Jerry Garcia Amphitheater

Jerry Day at the Garcia Amphitheater is my favorite day of the year in San Francisco. Great venue. Great view. Best vibe!

Great spot for an Amphitheater in John McLaren Park. If you are someone who enjoys outdoor concerts and performances, then this is the spot to go to. This Amphitheater is also a good spot to hold graduation ceremonies.

It saddens me that such a tranquil and inspiring outdoor venue is left so empty for the majority of the year.
Jerry Garcia would want musicians to grace this unique Amphitheater’s stage with vigor and smiles. I think he’d be bummed to know that such an epic musical space is left so quiet and untouched.
Even without crowds to sit in it, the vast array of bleacher style seating — makes for a picturesque space to read. Even without big rock bands upon it — the concrete stage beckons young girls with excited squeals to jump upon it — to demonstrate their clumsy pirouettes. And the lush expanse of greenery around the stage is still inspiring for the imaginary audience and the imaginary performers — which I long to see in this special place.
I hope more music, besides the rustle of the wind and leaves — inhabits Jerry Garcia Amphitheater. The legend behind this place is too boisterous and the escape from the city that it provides is too poignant — for this space not to be fully utilized on a more regular basis.
Trust.

Ryan B. and I came here for Jerry Day this past month and had a blast! Loved the mini-​festival atmosphere (
) neatly packed into this cozy space tucked away in the middle of San Francisco. People were very chill, as one would expect from a Dead-​related event. And it was free!
The food vendors at the show also had some tasty vegetarian focaccia sandwiches with basil, tomato, and mozzarella for $ 4, and balsamic for it at the condiment bar. A delicious deal!
Ryan and I also savored the fact that we were in the middle of a big park, and took breaks from the music by taking short hikes on the surrounding wooded trails. All the trees and fresh air in John McLaren park really help you separate yourself from the bustling city around you. If you’re tall like I am, watch your head! I think the people the city employs to trim back vegetation must be no taller than 5 feet, because I found myself constantly ducking, until one time I lowered my guard and ended up with a jarring bump in the head.
Returning to the topic of the actual amphitheater… this is a place designed for bringing a picnic. Ryan and I didn’t come prepared for that aspect, which in turn allowed us some freedom in terms of exploring the surrounding areas, but if you intend to spend a lengthy afternoon here, do yourself a favor and set up a little base camp in the audience with whatever it takes (blanket, cooler, baguette/​brie/​beret :P). A large part of the audience area is merely a steep slope (
), but there are plenty of nice, flatter and shady areas towards the back. Back there, you’re also not taking up as much valuable real estate if you bring a lot of goods.
Best of all: transit there is easy! Take the 29 to Mansell and John F Shelley, and you’re pretty close to the venue!

This is an amazing, beautiful, functional performance space, with excellent acoustics. There are decent toilets and other facilities, and loads of parking. It’s really hard to understand why it’s not used more often — it seems to sit there empty most of the year.

I went here last week for the Bitches Brew concert. It’s in a really weird area but the parking was surprisingly easy. They have a dedicated lot for the theatre. Unfortunately, there were only a handful of people there. Has anyone ever been here when there was a big crowd? A really nice outdoor amphitheatre with pretty decent sound. I was impressed.
Check out my photos from the event:

Nice little Amphitheater in the middle of the park. They have some makeshift bench seating and a decent sized stage. The signage is pretty weak though. You’d think they could shell out a little cash for some kind of permanent sign, instead of a synthetic banner…