Summer of Love Stage

It was 1967 all over again on Sunday as San Francisco stepped back in time to celebrate The Summer of Love - 40 years on. The weather was spectacular; the music was sensational; the whiff of 1967 in the air was potent.


He is Summer of Love - Wavy Gravy

I was a product of the Summer of Love and am proud of that. In one single day I got a sense of what it was all about—a free, loving spirit with peace at the corp. That spirit took flight from the mad, fab city of San Francisco to the world. In Golden Gate Park this weekend many came to recapture that vibe, some to relive it, most to tap into something they had only heard of or read about before.



The fashion was eclectic. Tie-dye was the main order of the day. Others stepped back into clothes that had been hidden in their closet for years. A few naughty revelers chose their birthday suits. Luckily, I have no photographic evidence of that.


With Ray Manzerak


Ray "The Doors" Manzerak and Friends

One of the highlights of the day was seeing and hearing Ray Manzerak of The Doors playing keyboards as only he can, loose and groovy, as Peot John McClure punched the air with poetry and rhyme. Manzerak told me “it was important for me to be here today, to honour San Francisco and this magical time. San Francisco dug the Doors in a way our hometown L.A. never did.” The Bay Area has since become Manzarek’s home.


With Guitarist Moby Grape

There were a handful of bands performing who played the first Summer of Love show four decades ago, many were without original members—Starship and Moby Grape, for starters. However, that appeared not to matter to the 50,000 sun-kissed music fans who showed up for the occasion. They rocked, they rolled, they swang on a music high for eight solid hours.

It was a great, unforgettable golden day in the park. Summer of Love man, let’s do it all over again in 40 years.

cheers
Liam
-)