BACK IN 2008, the first Outside Lands took the Bay Area by storm. Literally, in fact, as I remember watching several dozen people there scale a hill and trample a fence between stages to get from Beck’s set to Radiohead, who had 80,000 people suddenly converging on them because for some reason they were the only band scheduled to play that last Friday night slot. OK, there were some kinks to work out, but it was a pretty amazing three days, with a lineup full of hip bands like a just-about-to-break Bon Iver, Broken Social Scene, Wilco, and a lot of others. But in subsequent years, its cool factor has taken a beating from its sister music festival on Treasure Island, which was roping in hipper acts from both the rock and electronic scenes. This year, though, the pendulum has swung back, with Outside Lands boasting bands like MGMT, Girl Talk, the Decemberists, Beirut and Deadmau5. Now, granted, I saw most of those bands at Treasure Island two years ago, but it’s still a hell of a lineup, especially when you factor in headliners like Muse, Arcade Fire and the Black Keys. ( To show you how quickly things change, just a year ago Black Keys could only rate a depressingly inappropriate mid-day slot at BFD). Add in bands-of-the-moment like our own Limousines, K-Flay (the Bay Area’s hottest rapgirl right now) and Little Dragon, from Sweden, and this might be the best Outside Lands yet.
Golden Gate Park
Friday through Sunday
$85 single day.
