Remembering the Summer of Love, 50 Years After Ben Fong-Torres Mon, 09/13/2021 Author’s Note: In and around San Francisco, it’s all about the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. Exhibitions in museums and libraries; concerts and special events in Golden Gate Park and around town; a return of the musical, “A Night with Janis Joplin.” It’s the endless summer of love, and it’s happened every decade. In 1987, the San Francisco Chronicle noted the 20th anniversary with several articles, including this one, which I’ve edited for space. I have not updated it, but should note that since ..read more

The Dead at the End of ‘So Many Roads’ Ben Fong-Torres Wed, 06/17/2020 It’s not a sexy, round-number anniversary, but I bet Deadheads know that July 9 was the date of the last Grateful Dead concert with Jerry Garcia. That was in 1995, at Soldier Field in Chicago. With the surviving Dead having celebrated a 50th anniversary with a farewell tour—and then a return of most of them, as Dead & Company—they continue to be in the news. They are on Qello Concerts, in the Classic Albums series (Anthem to Beauty) and in Festival Express, rocking and partying across Canada by train with Janis Jo ..read more

Paul McCartney - Live at Knebworth, 1990 Ben Fong-Torres Tue, 06/16/2020 Think Paul McCartney’s a medical and musical phenomenon, performing at full-tilt, these days and nights, at age 71? Take a look at him in McCartney at Knebworth. That June, 1990 night at the Knebworth House, north of London, the future Sir Paul had just turned 48, already ancient by rock and roll standards. As he is today, he was  in great spirits, kicking things off with Wings’ “Comin’ Up,” then serving up some Beatles tunes (“Yer Birthday,” “Hey, Jude” and “Can’t Buy Me Love”) to the huge crowd of about 120,000, m ..read more

The Doors at the Bowl: Mick, LSD and a Moth Ben Fong-Torres Thu, 06/11/2020 To play the Hollywood Bowl. For any musician, that has to be a career highlight. The Doors performed in that revered venue in 1968, and Ray Manzarek, in his interview for Qello Concerts, articulated the import of such an occasion. “Everybody played the Hollywood Bowl,” he said. “Igor Stravinsky conducted at the Hollywood Bowl. Miles Davis played the Hollywood Bowl. Great opera singers, great orchestras, great pop acts played it, but not a lot of rock acts. So to play the Hollywood Bowl was a great honor.” Almost 50 ye ..read more