San Francisco’s marquee arts-and-music festival, Outside Lands, is celebrating its sweet 16th with a lineup that includes Post Malone and the Killers alongside newer acts such as Chappell Roan.
The festival, which kicked off Friday, is drawing tens of thousands of fans to Golden Gate Park this weekend.
Valencia Grace, a TikTok star with almost 3 million followers, said no one warned her that San Francisco was “fucking freezing.” Vandelux knew what to do because, as the maximally chill DJ and keyboardist noted, he only lives eight blocks away from Golden Gate Park.
Led by the ever-increasing prominence of remixes, Outside Lands is notable for acts covering other people’s songs. (Only a few years ago, this wasn’t so much rare as practically unheard-of.)
Vandelux played his version of Drama’s “I Do,” while Friday night headliner the Killers threw Erasure’s “A Little Respect” into the mix halfway through their 90-minute set.
Perhaps the most out-of-left-field was The Last Dinner Party playing “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us,” a comically operatic track by the prolific and L.A. band Sparks.
Coachella it’s not, but even a near-total absence of sun hasn’t deterred people from looking their absolute best.
Sensible types may stick to bold flannel prints, but monochrome jumpsuits and overalls, pants made of patches, and those plastic flowers and sprouts that clip on to the brim of a cap could be seen across the Polo Field.
But if there’s one fashion trend that has picked up some serious steam, it’s the animal kingdom. Zebra-print jumpsuits, cheetah-print tank tops, and fuzzy jackets that could have come from an extinct hybrid mammal are positively everywhere.
For now, the question is “Will Kamala Harris cap off brat summer and show up on Sunday for Chappell Roan?” If she ditches Outside Lands for Herbie Hancock and the SFJAZZ Collective at Stern Grove instead, there will be much Gen Z gnashing of teeth.
Below are some more highlights from the first couple days of the event, which continues through Sunday and will be live-streamed here for free.
