San Francisco got lucky again this past month, with July boasting a busy schedule of exciting, revelatory, fun and surprising art of all kinds. The month got off to a shimmering start, with a great show from Phantogram at the Greek Theater in Berkeley. Everyone who was there will remember the stunning beauty of seeing Sarah Barthel take to the stage to croon the melodious lyrics of Howling at the Moon, as a sliver of the moon peeked out from the curtain behind her. The collision of lyrics and music and light in that moment gave us one of the great unrepeatable moments in that grand old amphitheater.
Then came Ghost’s unforgettable and haunting performance at the Warfield. Papa Emeritus and his band of anonymous phantom artists took to the stage with everybody’s favorite Metal Hammer – and the crowd rose to its feet and sang along to the number, making it an opening worthy of the historic Warfield.
And less than a week later, things quickly lit up at The San Francisco Art Exchange, thanks to an impressive display of Gerald Scarfe’s popular artwork. Among the select pieces on display were The Mother, Wife with Flaming Hair, One of The Frightened Ones, The Wife’s Shadow, The Scream, The Teacher, Giant Judge and Hammers, The Gross Inflatable Pig, Comfortably Numb, and Education for What? No Jobs!
Come mid-month, teen American singer-songwriter Olivia O’Brien released her new single RIP, which followed up on the energy and the popularity of her earlier tracks Trust Issues and Find What You’re Looking For. At around the same time, there was something new in North Beach, where the Monroe club hosted a surreal night of quiet clubbing. And then the Warfield opened its doors once more to another memorable performance by Nicolas Jaar. Known for his exploratory style and experimental numbers, Jaar’s audience were treated to another one-of-a-kind set of outstanding tracks.
But that’s not the end of all the great things that happened in the city this July. KAABOO Del Mar announced the lineup of comedy and music performances for their third annual event, and opened the sale for their single and two-day passes, and a week later, much to the enthusiasm of fans of the music festival, the delectable details of the food and beverage experience arranged for the KAABOO Del Mar were released. Foodies will be pleased to learn that guests at the festival have an exclusive pass to enjoy samples of regional gourmet foods from carefully-chosen chefs.
And just when we thought that July had exhausted all the magic it had in store for San Francisco, American rock trio Highly Suspect announced the dates of their US tour scheduled for this fall. A peek into the roster showed us that come October, SF gets lucky twice!
It’s been a great month for art in San Francisco, and there’s more to come this summer, and going into the fall. We’ll be tracking with the good stuff that’s coming down the line over the next month; keep an eye on the blog and our calendar page and choose the events you’re going to enjoy!
