Official site of Yerba Buena Gardens Festival
Free outdoor performing arts in downtown San Francisco
Orchestra Gold
Sat, Jul 12, 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Free
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Hailu Mergia is no longer able to perform on July 12. Orchestra Gold is still performing. For any additional updates, please sign up for our email newsletter or follow us on Instagram or Facebook.
Steeped in the raw, incantatory funk that emerged in mid-1970s Bamako, the musically verdant capital of Mali, Orchestra Gold is built around powerhouse frontwoman Mariam Diakite, who absorbed those sounds first-hand growing up in the West African nation. Diakite’s voice threads mystic truths from the spiritually charged Baye Fall tradition—an ecstatic Muslim practice that’s less dogma and more divine download. Psychedelic rock collides with Malian soul in a sonic ritual where fate dances with free will. Guitars shimmer like heatwaves. Horns speak in tongues. Grooves pull you sideways through time. It’s spiritual. It’s heavy. It’s a portal. Everyone’s welcome. Jump in.