Last Thursday, I was waiting for a bus at the corner of 16th and Valencia and a full-blown concert was taking place. This wasn't just a guy in a ponytail with an acoustic guitar; they were plugged in and loud, and people were dancing and cheering.
After doing a little Internet research, I'm convinced that the band was the Ferocious Few, a local rock/punk/rockabilly band. Though the band is officially a duo, there were at least a couple other guys playing instruments with them, including a crazy guy in a sombrero playing a tambourine. I'm not sure if they were encouraged to play by the band or just a couple of enthusiastic members of the audience of about 30 that had gathered on the corner.
I absolutely love the do-it-yourself attitude in the Mission. Don't have enough money to open a restaurant? Take your creme brulee or curry skills to the streets. Can't book a gig on Thursday night? Take your drum kit and amp to a street corner.
I'm not exaggerating when I say these guys were truly rocking that corner. I've paid a lot more money to see bands I liked a lot less. But I think my favorite part was that when I was on my way home more than an hour later, the band was still playing and people were still crowded around and dancing. And the cops were no where in sight.*
Maybe if really great street performing takes off, they'll come to disperse the crowds like they did at the Linda Street Friday night food festival a couple weeks ago, but for now be on the look out for Ferocious Few while you still can.
*Well, actually they were in sight, but they were a few blocks down arresting some malcontent who had caused trouble on bus.
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UPDATE: Ferocious Few, along with The Red Verse, is opening for The Blacks at the Rickshaw Stop on Thursday night, and I won tickets. Let's do this thing.
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props for using the word "malcontent" in a footnote
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