Music Concourse Bandshell @ Golden Gate Park

Framed on one side by the new DeYoung Museum and the new Academy of Sciences on the other, the Music Concourse is a little island of perfection. Art on display (for sale) music wafting from the band shell… Makes me want to move to San Francisco…
Then I remember I live in Oakland where the weather is better and San Francisco isn’t that far away.

The best thing about the bandshell and its surrounding little valley of a park is a major (yet elusive) memory I have of Frequency 8 parties, and later, Sunset gatherings. I envision party kids in sleeveless vests hopping up and down under leafless, curvy-​branched trees — and climbing them — Jnco pantlegs swishing left and right, arms flailing over heavy heads, and two dreadlocked males behind turntables, surrounded by a harem of females who haven’t shaved their armpits or washed their tresses, yet swivel their hips and bend their numerous arms like they are Shiva goddesses.

What a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon — bumping house music, great friends, cold beer. This last Sunday we got some great weather in and it was such a treat to walk 15 min into the park with a blanket to enjoy the Sunset season closer. Gotta love these SF house kids. Can’t wait until next year!

i have raved here.
the funniest time, well one of the funniest, was there was this party called earthdance, there was supposed to be a worldwide globalhookup where people all over at the same moment were being unified in dancing and that would in turn bring peace.
uh sure
then there was a skills party at the bandshell. I laughed my ass off seeing furry pants wearing e-​tards hopping up and down and speaker tweeking you thought they;d pass out dead from exhaustion.
To clarify, i never was candy, i never wore fur or visors, and I still fucking loved jawbreaker and rocked that shit on the regular.
Acid house fo life tho!

My favorite song from a movie…
«Moon River, wider than a mile,
I’m crossing you in style some day.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
Wherever you’re going, I’m going your way…»
So do you remember that scene in «Breakfast at Tiffany’s» where George Peppard was letting himself be followed by Buddy Ebsen? They end up on a bench in front of a bandshell in Central Park where Buddy spills all about Audrey Hepburn’s past… I mean Doc Golightly spills all about Holly Golightly’s past… that her real name is Lulumae Barnes and that she is Doc’s runaway child-​bride from Tulip, Texas.
I always think of that scene when I come here because except for the trees, the setting is identical to the one in the movie. Speaking of Buddy and the hillbillies of Bever-​lee, I coincidentally came here to see the San Francisco Jug Band Festival last Saturday. Who knew blowing into an empty jug was an art? Well, there were eight different bands who thought so. Jamie W. and I stayed for only a couple of bands simply because we knew a member of one ensemble and frankly… how many jug bands can you see in one afternoon?
But hey, it’s a great place to set up a picnic table, listen to a scrub board scratch, take a swig of moonshine and tap your toes to the Appalachian mountain music. And the DeYoung is just a pig’s holler away. Y’all come back now, ya hear!
«…Two drifters off to see the world.
There’s such a lot of world to see.
We’re after the same rainbow’s end–
Waiting ’round the bend,
My huckleberry friend,
Moon River… and me.»