As you surely already know, San Francisco’s Outside Lands music festival kicks off Friday in Golden Gate Park.
The Richmond SF blog and Akit both have great “survival guides,” both for those of you who are attending and those of you who want to avoid being inconvenienced by the event.
We’ll be covering it live from our dedicated Outside Lands Twitter account, @SFAppealOL, as well as posting daily coverage, some come on back, you hear?
Here’s what we’re looking forward to:
Friday
Fitz and the Tantrums: Come for the wicked covers of “Sweet Dreams” and “Steady, As She Goes” and stay for the energetic performances of mega-hits “Breakin’ The Chains of Love” and “Moneygrabber.” Be warned: you will get down.
Die Antwoord: If the goofy hook of “Enter the Ninja” isn’t enough to convince you of the awesomeness that is South African rappers Die Antwoord, then seeing them live is the only answer.
Justice: Vast LED walls and groove-inducing beats make Justice a must-see on Friday. With acclaimed remixes for everyone from Britney Spears to Daft Punk and two solid albums under their belt, the electroclash duo is looking to conquer the world and make it dance.
Saturday:
Yellow Ostrich: Enchanting harmonies and twee indie beats make Yellow Ostrich total crowd-pleasers. The duo is wicked talented and I can’t wait to see what they cook up live.
Portugal. The Man: Portugal. The Man is genre-defying and energetic as hell and with an insane output of six albums in as many years, the band has more than enough material to make their set at the Lands End Stage a memorable one.
Explosions in the Sky: Music so evocative, so powerful, you might be moved to tears. Seeing Explosions in the Sky is almost a religious experience. Do it.
Sunday:
City and Colour: No other artist has awed me to the point of silence and inability to function more than Dallas Green’s City and Colour. Or incompetence. My worst interview came from a conversation with Green but damn, the man can sing and boy, have I been crushing on his voice ever since.
Jack White: A lot can be said for the fact that Jack White’s the artist playing right before Stevie Wonder and it’s entirely warranted. A live performance from the guitar god could mean anything from White Stripes B-sides to special guest duets with Beck.
Stevie Wonder: I could list off the Grammys and accolades, the myriad number one hits, and even the ubiquitous riffs that dot the world’s soundscape but it’s better if you experience it live. A Stevie Wonder show is an indescribable pleasure, something to check off the bucket list.
Music Aside…
If there’s anything I’ve learned from last year’s Outside Lands, it’s that food, booze, and music go together uncannily well in Golden Gate Park. As we’ve previously mentioned, href=”http://sfappeal.com/culture/2012/07/outside-lands-single-day-tickets-go-on-sale-friday-food-wine-beer-and-lamb-join-the-party.php”>be on the lookout for Outside Lambs and Beer Lands.
Outside Lands is also upping their greenness with better crowd control and even more eco-friendly initiatives.
Rick Farman of Superfly Presents, which helps put on the festival, told the Appeal that “this year we’ll have a solar stage and urban gardening workshops, as well as a farmer’s market. We’re always recycling and composting and we’ve partnered with Zimride again for rideshares.”
Sadly, what doesn’t fare so well is good cell service.
“We’ve contacted all major providers about bringing out extra cell towers. I don’t expect it to be vastly different this year because there’s really only so much you can do,” Farman says.
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