Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has its opening event for 2026. Prior to its 26th annual staging in Golden Gate Park from Oct. 2-4, San Francisco’s premier roots music festival will kick off the weekend’s festivities with a special tribute to Steve Earle.

“An Evening Honoring Steve Earle” will take place at San Francisco’s famed The Masonic on Oct. 1. Like last year’s tribute ot Emmylou Harris, the performance will band together a star-studded cast of peers and devotees to celebrate the great country trailblazer, who has performed at Hardly Strictly annually since its inaugural presentation. Earle, Harris, Jackson Browne, Hot Tuna, Elizabeth Cook, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, Molly Tuttle, Shawn Camp, Stacey Earle and Victoria Williams are slated to take part in the one-night-only supergroup show. Buddy Miller will serve as musical director with a house band of Reckless Kelly featuring Greg Leisz.

“We can think of no better way to bookend our silver anniversary than celebrating 25 years of Steve Earle at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass,” said HSB executive producer Sheri Sternberg. “We are so fortunate to have legacy artists like Emmylou and Steve who have embraced our annual gathering since the beginning. We wanted to recognize their efforts with concerts benefiting charities that are important to them. This year’s proceeds go to the non-profit Sweetwater Spectrum, a community that provides adults with autism or similar intellectual/developmental disabilities, innovative, community-based, long-term housing. Our final flourish is that Buddy Miller will be with us as musical director once again, bringing his unique, special sauce to this tribute.”
Tickets for the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass tribute to Steve Earle are available via presale now, with a general on-sale to follow on June 12 at 10 a.m. PT. Find more information at hardlystrictlybluegrass.com/