SF’s Next Free Concert? Sudan Archives at a Waterfront Park

Like floating down a river or biting into a perfectly ripe peach, a free, outdoor concert at a waterfront park is just one of those peak summer experiences. Especially when the headliner is Sudan Archives, one of this generation’s most dynamic artists. The LA singer, violinist and producer has made massive crowds dance to her smart, sexy electronic pop at festivals worldwide, and she touches down in San Francisco on July 27 for a free show at Crane Cove Park, with picturesque views of the San Francisco Bay.

A collaboration between the nonprofit San Francisco Parks Alliance and local concert promoters and venues, SF Live kicked off in May as part of Mayor London Breed’s efforts to get the city out of its doom loop narrative and boost its nightlife and entertainment sectors, which are still struggling in the wake of the pandemic. Sudan Archives’ set marks the first of three upcoming SF Live shows produced by local promoter Noise Pop, which puts on an annual music festival of the same name.

Noise Pop tapped independent venue Rickshaw Stop to curate the Sudan Archives show, which features an all-Black, all-queer lineup. Rounding out the bill is The Seshen’s Lalin St. Juste, whose intense, enigmatic electronic pop excavates themes of spirituality, transformation and the singer’s Haitian roots. Oakland-raised Kossisko, who recently performed at SF Pride, will preside over a feel-good dance party with tracks off their funky new album Slayerz Ball, which celebrates genderfluid self-expression.

“I think in general right now, we just need to feel united,” says Kossisko. “I think there needs to be more of this stuff, I think because of the fact that we’re always behind our screens now.”

Not only that, but by all counts, the live music sector has been completely out of whack the past few years, ever since pandemic shutdowns. Between the impossible economics of streaming platforms, which barely pay artists, and inflation cutting into artists’ earnings on tour, working musicians and small venues are still struggling to emerge from the financial hole of 2020, even four years later.

Sure, fans are splurging on hyped arena tours by major-label stars, but support for smaller acts can be “hit or miss,” says Dan Strachota, head of operations at Rickshaw Stop. “You’ll have wonderful nights where the music is great and the people are wonderful, and the people have a few drinks and everybody makes money, and then you’ll have the same exact kind of sound a week later and no one will show up,” he explains.

“It seems weird that people would be less likely to pay for a $10 show than they would a $200 show, but I think people just go for what they’re certain about,” he continues. “The known quantities do better than the more experimental, weird, uncertain small bands. And we kind of make our living on those, which we hold near and dear to our hearts.”

People are still going out less, too. But with the celebratory sound of Slayerz Ball, Kossisko wants to break audiences out of their shells. “Like if I go somewhere and I hear a song I like, even if I’m the only person dancing, I’m going to dance and I’m going to shake some ass and just have fun,” they say. “But I noticed that, especially post-pandemic, it feels like people are so self-conscious and so inward now. [With] this album, I wanted to make something that was super self-indulgent and super fun.”

After Kossisko’s show with Sudan Archives and Lalin St. Juste on July 27, SF Live plans to keep the good vibes rolling. At the Golden Gate Park bandshell on Aug. 3, longtime queer venue El Rio and production company Illuminate present San Cha, whose experimental sound reimagines rancheras, dance pop and even opera. Noise Pop’s next offerings for the series are the Talking Heads’ Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew at China Basin Park on Aug. 17 (co-produced by Great American Music Hall) and Eagles of Death Metal at Potrero Del Sol on Sept. 7 (co-produced by Kilowatt).

Despite the many doomsday headlines we see about San Francisco, there’s clearly an appetite for these kinds of free events. The Bhangra & Beats Night Market, also sponsored by Mayor Breed and the Office of Economic Workforce and Development, recently brought thousands of families and music lovers to the typically sleepy Financial District for a night of Punjabi rhythms, Afrobeats and food. And last weekend, electronic music label Dirty Bird packed out Embarcadero Plaza for a free show put on by Another Planet Entertainment as part of its deal with the city to hold ticketed concerts in Golden Gate Park.

As far as SF Live is concerned, Noise Pop CEO Michelle Swing says she wants these concerts to inspire attendees to support the local venues presenting them, and to make a compelling case for city funding for the arts.

“I hope that this program is a really good demonstration of why music programming is so important and critical to the culture of the city,” she says, “and how it’s fundamentally important for the community, for the economy.”

Sudan Archives, Kossisko and Lalin St. Juste perform at Crane Cove Park on July 27, 12-5 p.m. Upcoming SF Live concerts can be found here.