KFOG Concert for Kids

This was a really fun concert, with great bands, and all for a great cause!

I've gone to Concert for Kids for many years, but this year and last year were so loud I could not enjoy the music. A shame.

Loved concert for kids. The small venue at the Masonic auditorium leaves no seat without a great view. It is definitely a feel good rocking event.

I loved the lineup this year! Some wonderful "newbies" (Brett Dennen & Dawes), and my favorite "oldies" who have released their first album in 16 years! It rivals all of their others; they still rock, and entertain with the best of 'em!

Great lineup of musicians. Matt Nathanson was amazing but would have been a better show if he had played a while longer

My 1st vist to the Masonic Center in SF & it was quite enjoyable. My 18 year old daughter attended with me & I was able to get center section seats,four rows back from the stage. The sound & view from this location was excellent. Parking blows,$30 to $40 in the near by lots ,which were full due to Christmas parties etc.,so we parking 10 blocks away on the street. Death Cab for Cuite was the highlight.It was obvious this foursome had played many hours together(they were tight)

So much fun, parking was easy and show started on time.

awesome show! great sound in the masonic auditorium and great performance from both bands

The KFOG concert for Kids is a fun event, we like to attend yearly. This year's headliner was very good but the sound balance was lacking. From where we sat in the balcony we could hardly hear the lead vocalist sing, he was drowned out by the instrumentals. The group's musical sound was focused and you could tell why they are at the top of the charts. Once or twice the band came together into an ah- ha moment of clarity and perfection. "Deliah" was the one time where you could hear the lead vocalist well: that song was lovely. Toxic Airborne Event sounded much better on the radio, again due to the lousy sound balance. It often just sounded like a frantic wall of noise, you couldn't really tell what the individual players had to offer, or how they meshed. The violinist was a nice touch, although sometimes it seems she was out of tune. II was the probably sound balance, she had excellent tone. I do like the Marine's Memorial Auditorium, every seat in the house has a good view of the stage. At last year's concert we had no trouble hearing the Doobie Brothers, but we were closer to the stage. I don't know if the sound quality is degraded when you sit in the balcony or if the sound mix was just wrong this year.

Whoever was running the sound board had the vocals set way to low, couldn't understand the words for about 75% of the songs.

Incredibly tight, fun, sad, uplifting beautiful set.

I had been looking forward to seeing both of these bands for a while now. Unfortunately, the sound was very muddy, in addition to being on the loud side (to me, --the worst possible combination!) and just ruined it for me... Just wasn't clear at ALL. All of the mid-ranges (the guitars, keyboards and louder vocals) just growled the entire show! Check out the video below, It'll give you a real good idea. I'm not sure if, because this concert is done as a benefit, and they use poor quality PA equipment?, --or is that a house system that's always used (intended for meetings and lectures)?, --or just an inexperienced sound engineer? I did notice that the equipment looked the same as last year's Doobie Bros. Concert for Kids, which also had poor sound, not this bad, though! It seems a shame too. Because this is a relatively small venue with carpeted floors and upholstered seats, so there is plenty of dampening for echoes that might occur. There MUST be a tool for the sound person to LOOK at waveforms and SEE when they are distorting; and "when they are, turn it down, or OFF!". Most of the people around me had their hands/fingers over their ears a goodly portion of the time. And not just because it was loud. . . I'll make another attempt to see A.T.E. and Death Cab again; sure to be a better experience! As for the Nob Hill Masonic, I'll might give it one more shot, other than a Concert 4 Kids, and see if it's worth it to see music shows there. If the sound isn't better, It's not worth it; especially with the $27 parking cost.