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\n\t\t\t\t\tThe Vintage Computer Festival will take place in August 2026 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif. Pictured: attendees at a past festival.\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
From a cool collection of classic computers to one of the best rock guitarists in the biz, there are a lot of cool shows and concerts to catch this weekend. Here\u2019s a partial rundown.<\/p>\n
Log on to our cyber past<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to believe, but before that phone in your hand existed people used to tap on boxy, clunky machines called \u201ccomputers.\u201d Now the golden era of desktop computing will be feted at the Vintage Computer Festival, taking place over one weekend at Mountain View\u2019s Computer History Museum.<\/p>\n
Located inside a building previously occupied by Silicon Graphics<\/a>, the museum will host a variety of activities and hands-on demos celebrating inventions like the Atari, Apple I and Commodore 64. Visitors will learn about retro computing from the 1960s to the \u201990s by exploring a showcase of historical computers, some original and some lovingly hacked to suit our modern times.<\/p>\n The schedule is packed with seminars like \u201cMaking Games in the 1980s,\u201d \u201cHow Sphere Hid a Minicomputer Inside Their Micro\u201d and \u201cThe World\u2019s First Search Engine Was at Bletchley Park During WWII.\u201d On Saturday, there is a film screening about Adam Osborne, who was cool before Steve Jobs with his invention of the portable computer.<\/p>\n A ticket to the festival also buys admission to the museum. Current exhibits include rare prototypes of iconic Apple products, a chatbot-powered robot you can commune with and a self-driving car you can sit inside. Oh, and there\u2019s also playable Pong.<\/p>\n Details: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 1-2 (with late events on Aug. 1); 1401 North Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View; $42 for general festival tickets, computerhistory.org<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 John Metcalfe, Staff<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a show to light your fire<\/p>\n There\u2019s one summer concert that \u2014 more than any other on the absolutely jam-packed 2026 Bay Area live music calendar \u2014 we\u2019ve been absolutely counting down the days to see. Now, finally, Robby Krieger\u2019s show at the Mountain Winery is just right around the corner. So, we definitely plan to be at the beautiful Saratoga outdoor venue to watch The Doors legend on July 31.<\/p>\n Why are we so excited about seeing this first-tier Rock and Roll Hall of Famer? Well, for starters, Krieger be playing from one of the very greatest songbooks in rock \u2018n\u2019 roll history during the show, delighting fans with such Doors classics as \u201cRiders on the Storm,\u201d \u201cLove Her Madly,\u201d \u201cHello, I Love You,\u201d \u201cWaiting for the Sun,\u201d \u201cTouch Me,\u201d \u201cWhen the Music\u2019s Over,\u201d \u201cLA. Woman,\u201d \u201cPeace Frog\u201d and, of course, \u201cLight My Fire.\u201d<\/p>\n Krieger is also one of the finest guitarists on the planet \u2014 one who too often gets bypassed whenever the conversation turns to classic rock\u2019s top gunslingers. Yet, the way he draws upon so many exciting ideas and different musical styles \u2014 \u00a0from blues, flamenco, jazz, classical, pop and more \u2014 in his guitar work is utterly astounding.<\/p>\n And Krieger is working with a really great backing band these days, which usually includes the amazing Ed Roth \u2014 who is our pick for top rock keyboardist in all of L.A.<\/p>\n Details: Krieger, who rarely plays Northern California, performs\u00a07:30 p.m.; tickets are $41; mountainwinery.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 Jim Harrington, Staff<\/p>\n Classical picks: St. Vincent and SFS; West Edge Opera<\/p>\n A great guitarist and risk-taking opera company are in our classical sights this week. Here\u2019s a look.<\/p>\n Saintly at SFS:\u00a0Summer continues to offer alluring events at the San Francisco Symphony. The attractions continue this weekend with singer-songwriter St. Vincent. The Grammy Award-winner, lauded for her unique and propulsive\u00a0guitar style, comes to Davies Hall for a concert featuring some of her best-known works, including music from albums \u201cMarry Me,\u201d \u201cActor\u201d and \u201cAll Born Screaming.\u201d Jules Buckley conducts.<\/p>\n Details: 7:30 July 30; Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco; $98-up, sfsymphony.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n West Edge\u2019s new season: West Edge Opera\u2019s Festival 2026 season is ready with another appealing lineup of three featured works and a commissioned opera still under development. Under General Director Mark Streshinsky and Music Director Jonathan Khuner, the company continues its emphasis on deep insight; the season begins with Benjamin Britten\u2019s \u201cThe Turn of the Screw,\u201d an opera Streshinsky directed for the company more than a decade ago and is helming once again, returning to it for three thrilling performances with Khuner conducting and Laura Bohn as the Governess (Aug. 1-15)<\/p>\n Next comes Handel\u2019s \u201cRinaldo\u201d (Aug. 2-15), with a production of the early music opera created\u00a0\u00a0by director Keturah Stickann and music director Emily Senturia, and starring Kyle Tingzon in the title role. The company\u2019s modern work this year is Damien Geter\u2019s \u201cAmerican Apollo,\u201d (Aug. 2, 8, and 15), drawn from the life of American artist John Singer Sargent: Oakland Symphony music director\/conductor Kedrick Armstrong conducts this intimate story about race, class, artistry and sexuality; Markel Reed sings the role of Thomas McKeller, and John Bellemer takes the role of Sargent; supporting artists include Marnie Breckenridge as Isabella Stewart Gardner; Nataki Garrett directs.<\/p>\n Details: Information on these and other productions can be found at westedgeopera.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 Georgia Rowe, Correspondent<\/p>\n New Parkway visits India<\/p>\n The New Parkway in Oakland lets the good times roar in August with a special slate of films showcasing India and its culture. A few highlights.<\/p>\n 1991\u2019s \u201cMississippi Masala\u201d stars a very young Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury as an interracial couple weathering negative reactions to their relationships from within her family and the community. It was directed by Mira Nair, of \u201cMonsoon Wedding\u201d and \u201cSalaam Bombay!\u201d fame. It screens 6:30 p.m. Aug. 4.<\/p>\n If you got a chance to catch Berkeley Rep\u2019s critically adored Broadway-bound musical version\u00a0 of Ritesh Batra\u2019s acclaimed 2013 film \u201cThe Lunchbox,\u201d count yourself lucky. Now you can catch the film version, a rich, beautiful drama wherein a lunchbox with a special note gets into the wrong hands. It screens at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 10 and is quite literally a feast for the senses.<\/p>\n No celebration would be complete without legendary director Satyajit Ray being in that lineup. Ray\u2019s lauded \u201cMahnagar (The Big City)\u201d time capsules what a woman encounters in 1950s Calcutta when she takes a job as a saleswoman and endures a lot of flak from family. It screens 6:30 p.m. Aug. 24.<\/p>\n Details: Tickets and more information are at www.thenewparkway.com<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Randy Myers, Correspondent<\/p>\n Celebrate Jerry Day<\/p>\n It was 84 years ago Saturday that Jerome John Garcia\u2014who\u00a0eventually became\u00a0known to the world as Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia\u2014was born in the Excelsior District of San Francisco.\u00a0Though he was drawn to music at an early age, it was\u00a0arguably a\u00a0single incident in 1961 that propelled him to fame as one of rock\u2019s most famous and beloved musicians.\u00a0It\u00a0was when the budding musician and singer and three friends were in a car crash that left one dead and the others seriously injured. Garcia, who broke his collarbone,\u00a0reportedly later\u00a0recalled, \u201cThat was the slingshot for the rest of my life. It was like a second chance. Then I got serious.\u201d The freewheeling, improvisational nature of the Grateful Dead\u2019s music and the party,\u00a0drug-fueled atmosphere\u00a0that drew listeners\u00a0sometimes disguised how gifted the musicians were and how hard they worked at their craft.<\/p>\n Besides his technical abilities, Garcia was a master improviser, feeding off band members, especially Bob Weir, as the band developed its astonishing reputation of \u201cnever playing a song the same way twice.\u201d On Saturday, Garcia\u2019s music and life will be honored in San Francisco\u2019s 24th annual Jerry Day from 11:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. at the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in McLaren Park in San Francisco. Keyboardist Melvin Seals and the Jerry Garcia Band will perform with members of Jazz Mafia band, along with Stu Allen and Mars Hotel. They\u2019re all talented musicians with a deep knowledge of Garcia and Grateful Dead\u2019s musical legacy, so fans of the iconic musician, who died in 1995, should have a blast.<\/p>\n Details: Admission is free, though there are reserved seating options for sale. More information is at www.jerryday.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 Bay City News Foundation<\/p>\n Catch the Cabrillo Fest<\/p>\n The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, with the theme \u201cWe the Dreamers!\u201d this year, its 64th season, includes world premieres, festival commissions and new works that \u201creflect the urgency and expansiveness of music today.\u201d The opening concert at 8 p.m. July 31, \u201cOn Freedom!\u201d features Cristian M\u0103celaru conducting the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra in Vivian Fung\u2019s \u201cAmerica the Beautiful?\u201d and Pedro Emanuel Pereira\u2019s Clarinet Concerto featuring soloist Carlos Ferreira, both festival commissions, and the West Coast premiere of Philip Glass\u2019 Symphony No. 15, \u201cLincoln,\u201d featuring baritone Zachary James. A pre-concert picnic at 6:30 p.m. offers more performances, of Glass\u2019 \u201cBrass Sextet\u201d and the world premiere of D. Riley Nicholson\u2019s \u201cBroken Anthem.\u201d Tickets are $41-$96, youth tickets for under 35 are $26. Performances, there are six total continuing through Aug. 9, are in the Civic Auditorium, 307 Church St., Santa Cruz.<\/p>\n