Yeasayer Perform Free Surprise Gig in Historic San Francisco Hall

In the mid-1960s when San Francisco became ground zero for the birth of the modern day rock concert, Longshoreman's Hall, near the tourist-minded Fisherman's Wharf, was something of a launching pad. Predating Bill Graham's Fillmore dance space across town, Longshoreman's Hall hosted many concerts by the Grateful Dead, including the famed Trips Fest -- an acid test that also featured Janis Joplin (with Big Brother & the Holding Company). It was also the place where the future members of Quicksilver Messenger Service first met while attending a performance by the Jefferson Airplane in 1965.

Concerts don't really happen at Longshoreman's Hall anymore but on Saturday night San Francisco's past and present came together as an agency rented the building to promote the new Kin smartphone. In a clever take on social network marketing, the company invited Yeasayer to put on a free show for their fans, no strings attached. The time and place were announced just hours before the gig via Facebook and Twitter. "Thanks for coming out"" said guitarist Anand Wilder. "This is a really weird, cool space."

The same could be said for the gig itself -- it was really weird and cool. Yeasayer indulged their fans by not just playing the songs from 'Odd Blood' that every blog reader has been briefed on numerous times, but they also dug back in their catalog to pull an equal amount of songs from 2007's 'All Hour Cymbals.'

Sure, the hippies that first attended shows at Longshoreman's Hall in the '60s would be surprised that the first music back there in ages would be the result of a marketing campaign. But, then again, they'd also be pretty surprised by the social networking capabilities of modern mobile phones. One thing that wouldn't surprise them? The ticket price. Free shows have been a San Francisco tradition since the very first dances at Longshoreman's Hall when hippies would reportedly sneak in through any of the many side doors. Upholding another local tradition, Yeasayer made sure the show was still psychedelic.