Ledisi performs on the first day of the 84th annual Stern Grove Festival at Sigmund Stern Grove Park in San Francisco on June 20, 2021. Courtesy and Roman Gokhman/STAFF.

SAN FRANCISCO — The annual Stern Grove Festival, San Francisco’s longest-running music festival, returned on Sunday after a 2020 cancelation, and Grammy winner Ledisi was up for reminding the 3,000 in attendance how to move to live music.

Donning a flowing green dress with billowing sleeves and a pair of gold heels, the powerhouse vocalist took the stage for the first major concert held in the Bay Area in nearly 15 months. Abounding with energy and appreciation for surviving the many distressing events of the last year, Ledisi roused the crowd with her deep, powerful voice and inspirational lyrics. The audience, spread across stones, grass and up into the surrounding trees, was more than eager to hear her perform.

Ledisi recalled her days singing at smaller San Francisco clubs. At one point she even addressed a man in the crowd who’s been attending her shows since 1999 when she was playing at Café du Nord on Market Street. Earlier, Mayor London Breed, who participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony, recalled hearing her at the same venue years ago and falling in love with her music.

Backed by a tight band, Ledisi sang songs from her older albums, including “Feeling Orange But Sometimes Blue” as well as her 2020 single “Anything For You.” The song finally won her a Grammy this year after 13 nominations. Written after the passing of a friend’s father, the song was dedicated to fathers in the audience. She also acknowledged mothers who’ve had to fill the role of father to their children.

A trio of Nina Simone covers, including “Trouble In Mind” and an outstanding version of “Feeling Good,” were another highlight. The Simone songs were a tribute to resilience and the healing power of music, she said. She recounted sitting on her porch in Oakland years ago, wishing she wasn’t alive anymore and hearing Simone on the radio. Ledisi will release an album of Simone covers next month through a label she launched during the pandemic.

The most moving moment came when, with her arms spread wide, Ledisi harmonized and paid tribute to the Black men and women murdered in racist acts for hundreds of years on American soil. On a weekend that saw the first nationally recognized Juneteenth, in addition to Pride celebrations and Father’s Day, her voice and the power of the day’s significance literally brought the 3,000-person crowd to silence.

The Seshen performs on the first day of the 84th annual Stern Grove Festival at Sigmund Stern Grove Park in San Francisco on June 20, 2021.

Ledisi was preceded by Bay Area bands The Seshen and La Doña.

The Seshen, fronted by vocalist Lalin St. Juste, performed tracks from its previous albums including opener “Take It All Away” and “Close Your Eyes.” Juste’s knee-high animal print boots and unbuttoned shirt with a photo of author Octavia E. Butler on the back elevated her light, breathy vocals and interpretive dancing to another level. The Oakland sextet brought a more ambient and futurist sound to the show with its use of synths and repetitious beats.

La Doña performs on the first day of the 84th annual Stern Grove Festival at Sigmund Stern Grove Park in San Francisco on June 20, 2021.

San Francisco’s La Doña roused the crowd early, singing primarily in Spanish over a blend of Mexican folk music, reggaeton and pop sounds. Twirling in her bright orange dress with hot pink sleeves and heels, she sang about very real problems the city continues to face, such as gentrification, and the resilience in the communities experiencing it. She shouted, “happy pride” and “All Black Lives Matter,” then thanked her father, who was playing behind her, for all the support he’d given her, both musically and throughout her life. Her aunt danced in front of the stage.

Between sets, DJ LadyRyan spun an enthusiastic set, her style effectively blending R&B, pop and Afro-pop beats that kept attendees grooving while awaiting the next performer.

Follow Domenic Strazzabosco at Twitter.com/domenicstrazz and Instagram.com/domenicstrazz.