I first went to HSB. The Brothers Comatose always draw a big crowd. I only stayed for a couple of songs. Knoxville Foxhole. The Way the West Was Won. It was time to hustle over to The Banjo Stage for “Fare Thee Well.” 

Steve Earle was onstage. Emmy Lou Harris joined to the crowd’s delight. They honored Nancy Bechtle, Warren Hellman’s sister. They did one of her songs: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. Bechtle had performed as Nancy and the Lamb Chops at past HSBs. The Hellman family is thanked again.  

Steve Earle talked about living in Lubbock, Texas. I missed the name of the venue, but he said, “Imagine seeing Mance Lipscomb and Lightnin’ Hopkins on the same night.” 

Jerry Jeff Walker shared an apartment with David Olney. (I’m not sure if I heard this right.) Earle hinted at wild stories. Earle became Walker’s “driver” so Walker could avoid another DUI that would lead to incarceration.

Another roommate worked at a pizzeria. They would manage to get free pizza, especially near the end of the night. Olney always got the same one, pepperoni and cheese. It was suggest he order something else to allay suspicion, but Olney insisted on the same pizza every night. Earle said, “That’s the kind of guy he was… pepperoni with extra cheese.” He did two Olney songs. I recognized the one about drug smuggling. Border Crossing. 

I met Van and Jonathan, two HSB veterans. They had seen Michelle Ponder and raved about her. Bela Bartok was up next at The Swan Stage. It was a tough decision, but my top priority was seeing Dave Alvin and the Guilty Ones at The Rooster. Alvin says it’s his last tour, and I was in the mood for something more rocking.  

The Guilty Ones features the distinctive voice of Jimmy Dale Gilmore. How many miles has this guy traveled on the road? He looked old, but sounded great. He’s played every HSB and is a close friend of the Hellman family.    

It was great to hear some of the usual suspects: King of California. Lawdy Miss Clawdy. Harlan County Line. Bring It On Home To Me. Borderland. Dry River. Dallas. 4th of July. 

Got home in time to see Galactica online. Looked like great R&B, but I was glad to watch from the apartment. The lead singer was powerful. They did a great version of Led Zeppelin’s Nobody’s Fault But Mine.

The event does turn the neighborhood upside down for a weekend. To me it’s a small price to pay for such a great event.