Copyright popmatters
It’s the first weekend of October in San Francisco, which some local music fans refer to as “the most wonderful time of year” thanks to the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. The annual three-day party in Golden Gate Park features free admission thanks to funding from late festival founder Warren Hellman, making it an ever-popular event that draws 50-60,000 people per day. Bluegrass is celebrated, but not strictly so—as the name suggests, the lineup always includes a mix of rock, blues, funk, alternative, and more. Thus, the String Cheese Incident are one of this year’s headliners, set to close out the Towers of Gold stage on Sunday afternoon, 5 October. However, the main course for String Cheese fans took place on Saturday night, 4 October, at the Fillmore for one of the festival’s official “Outside the Park” shows, where a handful of festival artists also play headlining shows at clubs around town. The String Cheese Incident got 70 minutes at the festival, whereas they played two complete sets here at the Fillmore. The historic venue is sold out and packed, as this is an underplay for the group that first headlined the hallowed hall back in the spring of 1999. They quickly outgrew the Fillmore, moving on to larger shows at the Warfield Theater, the Berkeley Greek Theater, and even New Year’s Eve extravaganzas at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Memorable moments that resonate through the decades include opening for Phil Lesh and Friends at the Greek in the summer of 1999, with mandolinist Michael Kang and keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth then serving in Lesh’s band for a monumental set that opened with a smoking 30-minute jam on “Dancing in the Street”. There were also three nights at the Warfield in 2001 with Bob Weir sitting in for night three, and the Time Traveler’s Ball at the BGCA on 31 December 2002 for a three-set blowout that featured songs about time and space. The String Cheese Incident more recently returned to the Fillmore in 2019 for two shows that prefaced two more nights at Oakland’s Fox Theater, as well as a return to the Fox on 31 December 2023 to save New Year’s Eve tradition in the Bay Area with another scintillating three-set bonanza. In blending their bluegrass origins in Colorado with a more expansive space rock sound and a socially conscious vibe as they outgrew clubs and moved up to larger venues across the nation, the String Cheese Incident became one of the leading Gen-X torchbearers for the psychedelic rock counterculture that was launched here in San Francisco in the 1960s. With great power comes great responsibility—to crush it at marquee venues, and to provide spiritual leadership in the music. The fans are thus hyped up for this rare return to the Fillmore. The first set is a solid affair that takes on an uplifting vibe from the start with a “Shine” opener, bassist Keith Moseley’s feel good anthem “Joyful Sound”, and a hot take on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Lonesome Fiddle Blues” (who played the festival on Friday.) The jam factor deepens with a tight and trippy exploration of Hollingsworth’s funky “Eye Know Why”, followed by a surprise bustout of the Allman Brothers Band’s “Revival” that elevates the vibe in a timely way. When guitarist Bill Nershi sings, “People, can you feel it? Love is everywhere, People, can you hear it? The song is in the air, We’re in a revolution, Don’t you know we’re right, Everyone is singing, There’ll be no one to fight,” it feels like a most welcome and zeitgeisty reminder about the power of music. The song’s message is as timely as ever, representing how the psychedelic rock counterculture is still standing up against the forces of old and evil that seek to drag America back into a gilded age of corruption instead of forward into a golden age of peace and harmony. It’s one of those classic songs that can instantly kick a dance party into a higher gear, and so it is here, as the Fillmore rocks out in that special, timeless way that spans the decades. The Fillmore’s upstairs poster room provides a spot to take a load off during the set break, while also enabling fans to peruse the venue’s expansive history through the decades. Jamgrass staple “Black Clouds”, from their 1997 debut Born on the Wrong Planet, gets an energetic vibe going early in the second set, a barnburner tune that includes a psychedelic jam section. The improvisational possibilities are always wide open here, making the song a long-time fan favorite. The String Cheese Incident throw in a dazzling change-up, though, when they pivot from the jam into the Grateful Dead’s “The Other One”. At first, it seems like just a tease, but then the auditorium ignites in another dimension as the band surges into the song, taking the audience on a wild ride through time and space with one of the seminal psychedelic rock songs of the 1960s. The audience is singing along and cheering with exuberant approval as the band invoke the electrifying power of Bob Weir’s classic song about the psychedelic experience. It feels like a special treat for the Fillmore, and it’s soon paired with another fitting treat as the String Cheese Incident moves into “It Is What It Is”, a song Michael Kang co-wrote in the early years of the 21st century with Bob Weir’s lyricist John Perry Barlow. That was a high honor, especially given that some of the music was credited to late GD keyboardist Brent Mydland. The song features a soaring melodic jam, with Kang shredding melty-hot leads, while drummer Michael Travis and percussionist Jason Hann power a massive groove. It’s become one of the top String Cheese jam vehicles, and this performance is a keeper that lights up the Fillmore dance floor yet again. Just when it seems the energy level can’t go any higher, the String Cheese Incident put the pedal to the metal as they pivot into “Valley of the Jig”. The song from 2003’s Untying the Not blends ancient melodies with a futuristic trance-dance groove to create another top-shelf jam vehicle, a fan favorite. The Fillmore continues to get down in a sequence that has to rank as one of the peak moments of the 2025 concert year, as the energy level throughout the first hour of the second set has been off the charts. It’s all gravy from there as the band jam out on Hollingsworth’s upbeat rocker “The Big Reveal”, with Nershi throwing in a tease of the Doors‘ “Riders on the Storm” during the spacey jam. “Colorado Bluebird Sky” pays homage to the group’s home state, followed by a fun encore of Talking Heads‘ “This Must Be the Place” to keep the good vibes flowing into the evening. Yet another set awaits, however, on Sunday afternoon at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. Sunday, 5 October – Golden Gate Park It’s been a gorgeous, warm, sunny weekend in San Francisco, as it typically is this time of year, leading to a festive vibe in the park for the free festival with an inclusive BYOB policy that makes for a great “Sunday Funday” atmosphere. The String Cheese Incident are preceded by Chuck Prophet & His Cumbia Shoes, plus Jimmie Dale Gilmore & the West Texas Exiles at the Towers of Gold Stage with a Golden Gate Bridge backdrop banner. Gilmore and his band throw down a vibrant set of bluesy roots music, including the classic “My Mind’s Got a Mind of Its Own”. The adjacent Swan Stage hosts Peter Rowan and the Sam Grisman Project at 4:00pm, making an excellent warm-up for String Cheese with tunes like “Midnight Moonlight”. “These guys have carved their own way for over three decades, and we are thrilled to welcome them back to Golden Gate Park, give it up for the String Cheese Incident,” says the stage MC, hailing the group’s diverse sonic palette and longevity. It’s a fabulous vibe when the String Cheese Incident open with the melodic mid-tempo “Sweet Spot”, as this balmy, breezy field in the park is indeed a sweet spot to be on a day like this. It’s presumable to think the set will be a bit more laid back than the psychedelic rager of the preceding night at the Fillmore, but the band take advantage of the opportunity to bring on some special guests. A shining moment occurs when Peter Rowan and Tim O’Brien team with AJ Lee and Jan Purat to join String Cheese for Bill Monroe’s “I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome”. It’s a treat to hear one of Jerry Garcia’s favorites here in the park, especially with collaborator Peter Rowan in the mix. The String Cheese Incident double down on the team up with Rowan as he stays on for “Sweet Melinda”, a song of his that’s been a long-time staple in the String Cheese repertoire. The dynamic tune features a rocking chord progression and a tight, little jam that also teases “Turn on Your Lovelight” for another peak moment. Then O’Brien stays on for “Land’s End”, a song he wrote that’s also been a staple Cheese song for years. It’s another gem of a performance, followed by an upbeat combo of “Restless Wind” and “Just One Story” to enhance the festive vibe. When they close the set with the fierce trance dance-oriented “Hi Ho No Show”, it feels a bit like a reprise of the peak energy level from Saturday night’s “Valley of the Jig”. With a Saturday night barnburner “Outside the Park” at the Fillmore and a Sunday Funday fiesta in the park, it feels like it’s been a peak String Cheese Incident experience that could only occur in San Francisco.
