Almost heard Joan Baez . . . sooo frustrating!

[LadyPicker]

Joan Baez used to live around the corner from us years ago before she divorced her then husband. She left, he stayed. However, she used to also give free concerts all the time at the private school her kid was attending which was basically right across the street from us.

I have always liked Joan. Very cool lady and a great performer!

[Rick Homan]

I am not drawing any grand conclusions about the Festival, concerts in general, San Francisco or people these days. It's just that I found myself surrounded by about fifty people who were there to drink and dope and talk loud with their friends. Unlike Peter Frampton's audience, these folks were not aware a concert was underway. They were facing away from the stage.

Had I known that the way to be among the music lovers was to arrive at 8 am and claim some turf, as Misty describes, . . . well I could have decided whether to do that.

[surfoxy]

I went for most of the day yesterday. Yep, there are a lot of people who are there all weekend and sit around partying and don't pay particular attention to every single performer. That's kind of the beauty of a festival, it's an experience of multiple moods, days, performers and at GG park, weather.

I moved around a good part of the day and saw 5 acts in three venues, including Elvis Costello and the Avett Brothers, both of whom generated massive, but really peaceful and (relatively) easy to navigate crowds. Hard to imagine there wasn't a way to move around these folks and get more tightly into the part of the crowd who are listening and paying attention to the show. It takes some effort...like it does at every other concert, but can be achieved. I'm sorry I missed Joan Baez, but Saturday just didn't work for me.

I do find it disappointing that Warren Hellman puts on this amazing festival for free, with so many great acts, in such a great park, and people have to complain about such a minor thing, which is typical of any festival, in any location, with any generation.

Rick, thank you for this...

I am not drawing any grand conclusions about the Festival, concerts in general, San Francisco or people these days.

...as that stuff is getting pretty tiresome.

[surfoxy]

My buddy and I got there at about 1:30 and the crowd at the Banjo stage (Hazel Dickens playing) looked like this from the trail:



But we got to within 30 yards of the stage with no problems. Earl Scruggs:



Yep, better if you get there early. But you don't have to. I got almost this close to Elvis Costello and the Avett Brothers, and those crowds were HUGE.

[apt]

Originally Posted by Rick Homan

By that time, the crowd had thickened considerably, and we were surrounded by clusters of people standing or sitting in circles, passing around the booze and weed, and amusing one another greatly. I could see that the great folksinger had taken the stage, and the occasional high note would come wafting our way, but despite a great sound system we just could not hear her because the noise level around us was so high.

I don't smoke weed at all, but given the choice between that and listening to Joan Baez's voice, I would opt for the weed.

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by apt

I don't smoke weed at all, but given the choice between that and listening to Joan Baez's voice, I would opt for the weed.

But hopefully you would do it quiety so as not to interfere with anyone else's enjoyment...

[Rick Homan]

Hawgadi --

I am glad you had a better experience at the Festival than I did. If readers can use information such as yours and that of others on this thread to avoid a situation such as I found myself in, then our postings will have served a purpose.

[apt]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

But hopefully you would do it quiety so as not to interfere with anyone else's enjoyment...

Of course.