The Big Picnic is our annual fundraising event to raise funds and continue to present admission-free concerts to the people of the Bay Area. 

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The Flaming Lips

Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove

Released in 1975, Smith’s first recording, Horses, was inducted into the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress in 2010 by the National Recording Preservation Board. Her subsequent albums include Radio Ethiopia, Easter, which included Because the Night, cowritten with Bruce Springsteen, Wave, Dream of Life, which included People Have the Power cowritten with her late husband Fred Sonic Smith, Gone Again, Peace and Noise, Gung Ho, Trampin’, Land, Twelve, Banga, and Outside Society. She is a four-time Grammy® nominee and a Golden Globe nominee for the song “Mercy Is” cowritten with Lenny Kay for the film Noah. Steven Sebring’s 2008 documentary, Patti Smith: Dream of Life, received an Emmy nomination.

Patti Smith with Bob Mould

At age 86, Buddy Guy is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound, and a living link to the city’s halcyon days of electric blues. Buddy Guy has received 8 GRAMMY Awards, a 2015 Lifetime Achievement GRAMMY Award, 38 Blues Music Awards (the most any artist has received), the Billboard Magazine Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement, a Kennedy Center Honor, and the Presidential National Medal of Arts. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #23 in its "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."

Buddy Guy with Eric Gales

Bob Moses, the Vancouver-bred duo consisting of Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance, came to life in the Brooklyn underground scene in 2012. Early single releases on taste-making electronic label Scissor & Thread led to signing with Domino and the late 2015 release of their debut album Days Gone By.

Bob Moses with Neil Frances

Chris Dragon conducting SF Symphony with Special Guest Lettuce.

SF Symphony

Four-time Grammy Award winner Angélique Kidjo is one of the greatest artists in international music today, a creative force with fourteen albums to her name. Time Magazine has called her "Africa's premier diva”, and named her one of the most influential people in the world for 2021; The BBC, Forbes Magazine, and The Guardian have all highlighted her importance to the people of the African continent. She is the recipient of the 2015 Crystal Award given by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the 2016 Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award, and the 2018 German Sustainability Award.

Angelique Kidjo with Jupiter & Okwess

A singer, composer and actor, Lyle Lovett has broadened the definition of American music in a career that spans 14 albums. Coupled with his gift for storytelling, the Texas-based musician fuses elements of country, swing, jazz, folk, gospel and blues in a convention-defying manner that breaks down barriers.

Lyle Lovett and His Large Band with Andrew ST. James

SANTIGOLD–born Santi White–is a creative visionary across multiple platforms who is renowned for her ability to fuse unexpected elements in her boundaryless work. Her era-defining self-titled debut album has been credited as a catalyst for the cross-genre sound of contemporary pop music. Her eclecticism has led to musical collaborations including Jay Z, David Byrne, Tyler, the Creator, Amadou and Mariam, Beastie Boys, Drake, and Pharrell. Along with creating the iconography of her album covers, live shows, and videos, her visual work includes collaborations with artists Wangechi Mutu, Kehinde Wiley, Sanford Biggers, and Kara Walker. 

Santigold

Released in 1989, Indigo Girls' eponymous major label debut sold over two million copies under the power of singles “Closer to Fine” and “Kid Fears” and turned Indigo Girls into one of the most successful folk duos in history. Over a thirty-five-year career that began in clubs around their native Atlanta, Georgia, the multi-Grammy-winning duo of Emily Saliers and Amy Ray has recorded sixteen studio albums, sold over 15 million records, and built a dedicated, enduring following across the globe.

Indigo Girls

After over a decade of relentless touring and recording in all but complete obscurity, the Texas-bred quasi-collective suddenly found itself held up by the press and public as one of the major figures in the jazz world. But as the category names for all four of the band’s Grammy® awards would indicate (Best R&B Performance in 2014, Best Contemporary Instrumental Album in 2016, 2017, 2021, and 2023), Snarky Puppy isn’t exactly a jazz band. It’s not a fusion band, and it’s definitely not a jam band. It’s probably best to take Nate Chinen of the New York Times’ advice, as stated in an online discussion about the group, to “take them for what they are, rather than judge them for what they’re not.”

Stern Grove Festival

Aug 20, 2023

The Flaming Lips

Aug 13, 2023

Patti Smith with Bob Mould

Aug 6, 2023

Buddy Guy with Eric Gales

Jul 30, 2023

Bob Moses with Neil Frances

Jul 23, 2023

SF Symphony

Stern Grove Festival

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