Buddy Guy at Stern Grove

Roy Pea and I were thrilled to catch Buddy Guy, now age 87, and still an icon of the blues playing a free concert in San Francisco’s summer series at Stern Grove. Buddy urged the crowd to sing, dance, and celebrate his music; and the crowd of 10,000 responded. Buddy started with “Damn right, I’ve got the blues,” showed he was still a Hoochie Coochie man, and probably would have played all night if they didn’t keep reminding him to get off the stage. Close to the end of the show, Buddy walked through the crowd while still playing his guitar as security cleared his way. Wow!

We were thrice lucky:

1. We found free parking within a block of the Stern Grove entrance.
2. Then we lucked into a spot for our lawn chairs on granite ampitheater seating.
3. And it was a warm sunny day, unusual in Stern Grove.

Eric Gale opened the show. He had masterful guitar technique, and wrote songs around simple, powerful riffs. He was a lot of fun, albeit not as soulful as Buddy.

It was a great day for the blues.

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