You Can Get Vaccinated at the Thundercat Show This Weekend

To close the vaccination gap, some public health experts say it’s better to meet communities where they are instead of shaming people hesitant to get the shot. Well, San Francisco’s Stern Grove Festival appears to have taken that advice to heart.

At this Sunday’s edition of the free concert series, attendees can get their jab of the Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccine as they groove to jazz and soul stylings of Thundercat, Cassowary and DJ Shortcut.

The festival is pulling this medical intervention off with help from Kaiser Permanente, and concert-goers who get vaccinated at the Aug. 8 show will get first dibs on RSVPs for the Aug. 29 festival finale with Too $hort and Tower of Power. Those who make the Aug. 29 concert can get their second Pfizer dose there as well. Reservations for the Thundercat show are already full, and signups for Too $hort and Tower of Power open to the public on the 17th.

Stern Grove’s announcement comes as an increasing number of Bay Area concert venues begin requiring proof of vaccination for entry. KQED reported last week that Rickshaw Stop, Oasis, F8, The Independent, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and Eli’s Mile High Club ask for vaccination cards at the door. And several other clubs, festivals and arts institutions have since followed suit.

Another Planet Entertainment, the company that puts on Outside Lands, now requires proof of vaccination at all of their venues, which include Oakland’s Fox Theater and Berkeley’s Greek Theatre in addition to the Independent and Bill Graham. (APE also accepts a negative COVID-19 test from within 48 hours of the show.) Wine Country music festival BottleRock, which will bring Stevie Nicks, Megan Thee Stallion and Foo Fighters to Napa on Labor Day weekend, is also asking for patrons to have at least one vaccine dose or a negative COVID test with a 72-hour window.

Starting Aug. 6, proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test will also be required to see the San Francisco Symphony. The San Francisco Opera is accepting fully vaccinated patrons only—a negative COVID test will not suffice to see Puccini’s Tosca when the season opens on Aug. 21.

Though vaccine cards and negative tests are not required to enter Stern Grove, executive director Bob Fiedler said in a statement that “vaccinations are the best intervention in the battle against COVID-19.”

“Overall, Stern Grove Festival is proud to be one of the first major outdoor events back in the Bay Area,” he added, “and we will continue to do our part to help ensure the safety of all involved as well as for our fellow San Franciscans.”