Live Performance

Music

The San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Symphony are just a few blocks from UC Hastings in the SF Civic Center. The Opera has $25 student rush tickets; the Symphony has a 50% off student subscription package that can be shared. There are many other professional groups in town, offering classical and other music. And not to be overlooked, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, also a short walk from UC Hastings, offers hundreds of free and low-price recitals a year for students and faculty.

Popular Music

The SF scene is huge, with performances at many venues. Popular picks include:

• Slim’s: Close to UC Hastings, with good music at decent prices.
• Great American Music Hall: Also close to UC Hastings, Slim’s sister venue. Considered to be often overlooked; reputed to get amazingly talented bands, often just before they make it big.
• The Warfield: Couldn’t be closer to UC Hastings! Great indoor venue that gets a lot of big-name bands.
• The Fillmore: This historic hall is decorated with thousands of posters from the many legendary shows that have taken place within its hallowed walls. It’s a place of rock music legend that hosted some of the most famous concerts of the 60’s and 70’s. It’s small, but gets an eclectic selection of acts.
• Bottom of the Hill: A raucous crowd, with both punk and underground shows, seven nights a week.
• Cafe Du Nord: At a great location right in the Castro district, Cafe Du Nord is a full service bar with a stage that often hosts the darlings of the indie scene.
• 1015 Folsom: Great club with resident and frequent guest DJ’s. Great for dancing - offers everything from dub and dancehall nights to house and trance, and often books top hip hop acts and DJs for reasonable prices.
• Ruby Skye: One of the more upscale clubs in the city, with a very popular club scene.
• Shoreline Amphitheatre: An easy hour’s drive south from San Francisco, Shoreline gets the biggest names in music. A fantastic venue with both comfortable seating and an expansive lawn to picnic, dance, or chill out.

Dance

The San Francisco Ballet performs at the Opera House in the Civic Center and runs a student rush program, allowing students to receive a discount on tickets. There are many well-known dance troupes for whom San Francisco is home, including Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet and the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company. Joe Goode Performance Group.

Venues such as Counterpulse often host dance performances. In addition, there is a diverse international dance scene in the Bay Area; the 30-year-old San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival is one showcase for it.

Theater

• American Conservatory Theater (ACT) is one of the nation’s best regional theater companies; its home is near Union Square, a 10-minute walk from UC Hastings - it offers student half-price season tickets and student rush tickets. The official site of Broadway in San Francisco is SHNSF, which offers up to a 30% discount on tickets with the promotional code "HASTINGS".
• In the East Bay, about a 30 minute BART ride from campus, is the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, which, like ACT, is one of the nation’s best nonprofit theater companies and offers student rush, under-30, and Cal Alumni discounts.
• There are dozens of other professional theater groups in town, many with quite modest ticket prices. A few examples include: Killing My Lobster, for sketch comedy; The Cutting Ball, for the experimental and avant-garde, as well as new ways to see the classics; Crowded Fire, for challenging modern theater; Bay Area Theater Sports (BATS), for improv. The Marsh and at San Francisco Playhouse are also excellent venues.