Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @ConcertGoingPro
Each summer for the past 89 years, Stern Grove Festival presents ten weeks of free concerts every Sunday on the stage at Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove. Beginning in 2024, Stern Grove began to have a two-show final weekend called The Big Picnic Weekend… and the penultimate show of the 2026 season featured none other than Chuck D. and Flavor Flav and Public Enemy!
Before they would take the stage, Vallejo native LaRussell opened the show and warmed up the already excited crowd. Joined by Oakland’s Co-LLAB Choir, he sailed through a 45-minute set reaching through his 40-album (!) discography. [count them all here on his Wikipedia page if you don’t believe us!]
Click on any photo below for full-size images of LaRussell.
After a short set break and a brief instrumental opening by their live band, Flavor Flav was the first to appear, and after a brief solo start, he introduced his sidekick and right-hand man Chuck D. and thus began a phenomenal 75-minute set featuring all the hits and even a couple of new tracks.
Click on any photo below for full-size images of Public Enemy.
Unfortunately, due to other conflicts, Spinning Platters was unable to attend the final performance of 89th Annual Stern Grove summer season, which was Al Green, Goapele, and the Glide Ensemble.
