The summer music festival circuit is in full swing, and Outside Lands, one of the largest of its kind in the U.S., just wrapped its 18th year. It was my first time experiencing the three-day fest, which is held in the heart of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. It featured many dozens of artists, countless food and beverage vendors, vintage markets, photo booths, and a wide array of businesses that set up interactive pop-ups for patrons to enjoy. In fact, I think it would quite literally be impossible for someone to run out of things to do during the long weekend.
The festival grounds themselves are quite expansive, and after making my rounds between the stages each day, I barely had time to check out all the extra facilities. However, that may be one of the reasons why Outside Lands sees some of the steepest face value, and subsequent resale, ticket prices of a festival of this kind.
To their credit, though, this fest is home to one of the more beautiful locations I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. That is to say, I’ve been to my fair share of music festivals, and as far as environment goes, this is definitely in my top three. In many ways, it really does feel like you’re traipsing through a fairy forest as you weave through what can seem like a maze before you really get your bearings of the place. There are many different paths to take, and some of the stages are quite a trek from one to the other, so it’s important to pre-map your schedule for the day based on who you want to see and where. But for a girl who loves to get her steps in, this was right up my alley.
Around every corner was something new and whimsical to see—giant psychedelic shroom statue groves, a woman dressed as a nymph blowing bubbles so large a small child could fit inside, and there was never a shortfall of fun costumes or colorful fest outfits people showed out in. The best time was when the sun began to set every evening because there were color-changing lights rigged up to bask onto the trees, which made the forest feel like it was literally coming alive every night, moving and breathing in the wind.
The only unintentional feature of the festival that created an even more supernatural feel was the foggy weather that rolled in for the entirety of the weekend, albeit widely expected because I heard rumors that Outside Lands brings these weather patterns with it every year. There were moments where the wind blew in so hard that it was downright cold … I really came to understand that old quote, “The coldest winter I ever saw was a summer in San Francisco.”
Friday started off on a strong note and ended up being the “heaviest” day as far as Outside Lands’ lineup is concerned. As I scurried through the gates, I not only made my way to my first show of the weekend but one of my most anticipated as well … Die Spitz. Austin’s hometown heroes have been scaling in popularity over the past year, and for good reason. This all-female-led band brings out a refreshing angst and energy that swept over the crowd. They kept a modest mosh pit circling for the entirety of their set, which was impressive for this festival’s crowd, especially at 2 in the afternoon. What I loved about this set was that every member had a chance to take the front of the stage and have their moment in the spotlight. They chose a setlist that rotated members on the mic and between instruments, and it was really cool to see how multi-talented each of them is.
From there, I did a lap of the festival to get familiarized with the grounds and leisurely looped my way back around to the main stage for Wet Leg. Having climbed their way to mainstream radio and viral social media platforms of success, Wet Leg are soaring right now. British frontwoman Rhian Teasdale really knows how to draw in the crowd, and she has this undeniably alluring energy about her. The performance was another highlight of the festival, opening with “Catch These Fists,” and featuring other standouts like “Chaise Longue” and “CPR.”
From there, I made my way back to the Sutro Stage, where I had seen Die Spitz earlier that day, and where I would spend the rest of that evening. Sutro Stage ended up being my favorite of the stage locations because of its central location, as well as its strong vantage points. It’s in what feels like its own little valley, tucked away from the other stages with a hill on the far side, which makes it easy to get a good view of the stage from almost any angle (unlike many of the other stages).
Next on the schedule were Turnstile, and when I say their show had the most boisterous crowd I have seen in almost as long as I can remember, I am making no exaggeration. The crowd extended as far back as I could see, and throughout the entire set, it was like one giant living, breathing organism. It never stopped moving. At any given time, I could count at least 10 different mosh pits from my stance on the hill. The energy never wavered, and I was really impressed by the experience of that show, despite the fact that the band didn’t even dip into their proper hardcore music that came out of Step to Rhythm or Nonstop Feeling. This set consisted mainly of their more recent, let’s call it “more palatable” music for broader audiences, but even then, they riled the people up, and it was a really fun time.
The last show of the night gave way to a calmer setting when Modest Mouse took the stage. Nostalgia was ripe in the air, and I can say I was even pleasantly surprised with the amount of energy these old schoolers brought out. Despite the recent controversies and the loss of their guitarist just a month prior, they came to deliver a good show and have some fun. They had a well-balanced set filled with rockin’ bangers like “Picking Dragons’ Pockets” and then slowed it down into a more stirring track, “Parting of the Sensory.” I think for fans of Modest Mouse, their music always draws out a lot of emotion. It was a perfect way to close out the evening.
Photos courtesy of Outside Lands
