The Boarding House, Part 1

The Boarding House, on Bush Street in San Francisco, was torn down in 1980 to make room for condos, but during the 70's, it was probably my favorite music venue in SF. Very small, very intimate, and rarely the "impossible ticket" despite the A-list cast of performers who appeared here over the years. They often featured the "next big thing" in current rock and folk. Just when you'd worked up an appreciation for someone from listening to them on KSAN, they'd play the Boarding House. They served dinner too so we'd go early, get a great table, and eat an inexpensive meal before the show. Some of the artists weren't exactly household names, but they were big time to me. From the top, the late Dan Fogelberg, Ian Matthews from Fairport Convention/Matthews Southern Comfort, Doug Sahm from the Sir Douglas Quintet, folk icon Eric Andersen, and Jesse Winchester, making a comeback after a ten-year hiatus when he went to Canada to avoid the Vietnam War. As is rather obvious, they didn't exactly break the bank on good lighting, so photography wasn't easy, though you could shoot with impunity.