Mondays I love you! One last show this year w/ Bobby McFerrin & @motion_sings@thefreightberkeley It’s not a show, it’s an experience in community, healing and total presence. It’s a gift in my life and has a common effect on whoever comes, of connection, acceptance and love. People come from around the world not knowing what to expect but we leave feeling different and together. Thank you for being a part of this community and you are always welcome. #bobbymcferrin #acappella #sing #community #healing
Like many aspects of The Freight, our print calendars got a visual refresh in 2025.
We are proud to feature original illustrations by local Bay Area artists on our the cover of our print calendars. This art reflects the energy and diversity of the artists on our stage. Our new design is part of our mission to being a more expansive, more inclusive, and more reflective of the music we present today.
Now, patrons can view these works of art at the venue while attending a show or a class!
We’re always listening, always growing & Bay Area artists, this is your invitation to get in touch!
🌷✨ May at The Freight 🌷✨
FRI, MAY 1 @windbornesingers
SAT & SUN, MAY 2-3 The Freight's 10th Annual Berkeley Bluegrass Festival
MON, MAY 4 Open Mic with @jamey_thepoet
THU, MAY 7 @leventdunordquebec & @foghornstringband
FRI, MAY 8 @jim.messina
SAT, MAY 9 @sfscottishfiddlers
SUN, MAY 10 Margaret Belton's Tribute to Patsy Cline ( @margyb )
MON, MAY 11 Bobby McFerrin & MOTION: Circlesongs
MON, MAY 11 Bluegrass/Country Jam with Richard Brandenburg
SAT, MAY 16 @chaurasia_rakesh & @amitkavthekar
SUN, MAY 17 Terry Riley 90th Birthday Celebration with @bangonacan All-Stars and Special Guests
MON, MAY 18 Bobby McFerrin & Circlesongs
MON, MAY 18 Freight Singers Community Chorus with Special Guest Tony Lindsay
FRI, MAY 22 Ramblin' Jack Elliot
SAT, MAY 23 @tonytrischka 's EarlJam - A Tribute to Earl Scruggs Featuring @michael.daves
SUN, MAY 24 @marjane_vahdat & @sahba.motallebi
TUE, MAY 26 Jazzschool Studio Band and Dave Eshelman's Jazz Garden Big Band
🎨 Ruthie Foster illustration by Nicole Dixon
JUST ANNOUNCED | Your favorite @tsisters are back on September 19! ✨
It’s always a great show - get your tickets now before it sells out!
🎟️thefreight.org
2020 Addison St
Berkeley, CA
SUN, MAY 24 | @marjane_vahdat & @sahba.motallebi at The Freight
Marjan Vahdat and Sahba Motallebi are internationally known musicians who have recently begun collaborating. Their music is rooted in Persian classical and folk traditions while reflecting their own unique expression. Joined by @nariman.percussion on tombak and daf, the concert features poems from both classical and contemporary Persian music, including Forough Farrokhzad, Hafez, and Rumi, creating a musical journey that blends tradition, poetry, and modern expression.
Presented in partnership with @diaspora.arts.connection
🎟️thefreight.org
2020 Addison St.
Berkeley, CA
#persianclassical #persianpoetry #berkeleymusic
SAT, MAY 23 | @tonytrischka ’s EARL JAM - A TRIBUTE TO EARL SCRUGGS FEATURING @michael.daves
Presented in partnership with @kalwmusic
Tony Trischka is considered the consummate banjo artist and perhaps the most influential player in the roots music world. For this show, he is joined by Michael Daves and his ace band to honor the music of Earl Scruggs.
🎟️thefreight.org
2020 Addison St
Berkeley, CA
#banjoplayer #earlscruggs #berkeley #billystrings
JUST ANNOUNCED | SAT, JUL 25
@officialkoolkeith at The Freight!
🎟️thefreight.org
Plus opening video mixing DJ set by @shortkut
Kool Keith is an American rapper and producer from The Bronx, New York. He first gained fame as a member of the pioneering hip-hop group Ultramagnetic MCs in the late 1980s. He is known for his eccentric and often surreal lyrics, which often touch on themes of science fiction, sex, and violence, as well as his inventive use of language and wordplay.
Presented in Partnership with Change The Beat
#bayareahiphop #koolkeith #bayareamusic
NOW ON SALE 💃🕺 SUN, SEP 13
✨Sunny Jain's Wild Wild East is a sonic exploration of the mythology of the romanticized American “cowboy,” newly realized through the eyes and experiences of modern-day immigrants.
✨ Jain has made a career of bringing musical forms into conversation with one another. His solo jazz albums percolate with Indian rhythms pounded out on a trap kit, and the thump of Red Baraat makes dancing partners out of bhangra and psychedelic rock. He brings us out to the wide-open spaces of the American West, a different kind of Indian engaging with the tired old cowboy.
@sunnydrums
🎟️thefreight.org
2020 Addision St.,
Berkeley, CA
SUN, MAY 17 | Terry Riley 90th Birthday Celebration 🎉 with BANG ON A CAN ALL-STARS, HANK DUTT (KRONOS QUARTET), GEORGE BROOKS, MOLLY HOLM, JOEL DAVEL, & SAMEER GUPTA
Bang on a Can All Stars worked with Terry Riley alongside Terry’s son and frequent performance partner Gyan Riley to put together this special program honoring the legendary composer for his 90th birthday year. The program will feature special guests Hank Dutt long-time former violist of Kronos Quartet, George Brooks, Molly Holm, Joel Davel, and Sameer Gupta for the celebration. Please note: Terry Riley will not be in attendance nor performing at this show as he currently lives full time in Japan.
The program will feature performances of Terry Riley’s iconic pieces “In C” (called “musical democracy at its highest level” by the Library of Congress) and “A Rainbow in Curved Air,” in a new transcription by Gyan Riley.
🎟️thefreight.org
2020 Addison St.,
Berkeley, CA
SAT, MAY 16 | @chaurasia_rakesh & @amitkavthekar
Experience an enchanting evening of Indian classical music featuring the soulful bansuri of Rakesh Chaurasia one of India’s leading flautists and nephew of Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, accompanied by the dynamic and intricate tabla of Amit Kavthekar, disciple of Ustad Alla Rakha and Ustad Zakir Hussain. Together, they create a mesmerizing dialogue of melody and rhythm, blending tradition with masterful improvisation.
🎟️thefreight.org
2020 Addison St.
Berkeley, CA
#bansuri #indianclassical #berkeleyevents
The “secondary” ticket market has tormented fans and artists for too long. Fans and consumers are often locked out of tickets at initial on-sale and forced to turn to resale platforms which can be many multiples of the price the artist intended.
Music fans deserve a ticket marketplace that is fair, transparent, and safe. Two bills are advancing in California that ban deceptive practices, curb price gouging, and support our live entertainment economy.
Protect artists, fans, and venues by passing AB 1349 & AB 1720!
Tell CA legislators to vote YES 👉
