Stern Grove Festival: Morris Day and The Time

One of the most beloved summer traditions of San Francisco, the Stern Grove Festival has been presenting a diverse array of music and entertainment for free afternoon outdoor concerts every year since 1938. Now in its 78th year, the weekly Sunday concerts bring music and nature lovers out to the Avenues to enjoy music, picnicking and relaxation in the Grove's serene meadow surrounded by giant eucalyptus, redwood and fir trees. It's difficult to believe such an peaceful oasis exists so close to the bustling intersection of 19th and Sloat Avenues.

In addition to the weekly summer concerts, the Festival presents interactive community outreach programs for audiences of all ages at many of the shows with Kids Days, performances at the special KidStage and pre-concert Artist Talks also making up a major portion of the schedule. Savvy regular attendees know to arrive as early as 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. in the morning to stake out space close to the stage for concerts that start at 2 p.m. Weather in the avenues can be unpredictable, so it is recommended that you bring layers of clothing as well as sunscreen and plenty of water for the days that end up being more like the summer other parts of the Bay Area are accustomed to.

For the second weekend of August, the Festival welcomes renowned Minneapolis funk act Morris Day and The Time. Assembled by Prince to use as an outlet for material in the vein of his early albums as he explored more diverse styles for his own albums, Day and other members of the Time including guitarist Jesse Johnson, drummer Jellybean Johnson and future hitmakers Jimmy Jam (keyboards) and Terry Lewis (bass) were recruited from existing Minneapolis bands.

While the classic Time albums like their eponymous debut and sophomore effort What Time Is It? were essentially just Prince playing all instruments and Day singing, as a live band the Time established itself as a fiery performing unit during several tours opening for Prince during the early 1980s. The band would split up after Day left for a solo career, but reunited in 1990 to release Pandemonium and appear in the Prince-directed box-office bomb "Graffiti Bridge." 

While Day and the other original members of the band were forced to release a 2011 album under the moniker The Original 7ven due to a legal dispute with Prince of the name "The Time," the singer is currently fronting a version of the band with keyboard player Monte Moir and drummer Johnson on board. Local soul artist Con Brio opens the show. For more information on the Stern Grove Festival, please visit the official Stern Grove website.

Stern Grove Festival: Morris Day and The Time
Sunday, August 9, 2 p.m. Free
Stern Grove