Outdoor Music Festivals
Maceo Parker at Stern Grove, San Francisco- The Late Phife Dog (A Tribe Called Quest) at Mosswood Park, Oakland
- Funk, Hip-Hop band BlackMahal at Yerba Buena, San Francisco
- John Boutte at French Quarter Fest, New Orleans
- Bamboula at Congo Square, New Orleans
- Cresent City Blues Festival at Lafayette Square, New Orleans
- Kumbuka African Dance Ensemble at Congo Square, New Orleans
- Buckwheat Zydeco at The Festival International de Louisiane, Lafayette
Around the country and the world, there are some great natural spaces to listen to music. Music festivals at outdoor facilities like Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove, Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco; Lafayette Square and Louis Armstrong Park in New Orleans are few examples of spaces that work within nature to give the audience members and performers a truly memorable experience.
Settings like community squares and park gives audiences and musicians a more intimate experience. You can see and feel the way that these musicians are trying to convey an emotional reaction in every phase and note that is expressed in a song. Musicians seem to thrive on audience interactions which makes for a better performance. It’s these quaint moments when people become fans of a musician or group, and that is a truly special moment when a casual listener becomes a diehard fan.
Small venues also present the unique opportunity to meet up with family or friends, which then becomes an impromptu picnic with lawn chairs or blankets and plenty of food and drinks provided either by vendors or your own personal circle. People can catch up between musical interludes and dance if the music inclines them to do so and children can run around with their friends while parents keep a watchful eye.