I went to 3 secret San Francisco live shows in a single weekend

October 13, 2021

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I went to 3 secret San Francisco live shows in a single weekend

A portable generator can cost up to $ 1,500 to buy new, but if you’re a well-connected punk – a member of Pork Belly, for example – you can probably find a used one for around $ 200.

“We just bought it from this guy who I think uses it to power his things at Burning Man,” says Pork Belly guitarist Nick Esparza. But instead of lugging it into the desert, the members of the garage rock band from San Francisco brought it down the serpentine stairs to the Sutro Baths on Friday evening, July 16, along with all their amps, drums and instruments, children with barbed hair and more spikier jackets followed shortly afterwards, and as the sun went down the music began.

Outdoor shows are not uncommon in San Francisco. While it is technically illegal to perform unamplified music in public without an entertainment permit, the relative lack of venues, especially during the pandemic, has led many musicians to take their music to the streets. Police often turn a blind eye to street musicians, but a noise complaint can trigger a subpoena (or warning in the case of a recent band on the panhandle).

Some punks apply for amplifier permits for their concerts, but that’s a complicated task to say the least. The San Francisco Entertainment Commission launched the free JAM permit program during the pandemic, which allows companies with outdoor permits to incorporate amplified outdoor music. However, this requires a partnership with a local company (or another city permit for events on private properties, terraces, streets, etc.). The pandemic fee exemption does not apply to Golden Gate Park, which is approved through San Francisco Recreation & Parks, or Sutro Baths, which is administered by the National Park Service.

The alternative is to put your gear somewhere where no one will be disturbed and post the details on Instagram (Facebook events have been like that for the last decade).

Crowd in the cave of the Sutro Baths, San Francisco, Friday July 16, 2021.

Lucas Thornton / Special on SFGATE

There aren’t many places like this in one of the most densely populated cities in the country, but the “cave” in the Sutro Baths – technically a tunnel that was used long ago to carry water from the sea to the now destroyed baths to pump – is one of the most notorious. Given the relative secrecy of these gatherings, it’s hard to find data on how far back these shows go, but even as a high school student in the late 2000s and early 10s, I remember the “cave” was a place for raves and Rock concerts.

Although outdoor shows have an uncomfortable habit of echoing hundreds of feet, it’s almost impossible to hear anything from outside the tunnel. But the real appeal is the feeling of seeing a rock show in a cave. It’s just a tiny thrill to know that you and all of your pals would be completely confused if the thousands of tons of stone gave way right above your head. And its remote location, combined with rumors of ghosts and human sacrifice, give it an almost legendary aura.

“We might go to a cave show a few years ago and it was kind of a DJ set where nobody danced but us,” says Pork Belly drummer Junior Reed. “We all thought that night about how fun it would be to do that at some point, but it seemed kind of far-fetched.”

Decline, from Oceanside, Calif., Will perform at the cave on Friday, July 16, 2021.

Lucas Thornton / Special on SFGATE

For a short, glorious evening, the Generator Pork Belly opened up that opportunity (although the unruly machine was just collapsing as the last of the evening’s four booked bands began their set). None of the band members even expected anywhere near the reception they found: at least 100 people crowded the cave, not to mention the crowd gathered outside.

Surprise Privilege will perform in front of a mosh pit in Warm Water Cove, San Francisco on July 17, 2021.

Lucas Thornton / Special on SFGATE

Julian Espinoza, Public Affairs Specialist for the National Park Service, emphasized that there are more suitable locations for shows within the park and referred potential organizers to their web portal.

“While we understand the intent behind people holding unauthorized outdoor concerts in areas of our park, we would like to emphasize that these events are both illegal and harmful to the natural and cultural resources of the park,” Espinoza wrote in one Declaration to SFGATE.

The tunnel measures 153 feet long and at least two-thirds of its length was wrapped like sardines for most of the show. It also has an 8 foot headroom, meaning crowd surfing in this setting is like riding a train through a tunnel. The bulk of the body absorbs so much noise that all of the bands sounded like a blurry bass and feedback when you were more than 9 meters away from them. And if you’re not ready to push your way forward, actually watching the bands is out of the question.

With an open air show like Surprise Privilege’s, it’s a little easier to tell what’s going on.

Surprise Privilege's Cody Azumi is surfing Warm Water Cove on July 17th, 2021.

Surprise Privilege’s Cody Azumi is surfing Warm Water Cove on July 17th, 2021.

Lucas Thornton / Special on SFGATE

The three in their early twenties in this Richmond District punk band have put together more than a dozen outdoor shows since 2019, including two last weekend: a Saturday show at Dogpatch’s Warm Water Cove (“Toxic Beach” in punk parlance) and a Sunday show Show Show by Hellman Hollow in Golden Gate Park.

Most of these shows were held under the auspices of “S-tshow in the Park,” the name they gave to 10 shows in Golden Gate Park. None of the shows that weekend were technically s-tshows. The Saturday show was organized by local punk zine Gridlock, while the Sunday show was hosted by Twin Peaks Sessions, which stream concerts by singer-songwriters playing on a dramatic rooftop overlooking the city. Without the stifling sound of the cave, the sound at both gigs was loud and clear, but had smaller crowds of a few dozen.

Goof, with members of Surprise Privilege in front of the audience at Golden Gate Park on July 18, 2021.

Lucas Thornton / Special on SFGATE

Punk is hot among teenagers right now, with rappers like Playboi Carti and TikTok personalities like Jxdn proudly embracing the punk-rock aesthetic, if not its ideology. But Surprise Privilege are no trend jumpers; they take inspiration from local legends.

“I was watching a Green Day documentary before I moved here and they were talking about Gilman Street,” says Cody Azumi of Surprise Privilege, who lived in China for most of his life. “I didn’t know the venue was actually still open.”

Jake Kaspari from Addalemon from Sacramento and Moshers in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on July 18, 2021.

Lucas Thornton / Special on SFGATE

The Alternative Music Foundation at 924 Gilman, Berkeley, is the longest-running rock venue for all ages in the Bay Area. Founded in 1986 by rock writer Tim Yohannan, The Gilman, as it is known for short, was the springboard for the punk revival of the 90s that brought the world to Green Day, Operation Ivy, Rancid, The Offspring and countless other bands.

Bored with the relatively boring music scene at Presidio’s Bay School, Azumi and his friend Joey Silberman went to Gilman shows and soon formed their own band. Surprise Privilege played its first show at Gilman in July 2019.

But the duo soon realized that appearances weren’t always guaranteed. Big venues like Rickshaw Stop completely turned them down while the longtime Sunset venue, Honey Hive Gallery completely forgot they booked it, resulting in the band heading to a closed club, they said.

“Nobody would book us,” says Silberman. “So I bought the generator and thought, ‘Why don’t we just play for our friends?'”

Editor’s Note: This article was updated on July 26th at 3:50 pm with a statement from the National Park Service. Additional clarification from the San Francisco Entertainment Commission regarding the approval was added on July 30th at 3:30 pm.

Daniel Bromfield is a San Francisco born and raised writer and musician. From 2010 to 2013 he ran the SF Rebirth Blog and his work has appeared in Pitchfork, 48 Hills, The Bold Italic, Resident Advisor and more.

A guitar rests on the Surprise Privilege car in Golden Gate Park on July 18, 2021.