San Jose Mercury News, Festival Preview - Stern Grove Festival >>
Our pop music columnist looks at the best in free summer music.
By: Jim Harrington
It's a tough decision. Do you take your entire family to see some big-name pop act in concert? Or do you keep paying the rent or mortgage?
OK, so that's an overstatement. But it can cost a bundle to attend a major live show. And I don't have to tell you how important it is to save money these days.
There is, however, an option to the pricey live-music experience: Take full advantage of the multitude of free concert series happening all around the Bay Area this summer. Here's a look at some of the highlights:
Stern Grove Festival
When: 2 p.m., Sundays, June 19-Aug. 21
Where: Stern Grove, 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard, San Francisco
Info: www.sterngrove.org
The music: An impressive array of world-class entertainers, hailing from a wide variety of genres, set for Stern Grove's 74th season.
Highlights:
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings (June 19): One of the top retro-soul acts on the planet.
Neko Case (July 3): This indie-pop star has her own killer songbook, but she also covers such artists as Queen, Randy Newman and Nick Lowe. Acclaimed Bay Area rock act the Dodos open the show.
The English Beat (July 17): Sensational live band, known for such early '80s hits as "Mirror in the Bathroom" and "I Confess." (Also at San Jose's Music in the Park on July 21.)
San Francisco Symphony (July 24): Expect huge crowds to turn out for these hometown heroes, ditto for when the San Francisco Ballet (July 31) and the San Francisco Opera (Aug. 21) performs at Stern Grove. 06/02/11 >> go there
