San Francisco’s 2011 Outside Lands Festival, Day 3

The crowd in unified fist-pumping for Major Lazer
The crowd in unified fist-pumping for Major Lazer

60,000 is an extremely large number, especially when you’re speaking in terms of human beings. The largest amphitheater in the Bay Area, the Shoreline in Mountain View, holds around 30,000 with its lawn fully filled, and most shows that can completely fill it to the brim are multi-platinum megastars, or great music festivals that last all day. It therefore isn’t too surprising that nearly all 3 days of the 2011 Outside Lands Festival were sold out, both with single-day and three-day tickets; still, 60,000 people per day is a pretty staggering number. By the time Sunday rolled around, and the denizens of the festival had been dragged through cold, fog, heat, sun, and likely several hundred thousand watts of amplified music, it was stunning to see that the park was still packed to the gills; while most people didn’t trickle in until the mid-afternoon hours, there was enough sunlight out to see Golden Gate Park filled from end to end with a flood of musicgoers.

But what about the people who made it in the morning?

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 8/12/11-8/17/11

The artist currently known as Katy Perry, back in her Contemporary Christian Pop days.

It’s a busy week, you guys. In addition to the Outside Lands Festival (or, as I know it, Stay the Hell Away From Golden Gate Park Weekend) and the San Jose Jazz Festival, the Bay Area will also host concerts from two of the most defining artists on the pop landscape, for better and worse (in that order): Adele and Katy Perry. I should also note that three bands I tend to confuse with each other – Calexico, Califone and The Sadies – are all playing this week. Look after the jump for a full rundown.

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 8/12/11-8/17/11”