By Carlos Olin Montalvo | August 7, 2022, 10:28 pm
The return of Outside Lands was a gleeful gathering in Golden Gate Park over a sublime summer August weekend. Musical harmony, delivered by youthful, feel-good experiences, replaced iconic wooden windmills. What were the best moments and who had the most memorable musical performances?
See below for a select list of highlights from all three days.
1) Some of the biggest news from the weekend was organizers replacing the old lumber double-windmills, which had been used since 2008, with a modern glass and steel tower decorated with LED lighting. It was a dazzling, welcome upgrade; especially since the wood on the prior structure was starting to deteriorate from the weather. Also noteworthy this year was a handful of artists making strong political statements. Although, it should have been expected, given the societal climate and recent legislation.
2) Playing in front of sherbet-colored and oceanic-themed visuals, chillwave act Washed Out started Friday on a sunny Sutro stage Super with clean sound, hypnotic percussion, and signature distorted vocals. The crowd ramped up as the group went deeper into their set, and the pinnacle came during the stretch sequence of “Feel It All Around” (the theme song to the television show Portlandia), followed by the more up-tempo “Hard to Say Goodbye” and “Amor Fati.” Singer Ernest Weatherly Greene Jr. made sure to announce his drummer’s birthday, ending the set with a blissful flurry.
3) Purple Disco Machine always plays his tracks at the ideal beats per minute, and the live experience is enhanced at outdoor festivals. His disco-infused tunes drove a hard-dancing crowd, particularly when he dropped a remix of Diplo & SIDEPIECE’s, “On My Mind.”
4) Donning a sequin suit jacket and an electric guitar, Phoebe Bridges surprised her audience when she first appeared on the Twin Peaks stage with the intense sound of “Down with the Sickness” by heavy rock band Disturbed, with flames blooming on the background screen. “What’s up Seattle… I kid, I kid,” she said, firing up the crowd with high-pitched squeals that transitioned to straight sing-a-longs during her entire set. During “Kyoto”, with twinkling lights in the backdrop, Bridges blurted a mention of the recent Roe v Wade decision, complaining, “I hate this shithole. I feel like America is so romanticized it’s insane. I don’t know. It’s nice to have a good time while we watch the world burn around us.” Phoebe recommended that anyone with “dough” donate to an abortion charity that supports undocumented people.
5) Using the OSL platform to spread messages about healthcare, Best Coast played their entire set in front of a black and white backdrop with the words “Abortion is Healthcare.” Despite some fog, the band’s performance felt like a beachy trance with heavy guitar distortion where vocalist Bethany Cosentino addressed how women’s rights are being taken away.
THANK YOU @sfoutsidelands !!!! ABORTION IS HEALTHCARE, BITCH! Buy a shirt ! https://t.co/Cww6IKfGLy https://t.co/Brgt3Olhlj
— Best Coast (@BestCoast) August 6, 2022
6) New Jersey R&B songstress SZA had a dark and stormy vibe to her set that transformed into a psychedelic haze with firework explosions. It was such an impressive performance, especially since SZA admitted she had recently recovered from COVID.
7) Southern California band Local Natives delivered a solid set consisting of tracks from their two albums. Fleeting rays of sunshine beaming through the trees made for an idyllic atmosphere.
8) Saturday night was owned by local legends Green Day, who oddly played their first Outside Lands, serenading a high-octane rollercoaster of nostalgic emotions to a massive crowd. Billy Joe Armstrong and his crew did everything fans hoped, from old hits and stern political banter, to acoustic tearjerkers, and even a cover of Kiss’ “Rock and Roll All Nite.” The cherry-on-top moment came when Armstrong identified a 10-year-old boy at the front of the crowd, brought him on stage, to then riff to “Knowledge,” a track by Berkely punk band, Operation Ivy.
10) Sunday funday had its moments as well, like when Pussy Riot cranked to a fervent crowd. They too, as expected, made plenty of political statements, such as demanding the freedom of WNBA star Brittney Griner, a speech about pro-abortion, and played Ukraine’s national anthem.
11) Attendees expected that heroic rockers Weezer would rip hard during the late afternoon, and oh boy, did that happen. River Cuomo and his mates dropped a cover of “Jump” by Van Halen that moved straight into fan-favorite “Hash Pipe. They even made room for a cover of Metallica’s classic, “Enter Sandman.” Epic, to say the least.
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