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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

Fine folks of Berkeley, CA! Earl Jam is coming to The Freight (@thefreightberkeley) on Saturday, May 23rd. Tony and the band (@michael.daves @caseydriessen and @engel_jared) are looking forward to it!

(Thanks to @greyfoxbluegrass for the video)

Honored to welcome Grammy Award–winning tar virtuoso Sahba Motallebi to the stage alongside Marjan Vahdat and Nariman Asadi on Sunday, May 24 in Berkeley.

Presented by Diaspora Arts Connection and The Freight, this special evening brings together three extraordinary artists for an intimate performance rooted in Persian music, poetry, and storytelling.

📍 Berkeley
🗓 Sunday, May 24, 2026
🎟 Tickets available via link in bio

#SahbaMotallebi #MarjanVahdat #NarimanAsadi #PersianMusic #DiasporaArtsConnection

Excited to welcome the extraordinary Marjan Vahdat to the Bay Area on Sunday, May 24 in a special co-presentation by Diaspora Arts Connection and The Freight.

Joining her on stage are acclaimed musicians Sahba Motallebi and Nariman Asadi for an intimate evening of Persian music, poetry, and masterful musicianship.

📍 Berkeley
🗓 Sunday, May 24, 2026
🎟 Tickets available via link in bio

#MarjanVahdat #SahbaMotallebi #NarimanAsadi #PersianMusic #TheFreight

FREE SINGALONG! MON, MAY 18 | 7:30PM

The Freight Singers are a community chorus based at The Freight, founded by Zoë Ellis and Bryan Dyer and now led by Bryan Dyer. The chorus introduces singers and audiences alike to music from a variety of cultures inside the U.S. and around the world with an emphasis on traditional/roots music.

Join us for a night of song and unity with Bryan Dyer, the Freight Singers, and a very special guest Tony Lindsay.

🎟️ Tickets are on a sliding scale donation basis while they last - reserve your spot now!

2020 Addison St.
Berkeley, CA

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