By Alyssa Pereira, SFGATE
Updated
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FILE — Paul Simon performs onstage during the Brooks Brothers Bicentennial Celebration at Jazz At Lincoln Center on April 25, 2018 in New York City. Simon was announced as a headline for Outside Lands 2019.
FILE — Paul Simon performs onstage during the Brooks Brothers Bicentennial Celebration at Jazz At Lincoln Center on April 25, 2018 in New York City. Simon was announced as a headline for Outside Lands 2019.
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris, Getty Images For Brooks Brothers
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris, Getty Images For Brooks Brothers
FILE — Paul Simon performs onstage during the Brooks Brothers Bicentennial Celebration at Jazz At Lincoln Center on April 25, 2018 in New York City. Simon was announced as a headline for Outside Lands 2019.
FILE — Paul Simon performs onstage during the Brooks Brothers Bicentennial Celebration at Jazz At Lincoln Center on April 25, 2018 in New York City. Simon was announced as a headline for Outside Lands 2019.
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris, Getty Images For Brooks Brothers
Despite a widely-publicized announcement that he was retiring from touring, rocker Paul Simon will head back to San Francisco this August to headline a special set at this year’s Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival.
Simon will close out the festival on Sunday, Aug. 11, and will donate the proceeds from his performance to a “local environmental non-profit organization,” according to event organizers.
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“It’s an honor to join the long line of musicians who’ve given (Golden Gate Park) its sanctified musical heritage,” Simon said in a press release. “I’m equally pleased to be playing in San Francisco with its well-deserved reputation for being in the forefront of environmental issues. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be of service to this vital cause.”
As the Chronicle notes, it’s unusual for Outside Lands to announce one of its headliners ahead of the general lineup release; in fact, it’s the first time in their 12-year history that they’ve done so. (The rest of the lineup drops on Tuesday, March 26.)
The fest appears to be making an exception to their standard operating procedure this year in an effort to explain why Simon is returning to the stage since his farewell tour: to promote sustainability.
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Every year, Outside Lands makes an obvious effort to promote composting and minimizing total waste, aligning with Simon’s green objectives. In 2018, the festival noted a 92 percent waste diversion rate and also did away with plastic straws while bringing in more reusable containers.
Although early-sale Eager Beaver tickets for the festival weekend have already sold out, general sale tickets will go on sale soon.
Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival takes place at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on August 9-11, 2019.
Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.
