Published in the Oct. 14-27, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Mark Fenichel

Mark Fenichel

Mark Fenichel

Photo by Mark Fenichel/Fenifoto The crowd at this year’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival enjoys music on one of the seven stages in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

Photo by Mark Fenichel/Fenifoto
The crowd at this year’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival enjoys music on one of the seven stages in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

The Bay Area is so privileged to have a free annual festival in Golden Gate Park where you can see more than 100 mostly top internationally recognized bands and top homegrown Bay Area acts on seven different stages amid more than 750,000 of your closest friends. The festival began as a fun loving party thrown by billionaire philanthropist and music lover Warren Hellman who simply wanted to throw a party and invite the entire Bay Area. Upon his death in 2011 his wishes were to continue to throw his party every year until the money runs out.

I started going to The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in 2006. Not knowing what to expect, I packed my camera, a couple of granola bars, a dab of sunscreen and drove into Golden Gate Park with no idea where I was going. Thinking I was lucky to quickly find a space, I parked and began walking in the direction I saw others walking. Turns out I parked a number of miles away and most of the people I was following were going to the Arboretum, not the festival. After walking for another 35 minutes I faintly heard some music in the distance.

Ten minutes later I walked into that music and it turned out to be a group of drum and flute toting Deadhead-type hippies making a rest stop on their way to the festival. They told me I had about another 20 minutes to go. So I kept walking and walking and walked up a big hill. When I got to the top of the ridge I looked down to see a huge sea of people easily a 100,000 or more. I worked my way into the packed crowd, determined to get to the front because I really wanted to see Earl Scruggs who was coming on next. I first saw the legendary Scruggs with his partner Lester Flatt when I was in my first year of college some 35 years ago and was quite anxious not to miss a note of his set. Stepping over blankets and tripping over ice chests, I made my way to the front and found a space right next to a couple of guys who said they had some friends coming but I was welcomed to join them.

I started a conversation, telling them this was my first festival and I was amazed how organized everything seemed to be with such a huge crowd and so many stages and so much music. The guy next to me thanked me for those comments and proceeded to say: “This is my party. I started it five years ago and I’m so happy it has become such a great event.” Turns out I was hanging out with billionaire Warren Hellman. I really had no idea who he was or knew anything about the event. Those guys left in the middle of Earl’s set and said have a great time and I never saw them again, but I have been to the festival many times since enjoying music from a long list of acts. It is impossible to see everyone, but I have seen Emmy Lou Harris, Boz Scaggs, Ricky Scaggs, Steve Martin, Bella Fleck, Hot Tuna, and Phil & Friends.

This year’s festival was consistent with previous years ­— a super-friendly, mellow crowd, amazing music, perfect weather and a totally relaxing day. As in years past, I love to see as much music as I can, which means lots of walking to and from the seven music stages, but it is so worth it. My favorite act this year was Delbert McClinton. Other I got to see were Los Lobos, James McMurtry, Asleep At The Wheel with special guest Robert Earl Keen, The Indigo Girls, The Steep Canyon Rangers, Nick Lowe and Hot Rize. I also got to see an intriguing guitar fiddle duo and a couple of very creative young rappers whose words and movements I found to be quite entertaining.

I was sorry to have missed The Blind Boys of Alabama, Emmy Lou Harris and Vince Gill, but this is one festival where you can never see everyone you want but it is so musically worthwhile. And thank you to the late philanthropic magnate Warren Hellman whose legacy lives on through this event, and to his family and friends who make it possible every year always on the first weekend of October. There’s always something for everyone regardless of your musical appetite.

Got a music tip? Email Mark Fenichel at [email protected].