MEMORABLE MUSIC VENUES? Our state boasts a whole colorful, picture-ready, gotta-go-again caboodle of super spots to see shows. Whether they're open-air, with mountains or the ocean in view, or inside a history-laden theater, a pretty place that enhances the act of enjoying a sonorous, lyric-filled event is something special. But while these pretty places are often much in use when it comes to touring bands, some venues are employed less often, making a live concert a rarer treat. The historic Redwood Forest Theater at Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve is over 80 years old, and rightly famous, but its calendar doesn't hum with upcoming act after upcoming act. Rather, it is "occasionally used for concerts and plays," with the late-summer Old Grove Festival one of the strummable, hummable treats on the schedule. Are there redwoods all around, as the name of the 1,200-seat amphitheater suggests? There are — it is a part of Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve — making a concert at the amphitheater one of the tree-iest of terrific experiences. If you're obsessed with these giants, as well as the sounds of Americana, and bluegrass, and you'd like to lend some love to the Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods, then be at the...
OLD GROVE FESTIVAL... on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017. The Dead Winter Carpenters are headlining the afternoon-into-evening show, which begins at 5:30, though everything gets going at the amphitheater an hour earlier. Will there be pre-sold meals available for pick-up? You bet. How about a wine and beer bar? That, too, is on the grounds. Tickets and all the info you need to attend the Sonoma County-based concert may be found here, as well as ways to support the nature-important mission of Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods. Do you collect experiences at great California venues, inside and out? Here's your next one, in SoCo, at gorgeous Guerneville, just before the arrival of autumn.
