Outside Lands wraps up with Post Malone, Sturgill Simpson and more
The Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival presented headliners alternative rock band The Killers, rising pop superstar Sabrina Carpenter and country singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park on Aug. 9-11.
Who is headlining Outside Lands?
Since its inception in 2008, Outside Lands has been one of the most hotly anticipated major concert events in Northern California every year. The 16th edition of the festival held annually in Golden Gate Park kicked of Friday with headlining Las Vegas alt-rock band the Killers on the main Lands End Stage. With their mix of post-punk and new wave, the group fronted by charismatic singer Brandon Flowers scored a hit with their 2003 debut Hot Fuss and were headlining stadiums and music festivals a decade later. While Tyler, the Creator was originally announced as one of the Outside Lands headliners, in June he pulled out of his scheduled appearance in Golden Gate Park and at Lollapalooza in Chicago. Festival organizers were quick to tab Sabrina Carpenter as the replacement, who closed the Lands End Stage Saturday.
First rising to stardom as the teen lead in the Disney show "Girl Meets World," Carpenter simultaneously pursued a singing career, releasing several albums for Disney-owned Hollywood Records. While her initial efforts mixing dance and folk-pop had some commercial success, Carpenter received much wider acclaim for the more mature songwriting she showcased after moving to Island Records for her 2021 album Emails I Can't Send. Dates opening for Taylor Swift in stadiums on her epic Eras Tour introduced the singer to an even bigger audience last year. She showcased songs from her forthcoming new album Short n' Sweet that will be released later this month.
Songwriter Sturgill Simpson became the first country artist to headline Outside Lands when he closed the festival Sunday night. Tagged as a rising star of alternative country in 2014 after the release of his celebrated sophomore album Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, the Kentucky-raised musician put a twist on his traditionalist outlaw country style with a significant dose of psychedelia on the expansive lead single "Turtles All the Way Down" (complete with lyrical references to mind-altering drugs LSD, psilocybin and DMT) and the backwards guitar and drum experimentation on album closer "It Ain't All Flowers."
A huge critical and commercial success, the album led to Simpson and his powerhouse band sharing stages with the likes of the late Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson and Asleep at the Wheel as well as cleaning up at the 2015 Americana Awards, taking home the "Artist of the Year" award and the "Song of the Year" award for "Turtles All the Way Down."
Since then, Simpson has released a string of stylistically varied recordings, from the soul-influenced concept album A Sailor's Guide To Earth that earned an Album of the Year Grammy nomination alongside such pop heavyweights as Adele, Drake and Beyonce (the recording ended up winning Best Country Album) to his more alternative rock-focused effort Sound & Fury that more closely resembles the music of '80s hitmakers the Cars and alt-rock outfit Queens of the Stone Age than alt-country. Simpson was set to tour with Willie Nelson after the pandemic shutdown following the release of two volumes of bluegrass re-recordings of his back catalog with a high-powered acoustic band, but was forced to drop out after damaging his vocal chords.
Despite the injury, he still managed to release the stripped-down concept album The Ballad of Dood & Juanita in 2021, only to re-emerge this summer with another dramatic musical shift on Passage du Desir. His first recording under the stage name "Johnny Blue Skies," the album draws on elements of southern soul, '70s soft rock and the languid sound of influential guitarist and songwriter J.J. Cale for a heartfelt collection of tunes that has earned Simpson another round of rave reviews. His set at Outside Lands will mark the beginning of his first tour in four years and reunites him with his Metamodern Sounds In Country Music-era backing band featuring bassist Kevin Black, keyboard player Robbie Crowell, drummer Miles Miller and Estonian guitar phenom Laur Joamets. Simpson was also the first Outside Lands headliner to play an intimate (and beyond sold out) night show with a Friday performance at Bimbo's 365 Club, where the show was moved after initially being scheduled for Aug. 10 at the Independent. Other night shows include concerts by rising pop singer Fletcher, Colombian psychedelic funk trio BALTHVS, electronic artist Amen Dunes and jazzy soul vocalist Corrine Bailey Rae.
Who else is playing Outside Lands 2024?
This year's edition of Outside Lands finds In addition to the above listed headliners, the festival included a wide array of modern soul, hip-hop, and electronic maestros including Daniel Caesar, Jungle, KAYTRANANDA, Run the Jewels rapper Killer Mike, 2024 Best New Artist Grammy winner (and Sacramento product) Victoria Monét, literate local hero K. Flay, southern R&B/pop singer-songwriter Teddy Swims, Kendrick Lamar collaborator ScHoolboy Q, former Brockhampton member Kevin Abstract, San Jose's own EDM talent Gryffin, South African singer Tyla, Bay Area duo AG Club, Cuban funk powerhouse Cimafunk, and underground experimentalist billy woods, rising pop stars like Chappel Roan -- another singer who has amassed an exponentially growing fan base after supporting Taylor Swift on her Eras Tour -- and Reneé Rapp, indie-rock acts the Japanese House, Real Estate, Young the Giant, NYC power-pop prodigies the Lemon Twigs, Men I Trust, San Francisco's own French Cassettes and the Postal Service.
Fans could also check out Australian punk firebrands Amyl and the Sniffers and country mavericks Paul Cauthen, Charley Crockett, Irish country-pop singer CMAT (aka Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson), hip-hop influenced songwriter Shaboozey and rapper Post Malone, who will perform a special country set highlighting songs from his forthcoming album F-1 Trillion including the hit "I Had Some Help" prior to Simpson's headlining show Sunday. In a return to the kind of booking more common during the festival's early years, legacy acts including legendary club-music diva Grace Jones and '90s shoegaze stalwarts Slowdive also have prominent slots on the festival's bigger stages. For those who can't make it to Golden Gate Park, the festival partnered with Amazon to livestream performances via Amazon Prime Video or the Amazon Music Twitch channel beginning at 1:30 p.m. each day.
What dance music options does Outside Lands have?
While some of the electronic acts will be performing on main stages, the festival also hosted three areas focused on dance music. SOMA, the festival's popular dedicated performance area for house and techno which had issues with closures at last year's edition, will see several major changes when it transforms with a new open-air format in Marx Meadow that included beefed-up production and an "in-the-round" stage design. Among the featured DJs and performers were SIDEPIECE, the Blessed Madonna, TSHA, Uncle Waffles, Seth Troxler, and MK with tandem DJ sets from Shiba San and CID, Joe Kay and Jared Jackson and Honeyluv and Jaden Thompson.
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The returning celebration of queer and trans communities on the Polo Field, Dolores' featured curated DJ line-ups from established SF clubs Fake and Gay (on Friday), Oasis (Saturday) and Hard French (Sunday), while the new Casa Bacardi stage offered up a mix of Latin, lowrider soul and Reggaeton DJs including such Mission District mainstays as Chulita Vinyl Club, B-Side Brujas, Nanosaur, J Noa, and La Favi.
What are other Outside Lands attractions this year?
The festival also brings back Grass Lands this year, a curated cannabis experience on the southern end of the Polo Field. The 21-and-over area was the first of its kind at an American music festival when it was introduced back in 2018. In keeping with California's legalization of recreational marijuana products, the area offered a variety of vendors discussing products and other educational activities. Entertainment in the area will be provided with multiple daily sets from Eric Silverman on Friday, DJ Umami on Saturday and Californicorns on Sunday.
The culinary side of Outside Lands has come to garner nearly as much attention as the music over the years as the festival has continued to expand the range of food offerings, culinary demonstrations and specialized areas. In addition to the long-standing cornucopia of food trucks and restaurants represented across the festival grounds as part of A Taste of the Bay Area, Outside Lands also features designated beverage areas Cocktail Magic, Wine Lands and Beer Lands.
Another new attraction available at Outside Lands this year was the festival's wedding venue City Hall in McLaren Pass where attendees can get married or recommit their union. The wedding venue also commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Winter of Love, which marked the first same-sex marriage ceremonies in the U.S. at San Francisco's City Hall. A donation of proceeds from City Hall ceremonies held during Outside Lands will be donated to Lambda Legal, a legal and education fund dedicated to LGBTQ+ civil rights. It should be noted that holding a wedding at City Hall will be an add-on experience requiring a separate ticket.
For more info on what else is going on at Outside Lands including how to buy the tickets that are still available, visit the official website. The influx of up to 75,000 people a day into Golden Gate Park is expected to cause some traffic headaches this weekend on both sides of the park. Additional tips on travel to Golden Gate Park are also available on the Outside Lands website including information on the festival's paid shuttle service to and from the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Additionally, BART put together an online transit guide to help attendees get too and from the festival, as has the SFMTA for those using Muni to get to the park.
Outside Lands 2024
Friday-Sunday, Aug. 9-11, 12 p.m. $199-$5,095 plus fees
Golden Gate Park