Lineup emerging for Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2023
The famed Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival is set to return to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park Sept. 29 with performers including Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Leyla McCalla, The Church, John Doe Folk Trio, and more, organizers announced Wednesday.
The free event, marking its 23rd year, runs Sept. 29-Oct. 1 with its trademark, wide-ranging lineup touching on a wealth of musical genres.
Other performers announced Wednesday include Valerie June, Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram, John Craigie, Neal Francis, Bahamas, and Gaby Moreno.
More performers will be announced in the near future, organizers said.
Founded by billionaire financier Warren Hellman in 2001, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has evolved from an informal one-day afternoon of free music to a three-day globally acclaimed event that annually draws more than a million music fans to Golden Gate Park.
The event offered a wide array of digital music during the pandemic and returned to a live performances in 2002.
Americana icons such as Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle and Buddy Miller have been regular performers.
Isbell, who last appeared at the festival in 2014, has frequently been in the news of late, from reports on his headlining tour, his new documentary or his criticisms directed at Jason Aldean’s video for “Try That in a Small Town,” which was filmed at the site of a notorious race riot and a lynching. He’ll also appear in Martin Scorsese’s new film “Killers of the Flower Moon,” due out Oct. 20.