San Francisco’s newest music venue takes flight

SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — The Bay Area’s hottest new music venue is Gate B4 in Harvey Milk Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport.Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of passengers, one secluded lounge area has transformed from a typical airport waiting room into a music venue.Earlier this month, New Zealand indie rock band The Beths took center stage, in town before back-to-back performances in San Jose and Sonoma. For a backdrop, the musicians had something few concert venues can offer: a live airport runway featuring taxiing Boeing 737s.Lead vocalist and guitarist Elizabeth Stokes greeted the audience to loud applause.“We’re The Beths from Auckland, New Zealand,” Stokes yelled out to the crowd. “Who came to the airport just for this?”The majority of the crowd raised their hands, cheering in response.The Beths played for nearly an hour, performing hits including “Future Me Hates Me” and “Straight Line Was a Lie.” Following the concert, Stokes — accompanied by fellow guitarist Jonathan Pearce, bassist Benjamin Sinclair and drummer Tristan Deck — greeted fans and signed posters, chatting about how far each had traveled for the show.“The turnout was impressive,” Deck said as fans slowly filtered out of the lounge at the concert’s end. “I was very surprised at people’s willingness and availability to come and check out this gig on a Monday. But thrilled, absolutely thrilled.”Gate B4 in Harvey Milk Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport on Aug. 10, 2026. (Margaret Attridge/Courthouse News)The Terminal Sessions music series is made possible through a partnership between San Francisco International Airport, the San Francisco Travel Association and Stern Grove, San Francisco’s free and nonprofit musical festival. The airport and SF Travel provide funding.Radu Barbuceanu, the group’s director of global tourism development, said the series aligns with the association’s goal to promote city events like the Super Bowl, FIFA World Cup and Outside Lands Music Festival to international markets.“Our role is to think of these ideas, these programs, and see how we can have those really resonate in international markets,” Barbuceanu said. “That way, consumers who are in those countries see SFO as a great airport to travel to but then also see San Francisco as a great destination to visit.”Terminal Sessions fits right in with the airport’s “uniquely San Francisco sense of place,” said Doug Yakel, spokesperson for San Francisco International Airport. In an interview with Courthouse News, he explained that the program exists alongside local food, beverage and shopping options for travelers who want to experience the city without leaving the airport.“People want to get a little snapshot of what it’s like to be in San Francisco here in the airport terminal,” Yakel said. “We kind of take that to the next level and really promote things that are happening around the Bay Area in our terminals.”The first two Terminal Sessions in June featured India-based Peter Cat Recording Co. and Colombia-based Bomba Estéreo, both fresh off appearances at Stern Grove. SF Travel also worked to bring influencers from each country to document the performances, tour San Francisco’s most popular tourism spots and promote both the city and its airport to international audiences.“A lot of folks that are coming to America for the first time, they’re stopping in San Francisco,” Barbuceanu said. “So I want them to know that this is the kind of destination we are, with live events, live music, entertainment.“We’re a very lively city,” he added. “Same with SFO — they are an extension of the city. What you find in the city, you can find at SFO as well.”Signs inside Harvey Milk Terminal 1 honoring the legacy of the late Harvey Milk, who served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors until his assassination in 1978. (Frank Schulenberg/Wikimedia via Courthouse News)SFO works directly with Stern Grove festival and its talent acquisition team to find artists whose schedules can accommodate an in-terminal performance. Yakel explained that the airport’s lineup was built by “piggybacking,” intentionally seeking out globally recognized bands that had already made the international trip for the 88-year-old music festival.Stacy Horne, director of programming for Stern Grove Music Festival, said previous stars of Terminal Sessions have been especially entranced by the idea of playing in a venue as unique as the San Francisco airport. She said that after playing the festival, the guitarist of Bomba Estéreo told her: “This is going to sound weird. We just had an amazing day at Stern Grove. We just played to 12,000 people. It was incredible, but I really enjoyed the airport.” Playing in an airport adds an “interesting element” to an artist’s career, she noted.When they were approached by SFO about an airport performance, The Beths had been scheduled for an off-day between shows in Los Angeles and San Jose. The Kiwis couldn’t resist the once-in-a-lifetime gig.“It was like, well, what are our bottom lines for corporate shilling?” teased guitarist Jonathan Pearce. “What is our bottom line for what kind of gig we play? Apparently, a gate lounge in the daytime meets our standards. It met and exceeded our standards.”On the day of a Terminal Session, the airport’s contracted event management team can start load-in for an afternoon show as early as 6 a.m.Hours after the stage is built and speakers are set up, a crowd fills Gates B4 and B5. Die-hard fans, decked out in merch, lead the crowd to secure a front row spot for their favorite artist.Flight attendant Emily Wallace flew all the way from Minnesota just to see The Beths. As soon as the concert wrapped, she planned to hit the skies again and head home.“A free show was a great opportunity. We love The Beths,” Wallace said. “I thought this was an incredible, unique experience.”Bay Area resident Eli Inkelas had already planned to fly home from a friend’s wedding when he learned of The Beths’ SFO show.“When I found out the show was happening a few weeks ago, I was like, well, I wouldn’t miss it,” he said. “It’s a highly serendipitous thing that’s happening.”By the time The Beths took the stage, the crowd had quickly expanded. It comprised a who’s who of airport travelers: music lovers eager to catch one last show as they depart the city following the recent Outside Lands festival; head-bobbing travelers, momentarily distracted from hauling excessive amounts of luggage; and flight attendants and airport staff pleased to have a reprieve of live music included in their workday.The international arrivals terminal at San Francisco International Airport. (William Dotinga/Courthouse News)Several concertgoers living in San Francisco used the airport’s new Gate Explorer program to access the performance.The program grants visitors access to post-security terminals, exhibits and restaurants — and of course, to Terminal Sessions. Prospective participants can apply for a pass up to 30 days in advance. They’re vetted for compliance with TSA requirements.“This probably wouldn’t have been possible if we didn’t have this Gate Explorer Pass program,” Yakel said. “It would have just been a pure chance that somebody who loves The Beths just happens to be traveling through SFO on that date and at that time, but now we really create an opportunity for people that follow these artists to come to the airport for different reasons.”Yakel says the program initially capped the number of Gate Explorer passes at 200 per day to avoid unnecessary security impacts for regular travelers. After a strong positive response, that number was moved up to 250 and sometimes even 300 for highly anticipated live performances.“We know there’s going to be a surge in demand, and while we don’t want to impact security checkpoints, we can raise it a little bit just for that one day to accommodate those unique guests that are coming specifically to hear that concert," Yakel said.Bay Area locals Tony Purmal and Jason Kruta used the Gate Explorer Program to come to SFO to see The Beths. They were surprised that the band was playing at their local airport.“They’re my No. 9 favorite band of all time,” Purmal said. “All four of their albums are in my top 100 albums of all time — and this will be the first time I’ve seen them.”Purmal said he was interested to see how the band might play differently due to the unusual concert space. Kruta said the venue was convenient: The Beths’ shows in Sonoma and San Jose were too far for him to make.During the performance, guitarist Jonathan Pearce acknowledged the crowd’s dedication to not only traveling to the airport, but subjecting themselves to the somewhat arduous TSA screening process.“Thank you so much for coming to the airport and all the way through security just to see us,” he said. “That is the most meaningful thing you could do.”The Beths perform at San Francisco International Airport on Aug. 10, 2026. (Margaret Attridge/Courthouse News)With its many security restrictions, working a live show at an airport can be daunting. Still, organizers say SFO was a great partner in helping event planners and musical acts navigate the unfamiliar terrain.Artists performing in Terminal Sessions are granted a temporary one-day badge allowing them certain security authorizations for the duration of their performance. However, they still must pass through the traditional security screening like everyone else.The airport’s contracted event management employees, on the other hand, are vetted by TSA and granted a more permanent airport ID that allows long-term post-security access to create ease when making great shows happen. Yakel added that Terminal Sessions has the TSA’s full approval, noting that the airport has a very productive relationship with the agency.“Anytime we’re hosting an event post security, we always make sure that we give them plenty of advance notice,” he said. “We let them know what it’s for. We let them know how we’re getting the logistics in place, how we’re getting the talent out there, so that they understand fully what it’s all about.”The Beths’ Monday show was the last Terminal Sessions performance offered this summer. However, all parties involved are hopeful the partnership will continue next year. Horne called the program “another fun addition to the live music landscape.”Yakel hopes to see Terminal Sessions expand outside of the summer’s music festival season, but SFO would need to make a steady partnership to connect with artists on the airport’s behalf. For now, Barbuceanu said SF Travel is focused on the upcoming 60th anniversary of the Summer of Love — and that may mean some groovy performances are in store for SFO.“I hope one of the ways we can promote that anniversary is through Terminal Sessions,” Barbuceanu said. “I know we’ll be doing a lot as a tourism bureau to promote the Summer of Love, and perhaps this is one of those tactics that we can employ again next year.”Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads