photos by Isaac Seigel-Boettner
Saturday started off a little differently than it ended. We eased our way into the morning with a cup of coffee and soothing old soul records from the likes of Joe Tex, Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions, and even a little from the more contemporary Mayer Hawthorne. By 2PM, the scene had changed. The wind had whipped up and the sun was beating down (on my now sunburnt neck) as I stood over the mixing board for an avalanche of amped-up rock’n'roll, a.k.a. The Ferocious Few.
Midway through their set, singer-guitarist Francisco Fernandez told the crowd, “this next one’s about two very expensive things–gasoline and cocaine.” As far as I know, these were hardly the kinds of things on the minds of the audience on this beautiful afternoon, but as the duo launched into the halted, shapeshifting strains, you couldn’t help but feel like they were definitely doing something right. The nagging wind kept kicking up, threatening to dismantle tents and stir up vendors. Many listeners hovered on the sidelines, in favor of a shady place to sit, but there were others that had obviously come to get their fill of as much free concert as possible, perched directly behind the monitors or documenting the show dutifully. The band playe quite a range of songs and, through all their grit, even dabbled in a bit of nostalgia, with a ballad about their hometown of San Francisco. Other highlights included the obligatory fist-pumper “Kathleen” and the seamless segue between “Porcelain Doll” and “Cryin’ Shame,” my two personal favorites:
Click the link below for more photos from Saturday’s performance.
