The catchphrase “found myself out in the lands” couldn’t be more appropriate for Outside Lands, the annual music festival that transforms San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park into a haven for the artistic and the adventurous each August.
Spread like tentacles into the vales and meadows among the tall trees, the festival’s many environments act as their own stylized concerts, each tailored to a different vibe and aesthetic.
As the evening fog rolled in at the dusk of each day, the rush to get from stage to stage to catch that must-see act became a psychedelic quest, with vibrant multicolored lights illuminating the trees.
Predictably, the most difficult thing about an event the magnitude of Outside Lands is the decision-making. At any given time, on any given stage, you could find a top-tier act blowing minds with energy that deserved its own stand-alone show.
The music marathon was well worth the effort, and the highlights were many. Here are some bright spots.
Grass Lands returned with a Cannabis sales and consumption oasis among the trees, filled with booths and brands, including a marquee outing from Zig-Zag rolling papers and Embarc, the Sacramento-based dispensary chain. The prices were good, the product was tasty, and the set and setting were amazing. Someday, regulations may let some of these brands activate out in the general festival grounds like the alcohol brands, but for now, the fact that Outside Lands even has a Cannabis activation is a landmark win for the community.
The Bay Area showed out big time, especially with a legend-making set by LaRussell, who packed his set with local voices, jumped into the crowd and threw down verses while feeding off the energy of the surrounding throng. That’s become a LaRussell trademark, and we’re here for it. His set was the perfect lead-in to an epic showing by Ludacris.
New-school indie rock up-and-comers Royel Otis and Wallows brought guitar textures and sincere emotions to the late afternoon sets at the Twin Peaks Stage on Saturday, and BigXthaPlug hyped that same stage so much that the ground shook on Sunday.
The Soma Stage wins for the most impactful stage activation, with its triangular, LED gateways that made the EDM crowd feel like they were headed into hyperspace during its all-day DJ showcase. We caught a killer set from Nico Moreno, as well as Dirtybird veterans Walker & Royce.
Speaking of DJs, Anderson .Paak surprised the crowd by spinning an insane all-vinyl set as his alter ego, DJ Pee .Wee, absolutely rocking the party during sundown on day two and getting people ready for the evening’s headliners.
Each night’s marquee acts brought the heat. Beck, backed by a symphony, was about as beautiful as music gets, and Doja Cat on night one and Tyler, the Creator on night two had people debating who had the better set. By the time Anderson .Paak brought out E-40 on night three, the crowd was overwhelmed by the onslaught of legendary performances.
On the recap, one of the biggest surprises was Doechii, who easily had one of the best sets of the entire festival. From the stage set to the choreography to the musical performance, she proved why she’s one of the best currently doing it. Next time we see her at Outside Lands, she’ll no doubt be in a headlining spot.
When that happens, the Leaf will be there, hopefully raising a joint in the air in the front row after a day of questing through the trees finding the music, and ourselves, out in the lands.
