Golden Gate Park in San Francisco has hosted many a legendary performance over the past seventeen years ever since Outside Lands debuted in 2008 and this past weekend just added to the lore. Over the course of three days from Friday August 8th through Sunday August 10th, music fans from all over were treated to epic performances. As is typical, the weather was consistently cool but not terribly foggy- overcast with some spots of sun throughout each day and the fog rolling in late afternoon to set up some misty vibes at night.
Consensus from the fans was that Doechii put on the most memorable set from the weekend on the Lands End stage. With a late Friday afternoon slot, the “Swamp Princess” brought her “School of Hip-Hop” to the festival. The huge stage design featured school desks and a boombox with a DJ in the center hyping up the crowd. Accompanied by a myriad of dancers, the production was top-notch as Doechii tore through her five-act set on-stage, powering through fan favorites “NISSAN ALTIMA”, “Persuasive” and “Anxiety”. The choreography, Doechii’s raps and vocals were on-point while the energy levels remained high throughout the set, which in turn powered the audience who was dancing, singing and having the time of their lives. Without a doubt, Doechii will return as a headliner sooner rather than later.
After his cancelled appearance last year, Saturday headliner Tyler, The Creator came through with a vengeance and an incredible set that featured a balanced mix of set staples like “EARFQUAKE”, “See You Again” and “LUMBERJACK” with songs from his recently released ‘Don’t Tap The Glass’ and last year’s ‘Chromokopia’. Songs like “Sugar on my Tongue” and “I’ll Take Care of You” fit in seamlessly with “Sticky” and “NEW MAGIC WAND” as pyro launched periodically throughout the set on the Lands Ends stage, while Tyler maintained his energy and danced his signature moves on top of the rectangular platform. With the new music in tow, the set may have been more memorable than what it might have been had he performed last year.
Hozier’s set was a visual masterpiece with a stage setup filled with visual glass-like panels and a full band accompanying the Irish singer. His Sunday set at the Lands End stage was stimulating yet emotive as he crooned through fan favorites “Jackie and Wilson”, “Eat Your Young” and “Francesca”. When he moved to the second stage in the crowd mid-way through the set, fans nearby were overjoyed to see him so close. Performing “Cherry Wine’ and “Unknown/Nth”, fans were seen nearly in tears and singing along as the mist from the fog wafted through the air, providing for a visually emotive moment. As fireworks launched in the air after he performed “Take Me To Church”, the fog filled sky was illuminated an assortment of colors, somewhat reflecting the assortment of sounds that were presented throughout the weekend.
Needless to say, the unique setup of Vampire Weekend opening and closing the Twin Peaks stage was a first and an experience that fans will never forget. Billed as ‘no-repeats’, the veteran indie band came through with an early set that lasted just as an opener would, eight songs with lots of familiarity like “Oxford Comma” and “Sunflower”. Lead singer Ezra Koenig was his usual cool self and charismatic as he had the early crowd in the palm of his hand. The closing set had fans squealing in delight, as the band returned to the very same stage to run through their biggest songs from “A-Punk”, “Holiday”, “Harmony Hall” and “Walcott” but also to put on an encore filled with a montage of covers. Koenig prompted for requests and they tried a little of “Vienna” by Billy Joel but then went into “Yellow” by Coldplay. “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen followed but it was fun to see the band work through the notes for “99 Red Balloons” by Nena until Koenig was able to pick up on the vocals. The request for “Santeria” by Sublime elicited lots of cheers amongst and the band quickly got the bassline and beat going as the audience sang loudly along with Koenig. It was a special bonding moment that really spoke to the passion for music Vampire Weekend embodies and shares with their fans.
Passionate fans of Gracie Abrams were at the barricade early at the Lands End stage on Saturday even though she wasn’t scheduled to go on until 6:55p. Such is the case with her fandom that’s been growing exponentially over the last year. The cheers, shrieks of delight and overall noise the audience made when she took the stage was overwhelmingly positive as phones were lifted in the air. The twenty-five year-old was graceful and polished as she opened with songs “Risk” and “Blowing Smoke” from her latest album ‘The Secret of Us’. While fan favorites like “I Miss You, I’m Sorry” and “Death Wish” allowed for Abrams to take a breather at the piano, her set was lively and enthusiastic. “21” really let her vocals shine, as did “Friend” but it was “Close to You” and “That’s So True” that had combined her smooth vocals and upbeat tempo that satiated the crowd’s desire to jump, scream and sing along with their friends and newly-made friends around them. It was evident that Abrams is worthy of headliner material if things continue upwards as it has.
On the flipside, there were plenty of emerging acts who will certainly return to perform at bigger stages. Japanese J-Pop artist Fujii Kaze already had a large and diverse contingent at his set at the Twin Peaks stage. Dressed in an overflowing top and large pants, Fujii was in full control of the crowd who returned the energy during his upbeat songs as they danced and sang loudly. This year’s breakout artist Role Model had a large crowd at the Sutro stage as cell phones were out nearly the entire set. Songs like “Look At That Woman” and “The Longest Goodbye” really highlighted his showmanship and musicianship. As is now tradition, a surprise was in store during the performance of his hit, “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out”, and when queued up with “where’s my Sally tonight”, Troye Sivan danced onto the stage, which had the crowd go wild. 2hollis had an equally enthusiastic crowd at the same stage as the upstart artist danced and sang to his trademark hyperpop electronic beats. Set against surrounding trees as a backdrop during the late afternoon was an interesting paring with the strobe lighting and intensity of the music but it didn’t matter to the fans who were jumping and dancing along.
Newer artists were impressive and had the large crowds at their stages to prove it. Midnight Generation made their debut at the festival on the Panhandle stage and had music fans stopping by and staying throughout their set to the point that it was quite full by their final song. Their electronic dance vibes reminiscent of Daft Punk and Chromeo were catchy and accompanied by some choreography by the five-piece from Mexico, fans couldn’t help but cheer loudly with many trying to follow their dance moves. Arcy Drive, who opened up the Lands End Stage on Sunday was equally impressive with their brand of indie rock music. The East Coast natives were energetic and had the crowd grooving to songs like the 90s-inspired “Louie” and “Thrift Store” that was the perfect soundtrack to the overcast afternoon. Artists like Bay Ledges and Orla Gartland proved that live performances elevate recorded material to new interpretations. New-ish local resident, Zach Hurd, aka Bay Ledges, was soulful and precise with his vocals that fit so well with his style of indie electronic/rock songs. It goes without saying that alt-pop/rock artist Alemeda has an incredibly bright future. Her current batch of songs are a mix of throwback pop-punk songs infused with modern pop that are the perfect sonics for many of her revenge-like lyrics in songs like “i already dug your grave” and “beat a bitch up”. Alemeda (the singer’s surname, not a reference to local East Bay city Alameda), was energetic on-stage and interactive with the crowd, who were more than ready to rock out with the Phoenix-native.
This year brought new art installations and in a new stage setup for the SOMA area, which had been a work in-progress ever since the early audience-packed filled days in a smaller tent. With a triangular frame fit with LEDs, artists like Black Coffee, Walker & Royce and Nico Moreno were given an incredibly unique outdoor setup that could only take place at Outside Lands. Meanwhile, the ‘Taste of The Bay Area’ exceeded expectations yet again with a humongous variety of local food vendors that could only be had in The Bay. From the Filipino-Cajun fusion cuisines of Brenda’s French Soul Food in SF and straight-up authentic Filipino food of FOB Kitchen from North Oakland to the unique Chicano-inspired food of My Friend Fernando, there was something for everyone to keep them warm, help refuel on-the-go in-between sets or just to enjoy while lounging to newly discovered vibes. Coupled with the incredible music variety, the food offerings at Outside Lands were not the standard ‘burger and fries’ fare.
Every year Outside Lands brings it all, the fog, the music, the free-loving vibes and more importantly a melting pot of music fans. This year was unique with the artists that resonated with the vibes of the Bay Area from the mass appeal of Doechii and Tyler, The Creator to the distinct electronic sounds of Gesaffelstein, Jamie xx and DJ Mandy. As is the case with all festivals, there was something new for everyone to stumble upon and Outside Lands did that as the same crowds that saw Doechii also moshed with rock outfit julie and chilled as Sarah Kinsley sang and danced to her art rock sounds. It’s this aspect of Outside Lands that keeps people coming back every year to make unforgettable memories with friends and other music fans alike.
You must be logged in to post a comment.