27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Morgan Freeman to bring ‘Symphonic Blues Experience' to the Bay Area
Morgan Freeman wants to immerse Bay Area music fans in the sounds of his home state of Mississippi.
The actor, who turns 88 on Sunday, June 1, is bringing 'Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues Experience' to several Northern California venues this year, beginning with an evening at San Francisco's Davies Symphony Hall on July 25.
The shows feature Freeman as host and narrator during a program of Delta Blues music by musicians from Clarksdale, Miss.'s Ground Zero Blues Club, which Freeman co-founded, in collaboration with local symphony orchestras.
Thirteen dates have been announced so far, with more to come.
Other Northern California stops on the tour include Stanford's Bing Auditorium on Nov. 19, Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto on Nov. 21 and Sonoma State University's Green Music Center in Rohnert Park on Nov. 22.
'The Blues is not just music, it's history wrapped in rhythm, the echoes of lives lived and lost; heartache and hope all tangled together,' Freeman says in a trailer for the tour posted on YouTube. 'This is the story of people who turned hardship into something powerful, who found beauty in their sorrows, and who sang out loud when the world tried to keep them quiet.'
The San Francisco performance kicks off the tour, which is presented in partnership with Visit Mississippi, Visit Clarksdale and Memphis Tourism. Tickets range from $79 to $300 and are on sale at The other local venues will make tickets available in June.
'This experience gives the blues its rightful place on the world's stage and ensures its legacy continues to echo through future generations,' Freeman said in a statement announcing the tour.
Freeman, who won the best supporting actor Oscar for his role in Clint Eastwood's best picture-winning boxing drama ' Million Dollar Baby ' (2004), has been a ubiquitous presence in film and television since the 1970s, when he was a regular on PBS' 'The Electric Company.' Memorable films include the best picture-winning films 'Driving Miss Daisy' (1989) and 'Unforgiven' (1992) as well as beloved films such as 'The Shawshank Redemption' (1994), 'Se7en' (1995), ' The Bucket List ' (2007) and his role as Lucius Fox in Christopher Nolan's ' Dark Knight ' trilogy.
Trained as both an actor and a dancer, Freeman was a member of the Opera Ring musical theater group in San Francisco in the early 1960s.
