The North Carolina folk duo, augmented by a rhythm section, drew a large crowd for its hourlong set. Other highlights of the afternoon included sets from Mandolin Orange and rising alt-country star Rayland Baxter. She finished with an inspired cover of transcendent country meditation “Highwayman.” A delicate rendition of Dylan’s “Masters Of War” recalled the optimism and magic of a fascinating time in America, and Collins’ voice was impressively clear and resonant. “Every time you smoke a cigarette, God takes an hour from your life and gives it to Keith Richards,” she quipped at one point.Ĭollins’s sparse arrangement resulted in some affecting performances. But the 80-year-old folksinger had wit as well. Collins was long on storytelling between songs, recalling a disheveled 1961-era Bob Dylan and an anti-Vietnam-War rally in Golden Gate Park. The result was a vital and impacting performance with an excellent live mix.Įarlier in the day, Judy Collins sang folk standards accompanied only by pianist Russell Walden and her own 12-string guitar. For the sensitive epic “California,” he sat at the electric piano, accompanied only by guitarist Nathan Dale, who added color to the weighty piano chords. Greene’s band came on strongly with a James-Brown-inspired funk mashup, the populist “Animal,” and the colossal horn riff of “Hollywood.” Greene strangled Stevie-Ray-Vaughan-like bar blues from his Les Paul and sang with passionate fervor. The Prairie Singers were featured, along with a horn trio. With 13 musicians, Greene’s set was the largest-scale production of the day. His bummed-out, lyrical grumblings struck a chord with the tightly-packed audience on the lawn.Īt the Swan Stage, roots rocker Jackie Greene performed a vigorous set. Vile exuded his dazed, flannel-clad persona with a rambling, Stooges-inflected drawl. Vile’s fingerpicking guitar style came through tenaciously in the live setting, especially on the quieter acoustic yarn “Bassackwards.” Here Vile and his band evoked gray days at trashy East Coast beaches, majestic in their implications of vastness Through the first four songs, auteur Kurt Vile played a different stringed instrument on each song, starting out on a Gibson Les Paul for tough opener “Loading Zones.” Vile then used a Fender Jaguar, running it through boutique tube amps to get a rich, living guitar tone. Headlining the Towers Of Gold Stage was Philadelphia rock group Kurt Vile & The Violators. With her winning smile and temerity, Harris put a sweet finish on the festival. ![]() She nailed sonorous vocal melodies and dug into her rock and Nashville roots. Although most of the set consisted of soothing, laid-back numbers, she stepped up the energy for her final song, an upbeat “Long May You Run.” The song was a perfect fit for Harris’ unique combination of talents. Harris led the band with her guitar and trademark rakish stance at the microphone. Emotive and strident, her singing was smooth and comfortable like well-worn leather. ![]() Harris’ slightly weathered voice carried the show. ![]() Harris performed a wistful version of country standard “Pancho & Lefty” and the Robbie-Robertson-penned “Evangeline.” This was followed by the more obscure “Old Five And Dimers Like Me,” performed as a duet with guitarist and mandolin player William Kimbrough. The songs were mostly languid and peaceful country reflections, spreading out in gorgeous arrangement like moonlit wheat fields. Temperatures hit 85 degrees as the Bay Area experienced one of its late season heatwaves, and festival-goers jammed in for a prime selection of top flight musicians.Įmmylou Harris, a mainstay of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass over the years, headlined the Banjo stage with a gentle but fortuitous set with her six-member band. Fragrances of white sage and eucalyptus trees, elderly hippies in tie-dyed “Make America Grateful Again” T-shirts, and the occasional craft peddler were all present. SAN FRANCISCO - Everything one could ask for from a music festival in Golden Gate Park was on display Sunday, as the 19th annual incarnation of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass wrapped up.
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