Warren Hellman Celebration Concert Planned for Sunday With Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Regulars
To celebrate the life of Warren Hellman, philanthropist and founder of the annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, there will be a free public concert Sunday, February 19 at Ocean Beach. Hellman, who passed away last year, hosted Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, a three-day concert that takes place every October in Golden Gate Park that has grown into the largest free music festival in San Francisco. Although Hellman is no longer with us, the festival will continue, according to organizers.
The special public celebration in Hellman’s honor this Sunday will feature two stages and free performances by 12 artists, some of whom are regular performers at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass . The lineup includes Emmylou Harris, Old Crow Medicine Show, Boz Scaggs, Gillian Welch, Steve Earle, Robert Earl Keen, and several other respected bluegrass musicians.
The celebration will be streamed live at www.strictlybluegrass.com, and organizers encourage at-home watching parties. The event is expected to reach capacity early in the day. There will be limited street parking and off-site parking by donation and concert-goers are encouraged to use public transportation to get to the event. Attendees who bike to the celebration will be offered valet bike parking services.
The show will take place at Ocean Beach on the Great Highway between JFK Drive and Lincoln Avenue from 11am to 6pm. Attendees can arrive as early as 8am, and no tickets are necessary.
