San Francisco boasted a striking 97 degrees on Sunday, the last day of the annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival and the warmest October 6th the city had ever seen. Despite the excessive heat, the streets surrounding Golden Gate Park buzzed with people of all ages, in all fashions. After an extremely frustrating forty-five minute search for parking, I finally jumped out of my car, stretched my legs, and joined the swarms of people in their march toward the park. Upon entering, I was immediately relieved of the heat by the shade provided by the trees lining the pathway. Spirits rose, and we made our way to the furthest stage from the entrance, the Towers of Gold, to see New York City’s punk rock legend, poet, and singer-songwriter, Patti Smith.
Open to the public, the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival draws in a wonderfully diverse range of fans. Scattered along the walkway were sixty-year-olds decked out in all tie dye, teenagers sporting the latest fashion trends, more millennials than I could count, and a newborn baby at what I’m assuming was his first festival. Local musicians played guitar and sang originals from the side of the path, serenading the passersby as we walked from set to set. At each stage, a shared love of music filled the air, effortlessly bringing together these unlikely groups in appreciation of every performance.
(L-R) Patti Smith, Jackson Smith, by Gianna Caudillo
I found a sunny spot on the grass hill overlooking the Towers of Gold Stage when Patti Smith, a musical icon of the seventies, began her set with “Dancing Barefoot,” one of the most popular songs from her 1979 album Waves, her son Jackson supporting her on guitar. The crowd was packed, divided into sections by the thousand, mostly based on age, energy, and commitment to the set– from the moshers to the picnickers to those of us resting peacefully on the hill.
Facing into direct sunlight, Smith was clearly worn down by the record-high heat, her presence progressively getting weaker in the first half of the set. Her vocals were quiet and distorted, and though I blamed the incomprehensible manner of the beginning on my being very far from the front, it became clear that it was more a symptom of exhaustion than a technical error.
Patti Smith, by Gianna Caudillo
Patti Smith pressed on with a tribute to music virtuoso Bob Dylan, covering his song “Man in the Long Black Coat.” Bob Dylan has often been referenced as a major inspiration of her work, Smith following his example by fusing together the sounds of rock and poetry, incorporating her own flavor of the punk sound into her music. In what seemed like both an effort to pay homage to a variety of artists from multiple generations and to spice up her set, Patti Smith incorporated a grand total of three covers into the afternoon. Following the Bob Dylan classic, she went on to perform Charlotte Day Wilson’s 2016 hit “Work.” Going practically unrecognized as a cover by myself, I listened as Smith’s vocals claimed the song as her own, the melody seamlessly melding with her voice and skill. At a grand 77 years old, rocking big round sunglasses, an oversized black vest, and blue jeans, Smith dominated the stage with a strong vibrato and an even stronger stage presence, her voice growing greatly in strength and confidence, despite her previous heat-induced lapse in command. She broke the slow tempo of the song to provide her own twist, a touch of poetry that her older music is esteemed for, informing the audience that the key to her heart is wisdom, and to “go ahead and turn it.” Cheers from the crowd erupted at the sound of her poetic interspersion.
Patti Smith delivering a radiant message, by Gianna Caudillo
Her final cover during the set was likely the most jarring of the three. After hearing those first couple iconic chords from the guitarist, I turned to my fellow viewers in shock and asked them if they were hearing the same thing: “Is she playing Nirvana right now?!” Smith and her supporting band burst into her rendition of “Smells like Teen Spirit,” taking the less seasoned Patti Smith fans by complete surprise. Pumping her fist in the air, Smith vehemently took on the grunge break in the set, speaking the lyrics in a deep gruff voice with meaning and passion, a stark contrast to her previous euphonious songs. Despite my surprise, this was not all that random for Smith, as the cover followed directly after her performance of the song “About a Boy” a eulogy to the late Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana, that she wrote as a tribute after his tragic downfall.
Patti Smith performing “People Have the Power,” by Gianna Caudillo
As the sun began to set on Golden Gate Park, Smith’s set came to an end, closing the excitement out with the 1988 hit “People Have the Power,” a true rallying cry that grasped the corner of the park’s attention. To my right, a group of listeners who had been seated for the majority of the show excitedly sprang to their feet, dancing with carefree abandon. Inspired by their impulse and passion, fans seated around them took inspiration, joining the blazing pioneers in their twirling and swaying. The gathering of strangers transformed into a vibrant display of human connection, and I watched with contentment as they invited those around them to join. The audience moved like a fluid current, twisting and turning in an unsynchronized, yet harmonious dance– because when Patti Smith says to, you get up and dance.
A smiling Smith closes HSB 2024, by Gianna Caudillo
Smith closed out her set with stride, drawing strength from the energy of the audience and the cooling temperature. She delivered a powerful conclusion to the third day of the festival, sending us off with smiles on our faces, renewed inspiration to keep the dancing going, and “People Have the Power” indefinitely stuck in our heads.
Article by Annie Wynner
Photos by Gianna Caudillo