The first day of the second annual Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival held in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park was filled with all of the ingredients you would expect at such a mammoth, eco-conscious festival. Expressions of art in many forms, lots foodie-centric vendors and throngs of music-adoring fans packed the event for three days of music, activism and celebration in a picture-perfect setting.
West Indian Girl
One of the early highlights was the set by West Indian Girl with guest vocalist Miranda Lee Richards. WIG delivered a psychedelic set of dreamy pop to an appreciative SF crowd.
Built To Spill
Often mentioned and praised by other bands throughout the day was the swirling, guitar-driven performance by Built to Spill.
Loop!Station
A San Francisco favorite, Loop!Station played three days in “The Barbary,” a magnificent “venue” brought in from Belgium. The effect of Robin Coomer’s soaring vocals, set atop layered samples and powerful cello from Sam Bass is absolutely mesmerizing.
The Dodos
Displaying their unconventional techniques for the hometown crowd, San Francsico’s The Dodos gained some much-deserved exposure with their opening-day performance.
Silversun Pickups
Often compared to Smashing Pumpkins, Silversun Pickups have built out their own sonic wall of sound. Delivering the most powerful set of the festival, Silversun Pickups brought their familiar “Lazy Eye” and “Swoon” in all of their fuzz-out, screamed-out glory.
The National
The performance by Brooklyn-based The National was filled with well-crafted gems of surprisingly interesting indie pop. A band familiar to San Franciscans from their song “Fake Empire” which was used in the Obama campaign, The National had the crowd won over before they hit the stage.
Incubus
Struggling with some vocal issues, Incubus lead singer Brandon Boyd did his best to power through the hit-laden set. The fans were more than happy to fill in the gaps while Boyd nursed his pipes with a Cotes du Rhone.
Tom Jones
In an odd Vegas-meets-the-Bay moment, Tom Jones brought his endearing sing-along show to Golden Gate Park. I wasn’t sure if “It’s Not Unusual” or “She’s a Lady” would resonate with the hipster, boomer and ubiquitous ironic t-shirt-clad festival crowd. Sure enough, Sir Tom had everyone, young and old, dancing and singing right along.
Thievery Corporation
Even exceeding my expectations as a long-time devotee of Thievery Corporation, Rob Garza and Eric Hilton led fans through an amazing spectacle during their performance on Friday night. The opening minutes of the show featured no less than three lead vocalists, a cross-legged Rob Myers on sitar and were followed by one of the most stunning performances of the entire festival. Pearl who?
Check back for days 2 & 3!
