Summer Guide 2024
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Victoria Monét, pictured here on the San Francisco stop of her tour at the Regency Ballroom in 2023, returns to perform at this year's Outside Lands music festival in Golden Gate Park.(Dana Jacobs/Getty Images)
Town Up Tuesday is a party with a purpose put on by Urban Peace Movement, a local nonprofit that fights mass incarceration. It seeks to uplift Oakland culture at a time when negative media narratives about the Town abound, and operates under the idea that music and culture can unite neighbors and make communities safer.
This year’s intergenerational lineup is full of heavy hitters, not least Too Short, The Conscious Daughters (Oakland’s premier ’90s female rap group) and a legendary surprise guest. Trunk Boiz (of “Cupcake No Fillin” fame!) and dance crew Animaniakz will serve up hyphy movement nostalgia. Other artists on the bill represent the diverse sounds of today’s generation, notably the quirky, experimental and soulful Michael Sneed and the darker and more streetwise ALLBLACK and 1100 Himself, among others.
BottleRock
May 24–26, 2024
Napa Valley Expo, Napa
Single-day GA: $243; three-day GA: sold out
Set in beautiful wine country, BottleRock is a festival with broad appeal. Not only does its lineup feature all-time musical greats like Oakland funk band Tower of Power and Stevie Nicks (who’s enjoying a Gen Z-fueled career resurgence), but it’s also a place to experience pop’s vanguard. That includes Kali Uchis, the bilingual singer-songwriter whose dreamy, Spanish-language 2024 album Orquídeas envelops listeners in a romantic exaltation of love and beauty. Megan Thee Stallion — who has the hip-hop world watching her every move following her explosive track “Hiss,” dissing basically the entire industry — will also grace the stage amid her highly anticipated Hot Girl Summer tour.
La Onda
June 1–2, 2024
Napa Valley Expo, Napa
Single-day GA: sold out; two-day GA: $358
If you miss Maná’s set at BottleRock, the good news is that they’ll be back at the same Napa Valley fairgrounds one weekend later, this time headlining new Latin music festival La Onda. On its diverse lineup, you’ll find old-school rock en español acts like Mexican band Cafe Tacvba; Farruko, one of today’s hottest reggaetoneros; and rising young regional Mexican music stars Junior H, Fuerza Regida and Eslabón Armado, who combine styles as wide-ranging as trap and corridos.
LaRussell’s Backyard Residency
June 2, July 7 and Aug. 4, 2024
The Pergola, Vallejo
Pay what you want
LaRussell has done it his way at every step of his career — notably, building a pergola and stage in his parents’ Vallejo backyard, which has allowed him to essentially bypass the corporate venue ecosystem that can be very disadvantageous to emerging artists. These intimate shows truly feel like a family affair. When I checked one out last year, the audience was full of LaRussell diehards — even small children — rapping along enthusiastically to every bar. LaRussell’s team passed out ice packs and water bottles to protect fans from the heat. It really felt like a community. To get into one of these shows, you have to name your price for a ticket — and entry is not guaranteed. But that doesn’t mean tickets only go to the highest bidders, as LaRussell has said that he likes to keep his offerings accessible to fans of all income levels.
Larry June and Goapele at San Francisco Juneteenth
June 8, 2024
Fulton Street Plaza, San Francisco
Free
The day of San Francisco’s Juneteenth Parade, there’s a free concert celebrating Black music and culture at Fulton Plaza. It stars Larry June, whose laidback, luxurious rhymes about real-estate deals and gourmet meals have put a spotlight back on San Francisco rap. He’ll be joined by angel-voiced R&B hitmaker Goapele, whose classic song “Closer” continues to resonate with a new generation of Bay Area music lovers. Stunnaman02, who’s currently on a major salad kick; Ronski, creator of the Fillmore anthem “That Filthy”; Zion I collaborator Dustin Sharpe; and DJs Big Von, D Sharp, Red Corvette, Daghe and World Famous Rick and Russ Show will represent the Bay’s wide-ranging, active hip-hop scene. Hosted by KMEL’s Shay Diddy, the concert also offers much in the way of jazz, soul and gospel, including Martin Luther’s Rebel Soul House Party, The Glide Choir and Fillmore Jazz Ambassadors. SF Poet Laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin will read, and the young Feline Finesse Dance Group will show off their moves.
Parliament-Funkadelic featuring George Clinton
Jun 12, 2024
Mountain Winery, Saratoga
$49.50–$89.50
George Clinton is a national treasure. In the ’70s, the funk father and his bands, Parliament and Funkadelic, made hits that altered the course of American popular music. They influenced monumental stars like Prince, and became some of the most sampled acts in hip-hop history, paving the way for ’90s groups like The Coup and Digital Underground as well as more recent artists like Childish Gambino. Clinton pushed Afrofuturism forward — so much so that P-Funk’s spaceship stage prop has been immortalized in the Smithsonian. Though Clinton, now 82 years old, talked about retiring years ago — he said he funked too hard for his pacemaker — he’s continued touring with a new lineup of younger musicians.
Stern Grove
Sundays June 23-Aug. 25, 2024
Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove, San Francisco
Free with RSVP
Every Sunday this summer, there’s a free concert in the park at Stern Grove. The series’ 87th season opens with a performance from queer indie rock duo Tegan and Sara on June 23. Other lineup highlights include psychedelic pop band Chicano Batman on June 30; R&B singer and saxophonist Masego on July 21; jazz-funk legend Herbie Hanco*ck on Aug. 11 and a Big Picnic closer with queen of funk Chaka Khan on Aug. 25. But before you round up your friends and pack your cooler, make plans: RSVPs open a month before each concert date, and spots are limited.
Mosswood Meltdown
July 6–7, 2024
Mosswood Park, Oakland
Single day: $99+; two-day: $159+
Punk festival Mosswood Meltdown is truly a family affair: In addition to teenage, 20-something and 30-something-year-old punks, you might see punk grandparents holding punk babies. And that vibe is reflected in its intergenerational lineup of alternative acts. Day one of the festival features ’80s art pop mainstays the B-52’s, and celebrates queer culture with a drag contest hosted by Peaches Christ and sets from Pansy Division and Hunx and His Punx. Day two, with OG garage punks The Mummies headlining, leans into hip-hop culture with a DJ set from 808 mastermind Egyptian Lover and the queen of New Orleans bounce, Big Freedia.
Outside Lands
Aug. 9–11, 2024
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
Single-day GA: $199+, three-day pass: $449+
You can thank Beyoncé for the fact that Outside Lands is more country than ever this year: Post Malone and Shaboozey, both featured on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, are performing, and country hitmaker Sturgill Simpson is a headliner alongside Tyler, the Creator and the Killers. On the lineup you’ll also find buzzworthy breakout pop acts like Tyla, Renée Rapp and Victoria Monét. Outside Lands, which attracts tens of thousands of fans each day, prides itself on its wide appeal. In addition to its four main music stages, it features a queer performance zone called Dolores’, the open-air electronic music club SOMA and even a new wedding venue — and that’s on top of its many culinary and cannabis offerings.
Khruangbin
Aug. 14–16, 2024
Greek Theatre, Berkeley
$69–$120
No band better represents today’s psychedelic rock revival than Texan trio Khruangbin. Their vintage sound, recorded with warm fuzz as if on a reel-to-reel from the ’70s, combines global influences of Jamaican dub, Southeast Asian funk, surf rock and a country twang from their home state. The result is a soothing mélange that goes down slow — a perfect soundtrack for swaying under the night sky while slightly stoned, if that’s your persuasion. Celebrating their new, bilingual Spanish-English album A La Sala, Khruangbin performs three nights in a row at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre. The second two are sold out, but Aug. 14 still has tickets available.
The Black Radio Experience
Aug. 30–Sept. 1, 2024
Meritage Resort & Spa, Napa
Three-day passes: $499+
