Events

First Free for All draws crowds

September 27, 2010 7:03 am by Lance Knobel

The line to get into Zellerbach Hall stretched down Bancroft

The first Fall Free for All, Cal Performances’ celebration of the opening of its new season, drew enthusiastic crowds to the UC Berkeley campus for dance, music and theater performances. Before the 1 p.m. performance of Diamano Coura West African Dance and Music in Zellerbach Hall, the line for free seats stretched across Sproul Plaza, around the corner along Bancroft Way and then down Barrow Lane to the back corner of Sproul Hall.

UC Men's Octet

The day kicked off with the Cal Band playing in Lower Sproul Plaza. Kronos Quartet opened the program in Zellerbach, while the classical guitarist Marc Teicholtz was the first performer in Hertz Hall. Other performers included Mark Morris Dance Group, three Adler Fellows from the San Francisco Opera, the Pacific Mozart Ensemble, the Word for Word Theater Company, and the Philharmonia Baroque Chamber Players.

For those without the patience to wait in line at Zellerbach or Hertz Hall, student musical groups performed at Sather Gate and the plaza in front of Hertz Hall. A number of a capella groups, such as the UC Men’s Octet (strangely, with only seven singers) and Noteworthy, seemed particularly popular.

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  • Alan Tobey

    A great event for those who could get into the venues, but clearly overwhelmed by the response. “Lines for All” was not the best way to promote the diverse joys of CalPerfs.

    Needs to be re-thought a bit for next year. One improvement would be to have staggered starting times — half the events starting on the half-hour rather than all on the hour — so that transitions would work better for more people.

    Plus, even more events and venues please! (Kronos was wonderful but we only made it into one other subsequent event (the “minor” but very entertaining opera recital).

  • Thomas Lord

    How does one show up for an event like that — fairly non-precious and badly run — and actually join/extend such a line rather than leave and go admire a creek or hike up the hills instead?

    Does anyone at all in that picture look like they are having a good time (other than the ones who are not in line)?

    This event and its excessive promotion was a DUMB idea (with really GREAT INTENTIONS) behind it.

    Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is coming up in The City. Lessons to be learned, there.

  • Diane

    Oh, poo – what a lot of complaints. I had a great time.

    Sure, I waited in one line for an hour, but I did the crossword puzzle while waiting – and listening to the free jazz nearby to make the time pass easily- and was rewarded with a GREAT show by Linda Tllery & her ensemble. Plus I saw two outdoor tent concerts with no lines. It was all extremely enjoyable, and the quality of music was great. There were a few bumps in the road, but I’m not a whiner, so I just let it go.

    Biked over, biked back – heard a lot of great stuff for free. A wonderful day all around.

  • http://basiscraft.com Thomas Lord

    Diane, you wrote “Oh, poo – what a lot of complaints. I had a great time.”

    Then, seriously — I retract, I retract. Fantastic.

    They (promoters) really “pimped” Kronos and some other acts and, I think, ….. some serious tuning is needed here. Lines that long (generating such flat affect pictures as above) … that’s a mess in the sense that they could have done far, far better with the same performers lined up. My point is not to poo-poo but to “hey! sharpen that dull knife! inflate that soft balloon! spike that egg-nog! Something that Something! That sucked. Give us more of the same, but better.

  • Louisa

    I agree with Diane. While I agree with Alan Tobey’s point about needing staggered starting times, I don’t think the event planners were exactly overwhelmed by the response. As to turning folks off to Cal Perfs bec of the lines: it was a FREE event, what would a reasonable attendee expect–esp on a spectacularly beautiful day? Regarding Thomas Lord’s assessment: what a sourpuss! As to the mood of the people on that very long line, (which the photo, frankly, doesn’t even begin to show!), I disagree. Everyone we waited on lines with was quite cheery & very glad to be there. In fact, we had quite a few lovely conversations with people we got to meet while on line. Indeed, it reminded me of the many wonderful free summertime Shakespeare in the (Central) Park performances I had the good fortune to attend when I lived in NYC. And there is NOTHING in this world like a good LIVE performance!
    It was a terrific day further blessed by Mother Nature’s full cooperation. Sure, the event timing & the crowd & line control need to be fine-tuned, (it was the inaugural event afterall!), & I’m sure they WILL be for next year–when we’ll be back!

  • EBGuy

    The kids loved Word for Word’s rendition of Frankie the Rooster. Queued up ten minutes beforehand.

  • Diane

    @TL: yes, there were bumps and problems. But for the first time for an event, I thought it all worked pretty well. I got into everything I wanted to see. People in line generally chatted with each other and seemed in good moods. I agree with Louisa on that – people seemed happy to be there.