Rock Medicine

The Rock Med team at the Fare Thee Well shows did a fantastic job. Thank you so much for your service and your competence. Every music venue should have a Rock Med team available.

I rarely write reviews but I just have to praise Rock Medic. Last night at the Shoreline Amphitheater I got really sick — I’d been ill for five days but pushed myself into attending the concert. I was severely dehydrated and they took me immediately, gave me a blanket (I was shaking uncontrollably), and treated me. They hooked me up to an IV for fluids, did a great job with the actual IV, and kept me laughing and comfortable the entire hour and a half I was there. I’d never been to a medic station (only my doctor/​hospital/​urgent care) and was so surprised how well I was treated. All for free too! They truly cared about helping me (I wasn’t too keen on sticking around for the IV fluids but they convinced me and ended up having to give me two bags).
Rock Medic totally saved me last night. I wish I could’ve thanked them more!!!

Class A organization. Very professional and courteous. Took great care of my wife while she was not feeling well. Specials thanks to Virginia McKone and her staff. We cannot thank you enough for watching over us. I hope you continue to get support from the volunteers and those you help so that you can be the lead medical assistance at every venue.

The most professional and courteous group of volunteers going. If you are in need of medical attention at any kind of event, you’d better hope that these are the people to help you. Other places have other groups, but never have I seen a group as dedicated, caring, and thoroughly effective as Rock Med. They deserve every bit of every star I can give them.

If you get a chance to work with Travis, do it! He’s the best manager|supervisor|partner|dispatcher RockMed’s got!

I had never noticed Rock Med until this new years eve when they found me in a state of need. For no obvious reason, I had passed out on the dance floor at the Fox — out of sight of my friends. Being about 30 years older than most folks around, the situation scared the hell out of everybody, and out of me too when I learned what had happened. I was really vulnerable, and in shock. The Rock Med people got me out of the immediate scene and then checked me over pretty carefully. They gave me the right amount of attention, and also the right amount of space. I’m full of gratitude. What loving souls.

I was at the Smashing Pumpkins concert at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium with a couple friends when a friend of mine collapsed part way through. By the time I realized he was on the floor the great Rock Medicine volunteers were already there. They helped get him to the medical station where a bunch of nurses were on hand to check him out. It was great having the RN and nurse practitioners there as we had no clue what had happened. The volunteers were all very friendly and professional during the whole situation.

Kudos to Barbara Horn and her helpers who provided superior emergency first aid to my head wound on March 2^nd-​3^rd at the Fillmore. Barbara and her team were timely, professional and courteous– a feat, given the midnight hour and «condition» of the patient. Thank you so much!!.

I’ve been meaning to send a thank-​you card to Rock Medicine ever since they saved me at the Fox Theater in Oakland. But sending real mail is such an arduous task…
Some background:
I made the mistake of gulping down some tequila an hour before the Tegan and Sara concert. If I only knew that my seat wasn’t at the «summit» of the Fox Theater, I might have lightened my hold on the Tequila bottle. After about 5 minutes of sitting in my seat, I suddenly found my dinner and drink decorating my girlfriend’s hoodie, theater carpet, and chairs.
I sat there for probably about 10 – 15 minutes until one of the Rock Medicine members found me. He helped me down the 2 130 238+ stairs and led me into a room where other Rock Mediciners made sure I didn’t have to go to the hospital. Phew!
Rock Medicine, if you are reading this, thank you for
1. Being there so that I didn’t have to sit for over an hour in my puke
2. Not berating me for being a tequila dummy
3. Finding me a place to lie down while I waited for everything to stop moving
4. Keeping my gf company
5. Caring about people so much!
and…
6. Not letting the puke harden on the clothes I borrowed

Biased review since I volunteer with this org, but damn these people do good work! Thanks for the earplugs for my teenager who does his best to lose his hearing at each show, and for being so resourceful while proving such excellent healthcare and preventative services! The concert venues would be lost without you!

Rock Medicine is a beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful thing.
It always brightens my experience at concerts — especially outdoor ones — when I see the lovely beacon of hopeful-​kind-​light that is Rock Medicine.
Staffed by caring, warm, and music loving folk, who are medical certified volunteers — Rock Medicine feeds the energy of shows with radiant light– in their unbiased and non-​judgemental concern for the wounded, sick, drunk, sunscreen-​less, earplug-​less, and even broken shoed.
The Rock Medicine work tirelessly at shows — to make sure that everyone is as safe and healthy as possible. When I’ve needed sunscreen they were there for me. When I needed a band-​aid they were there. When I’ve seen people doubled over with one too many drinks — I’ve seen them be there. When my friend’s shoe sole was falling off — I even saw them bandage up the sole of her shoe — so she’d have no problem walking in it — for the rest of the day.
What makes Rock Medicine so unique is that it stems from a lovely rich history of goodness, originating from the big bright heart of the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic, and all of it’s staff are some of the most genuine and exceptional people around.
People go to concerts to feel music at their core. To lose themselves. To escape. Let loose. Go wild.
And it’s only inevitable — that when you have thousands of people (many of them on a variety of substances) in an enclosed space with body jostling music — that things are going to happen…
To see the patient Rock Medicine staff, amidst a wave of screeching guitars, and pounding bass. labor over injured and green-​hued slurring people — with loving smiles and tender touches — is a touching and beautiful, beautiful, beautiful thing.
They work tirelessly to keep music — and our musical experiences truly beautiful and safe.
Thank you.

Rock Med has taken care of me in the past (earplugs, sunscreen, bandaids, etc) ALL FOR FREE/​Donations. All the workers are volunteer. How can you beat that?
After many years of using their services I now volunteer for them. And am loving every moment! Rock Med is the best!

What a wonderful organization! If I ever hit the lottery or win a BIG defamation lawsuit, I know the first place I want to lay some good karma money on: ROCK MED!
Only in cool San Francisco can a non-​profit organization like this exist!
Rock Med started in 1973 when concert promoter Bill Graham asked the Haight-​Ashbury Free Clinic to staff a tent at a Grateful Dead & Led Zeppelin concert. From this, Rock Med evolved into a mobile triage program with a full array of medical personnel and volunteer nurses.
At each show they staff, Rock Med will set up a triage area for intake, treatment and recovery. Also nearby is the «space tent-«where psychiatric counselors «talk down» people on bad drug trips! Rock Med has a «convenience table» of free band-​aids, condoms, Advil, tampax, candy, and ear-​plugs. Other than an occasional comped free meal or t-​shirt, the Rock Med staff is ALL VOLUNTEER and receive no payment for their time. Most of the staff is always so busy-​they never get to enjoy the music or meet any of the Rock Stars.
Still-​the Rock Med goal is to take care of patients right there on sight-​right now-​and avoid getting them into trouble with the law. Most venues have first-​aid, but don’t have the staffing to offer much more than that. That’s why concert patrons are so lucky-​in the Bay area-​to have Rock Med. Few other programs like this exist in the country that provides such comprehensive care at large music events. None can come close to offering the broad spectrum of care for such a large group of people.
During the busy concert season that runs from April through October, when concerts & festivals can turn venues into mini-​cities, Rock Med is in overdrive. They treat every kind of ailment and their staff has seen it all: bruises, broken bones, headaches, cuts, sprains, drug & alcohol problems, insulin shock, heart palpitations, women going into labor, head injuries, asthma attacks-​you name it-​their volunteers have dealt with it. And those volunteers form the backbone of this great group.
They were all over the recent San Francisco Outside Land’s Festival-​right up there with the security guards in the crowd. They-​along with the booze and beer vendors-​helped the vast crowd keep their groove on! Rock Med combines 2 powerful healing agents: Medicine and Music to form a more perfect union. I can personally attest that volunteer Jeff came along just at the right time for me after the concert was over. I was totally mystified and lost in that dark, immense park, and since Another Planet wouldn’t sell me a parking pass for my bad knee, I was adrift in a strange place.
It was ROCK MED that saved the day-​or more precisely-​the evening for me-​helping me eventually locate my rental car in some obscure corner of the park where I left it 12 hours earlier. How ironic that after all the money and organizing for this MASSIVE event, it is the volunteers that patrol the perimeter in a little cart that mean the most to patrons who really are stuck there-​not knowing what to do or where to go. Rock Med is the coolest of the cool-​they put the ROCK in ROCK ON! Thank you again-​Rock Med!

best care anywhere
better, faster care received than you would get in any
ER.
and they do accept donations

Well, I’m a 14-​year volunteer with RockMed, so I’m biased. That said, I treasure the philosophy preached during the staff huddles before every show: «Healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Non-​judgmental healthcare for all.» Some of my favorite events are the long music festivals, where RockMed gets to practice more community health and help folks address issues more chronic than stubbed toes and sprained ankles.
I started volunteering with RockMed just as a CPR-​certified layperson. My experiences there excited me, and inspired me to get more involved in healthcare. Today I’m a Nurse Practitioner working in public Health. I directly attribute this success to RockMed. The joy and satisfaction from providing free healthcare (ranging from band aids and bee stings to severe, life-​threatening traumas) is truly rewarding, for both patients, and staff.
RockMed holds orientations in April of each year. If you are interested in getting involved, all you need is a CPR certification. Visit
for more info.

My up-​front disclaimer is that I volunteer for these guys. Having said that, they don’t pay me so I don’t feel guilty about my 5 star review! RockMed is not only a bay area institution, celebrating their 35^th anniversary this year, but they were the pioneers of the branch of medicine known as «event medicine». RockMed has served 10s of thousands of concert goers and I’ve seen the nurses and docs do everything from stitching lacerations to defibrillating hearts. We do a lot of band aid, sunscreen, ear plugs and «chill out» work as well. If we’ve helped you or one of your friends out (and with thousands of shows under our belt we probably have), stop by and say «hi» and make a donation at one of our shows. We’re happy to help and serve as an example of what a motivated bunch of volunteers can do for over 35 years!

Rock Med is awesome cuz they always have earplugs if your eardrums are rattled by the tunes. Look for the Big Blue Sign and you’ll find them. I was introduced to RockMed in the 90’s by Raz on the Radio. She was a great midday jock on KWOD 106.5. Her brother, who’s name was also Raz, worked for RockMed and some Haight-​Ashbury Clinic in San Francisco. Raz (on the radio) and I went to see Chumbawumba at The Fillmore and that’s when I first learned about RockMed. They seem to specialize in «Whoa, dude… I think I’m having a bad trip». Or «This song by Chumbawumba is freaking me out, man!» They also deal with everyday concert mishaps, they’re «mosh-​pit medics’. I don’t know whatever happened to Raz (on the radio), or Chumbawumba for that matter… but I do know that Rockmed is still rocking and giving out band-​aids to those in need.

It was day two of The Trey Anastasio Band at the Greek Theater in Berkeley and I was allKeYeD UP. My level of excitement was out of control. I felt like a child waiting to see a magic show. Greg and I were sitting in the orchestra level of the theater where it was crowded with nervous energy and bodies. I was trying to make more room when I happened to stub my toe on the concrete wall. My toe was hurt, it stung, I hit it hard and it was bleeding. Immediately, I grabbed my red backpack and busted out my Ziploc medical bag. I had my toe all under control and put on socks to keep my feet warm. But what I really wanted was a phatty band-​aid. I thought to myself, «where do you go for that?» I took a moment and figured out that there was an urgent care center near by. I did not know if I was a qualified candidate. After all I just needed a place to clean my foot and a Band-​aid. I asked Greg if he thought it was cool if I went there. He proceeded to explain to me that ROCK medicine is a place where patients come for minor illnesses, injury, basic first aid, and transport. ROCK Medicine also stocks up on items such as: band aids, sunscreen, tampons, condoms, antacids, etc. TO say the least I was so amazed.
So I headed over to the big blue sign that said ROCK Medicine. This was my first time going to a care and medical service for large music-​related events. I walked up to the fenced area where I asked the door person in the blue coat if I could have band-​aids for my toe. She walked me inside, where I took a seat. She looked at my toe and directed me to the tent where I sat on a long brown cushion table with my feet dangling. I was feeling like a dork about my toe, but it was so cool to be hanging in the tent. This nice man cleaned and wrapped my toe. They also offreed me water. I though about how cool ROCK Medicine is. The staff is friendly and they know their music as well as provide excellent first aid. I proceeded to ask the staff a million questions. They told me that they were part of the Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic. I was like, «No way, I write the Haight Neighborhood reviews for a website called
. I felt an instant bond and I thought my experience here would be a great next article. My face was glowing and I was stoked. The room was clean and equipped with everything you could need for those emergencies that can ruin a good time. What an excellent service to provide. I had to fill out some paper work documenting my toe and then I had a glass of water, used the restroom, and packed up. I thanked the staff and wished them a happy show. I left ROCK Med feeling like a rock star. I was all bandaged up and ready to boogie. what an experience.