Fulfilling their agreement with SF to put on three free concerts in the city this year, Another Planet Entertainment is doing just that at Embarcadero Plaza, with a daytime electronic music show from the Dirtybird kids on July 21.
Modeled after the popular Dirtybird Campouts that haven't happened since 2022, Dirtybird: Back to Baysics will be a free show next to San Francisco Bay from 2 pm to 6 pm on Sunday, July 21. It's free with RSVP, that is, and there may be a capacity cap, but it's happening at Embarcadero Plaza and Another Planet says they're not planning to put up any fencing.
The headliner is DJ Sacha Robotti, and the lineup also includes DJs Moody Jones and Deron Delgado. As KRON4 notes, two more acts will be added in the next few days, and those interested can text "FERRY" to 415-446-1025.
There will be some street closures around Embarcadero Plaza to accomodate the event, and the SFMTA will be announcing those soon.
Like the Skrillex/Fred Again show in Civic Center Plaza that happened in May, this one isn't coming with much warning, perhaps to curtail large crowds.
Another Planet's Bryan Duquette tells the SF Standard that they are expecting 2,000 to 5,000 people to show up — a fraction of the size of the crowd for the bigger names Skrillex and Fred Again, who drew a paid crowd of 25,000 back in May.
But speaking from experience, San Franciscans and the Bay Area in general loves free stuff, and if the weather's nice, which it looks like it should be, that crowd size could swell much larger.
This free concert is one of three that Another Planet said it would put on in the city this year, as part of it agreement to use the Polo Field in Golden Gate Park for a second weekend after Outside Lands. This year, that will be a one-day alt-metal fest on Saturday, August 17, featuring System of a Down and Deftones as headliners. That show sold out in 90 minutes when tickets went on sale in April.
You can expect an afternoon of heavy, thumping bass coming from downtown, and a bevy of EDM fans in camper and scout costumes.
Dirtybird Records held its first campout in 2015, and the rave-y, remote, camping festivals have become cult hits. But given the logistics involved, the campouts were put on hold after 2022 while the group seeks out a new venue, possibly closer to Southern California — and rumor has it that artists want somewhere that's closer to a major airport so that their schedules aren't shot for a whole weekend just to do one set.
The last Dirtybird Campout in October 2022 was held at the Modesto Reservoir Campground, but previous iterations had been even further afield.
Described as "summer camp for adults," the campouts feature activities like tug-of-war, wood carving, and other summer camp fare, as well as drag shows and other performers, in addition to the music. And apparently some of that will be happening at the Embarcadero event — at the very least Duquette tells the Standard to expect people in animal costumes giving out free ice cream.
Photo: Dirtybird Campout/Instagram