Historic Golden Gate concert series confirmed

Independent US concert promoter Another Planet Entertainment (APE) has unveiled a new annual concert series, kicking off in August with California natives System of a Down and Deftones.

Golden Gate Park Concerts at the Polo Field, the San Francisco-based producer’s newest venture, is designed to offer an exclusive offering of “once-in-a-lifetime music programming” at one of the most culturally rich parks in the US.

The first-ever stand-alone ticketed show in the park, set for 17 August, will follow the 2024 edition of the three-day Outside Lands Music Festival (225,000-capacity). While most infrastructure will be removed between weekends, the new series will utilise the main stage in the picturesque park.

Last September, San Francisco’s municipal board authorised APE’s plans to hold additional concerts in the Polo Fields, approving up to three ticketed shows for three years during the weekend following the festival. Per the agreement, APE will also be responsible for producing “complimentary concerts” at three downtown spots for the same duration.

“Outdoor music, whether it is a large festival or smaller performance in a plaza, make our city and our neighbourhoods more vibrant and supports our local economy,” Mayor London Breed said at the time.

“I’m glad that Another Planet Entertainment will be building on the success of Outside Lands to bring more music and excitement to our city, including for our downtown, to create more memorable experiences for everyone who lives, works and visits San Francisco,” she added.

“We wanted to host something unique and rare, not just an artist that’s on tour”

Outside Lands has pumped over US$1 billion into San Francisco’s economy since its inception in 2008, according to the festival.

The Mars Volta, Viagra Boys, and VOWWS fill out the day’s all-ages, rock-heavy programming, set to run from 15:00 to 22:00. Curating a specialised and extraordinary program was of utmost importance to APE, president of concerts and festivals Allen Scott told Pollstar.

“We wanted to host something that is unique and rare,” says Scott. “Not just an artist that’s on tour and it’s another stop for them.”

Two additional shows could be announced for the Friday and Sunday slots around the 17 August show.

Presale begins Thursday (11 April), with general sale to launch the following day (12 April). GA tickets start at US$169, with VIP options starting at $399, plus fees.

The world-renowned urban park’s Polo Fields have a long history with iconic music offerings, like 1967’s Human Be-In gathering, which fueled the hippie counterculture movement and featured Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, and Big Brother and the Holding Company. WOMAD, the world’s festival, landed in the Polo Fields in 1993, bringing Peter Gabriel and Ziggy Marley to the park. And in 1996, the socio-political Tibetan Freedom Concert series hit San Francisco, highlighting the Beastie Boys, A Tribe Called Quest, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Björk, and Yoko Ono.

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