Millions of music fans across the nation — as well as around the globe — have been eagerly awaiting the return of live concerts.
You know, ones that aren’t being “livestreamed” on Zoom or whatever.
That’s certainly true for Bay Area fans, who have long been blessed with one of the best year-round concert schedules.
Fortunately, things are starting to heat up on the live music front a bit and we can begin to put some things on the calendar — with relative confidence that we won’t have to just scratch them back off at a later date.
Although the really big shows and festivals likely won’t return until later in the summer — with Labor Day weekend seemingly being the line in the sand for when the music scene will really start thriving again — fans can actually start enjoying in-person performances as early as this month.
With that in mind, we’ve picked four cool live music offerings for your consideration:
Blue Note road trip
In what is nothing short of an iconic pairing, Blue Note Napa has partnered with Napa Valley’s oldest wine estate — Charles Krug Winery — for a series of outdoor shows during the Bay Area’s extended concert season.
The concert series has several shows scheduled for May, including includes two performances in one night from one of America’s best band — Los Lobos — on May 28 as well as six shows in three days (May 29-31) from Pink Martini. The tunes continue with September, with the Billie Holiday Project (led by Stella Heath), Taj Mahal, Arturo Sandoval, the Stanley Clarke Band, KT Tunstall and others set to take the stage.
Details: Concert series runs May 28-Sept. 19; Blue Note Napa at Charles Krug Winery, St. Helena; show times and tickets prices vary per concert; bluenotenapa.com.
Music in a Shakespearean setting
Cal Shakes fans have long known that Bruns Amphitheater is one of the best places in the Bay Area — if not the entire world — to experience live theater.
Yet, it’s also an enticing spot for concerts, as music fans will find out this summer as as local promoters Paper Moon Presents hosts the Measure for Measure live music series at the beloved outdoor venue.
Our eye was immediately drawn to legendary bluesman Taj Mahal’s scheduled performance there on July 2 — which should be absolutely fantastic. But the series also includes a two-night stand with jam-rock act ALO (aka, Saratoga’s very own Animal Liberation Orchestra) on June 4-5 and a pair of gigs with New Orleans funk-R&B powerhouse Rebirth Brass Band on July 3-4.
The Measure for Measure series is part of Cal Shakes’ overall 2021 Season of Shared Light, which finds the acclaimed theater company opening up Bruns to other arts organizations and promoters in need of outdoor performance space.
Details: Concerts with ALO (7 p.m., June 4-5, $57.50), Taj Mahal (7 p.m., July 2, $67.50), Rebirth Brass Band (July 3-4, details TBA); Bruns Amphitheater, Orinda; www.papermoonpresents.live.
Tunes in your backyard
Aren’t quite ready to be around a crowd yet? That’s cool, since local promoter KC Turner Presents is willing to bring the music directly to you.
Turner has lined up a cool cast of acts who are willing to put on private outdoor shows at people’s own homes. Just go to his website and match up your schedule with the offerings.
Would you like Citizen Cope to play in your backyard sometime during June 4-6? How about having Donavon Frankenreiter croon from your driveway in the June 13-14 timeframe?
Just contact Turner and work out a plan. Then wait for the show to arrive — complete with all the necessary speakers, equipment and such — at your door.
The price runs $1,000-$5,000 per gig — depending on the artist — which, granted, isn’t cheap. But it’s a lot more reasonable if you split the fee between all the attendees — given that as many as 30 people can attend the gig.
Upcoming backyard/driveway acts include X-man Joe Doe (May 13-17), Griffin House (May 27-31) and Bob Schneider (July 24-25).
Details: For the current schedule of driveway/backyard concert offerings, as well as all the details about arranging a show at your own house, visit kcturnerpresents.com.
Fun in Felton
The Felton Music Hall folks are hosting a bunch of cool outdoor shows at the historic home of the Roaring Camp Railroads, which is located just over a mile away on Graham Hill Road in the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains area.
Next up is Ozomatli, Los Angeles’ terrific Latin-rock/hip-hop troupe, which performs May 15. Show time is 5 p.m. and tickets are $156 for a two-person pod and $228 for a pod of up to six people. Nancy Sanchez is also on the bill.
Other Roaring Camp shows include the Expendables, Iya Terra and Matt Masih on May 28; Tribal Seeds on May 29-30 (opening acts are Thrive on May 29 and Pacific Roots on May 30); Dawes on June 4; and ALO on June 6.
Details: Showtimes for the concerts listed above are all 5 p.m. For the full schedule, ticketing information and other information, visit feltonmusichall.com.
