It’s the same story every festival: In the days and weeks leading up to the line up announcement, people try to predict the line up. Then folks get their hopes set super high with some imaginary Beatles / Smiths / Talking Heads / Mozart & Salieri reunion, and then nothing else is ever good enough. Then they complain about how it’s never as good as it was in 2013, or 2009, or 2017, or whenever that time you last complained about how bad the line up was.
As expected, the internet was flooded with complaints about the 2018 line-up, which goes on sale today at 10am. If you want to experience pure frustration, feel free to peruse the Outside Lands’ Reddit page. I, however, believe that this might actually be one of the most exciting and riskiest Outside Lands bill yet.
Here’s why:
Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson rewrote the pop music handbook with her fourth album, Rhythm Nation. Jackson changed the basic format of both the music video and the live show. Back dancers, once relegated to the background, were now front and center, driving the performance in much the same way the lead guitarist would the generation prior, and that has remained the format for pop music videos and live sets for the last 30 years. She also was tackling much heady issues, such as racism and economic inequality, something that was unheard of in this world prior to Jackson.
2018 also marks the 25th anniversary of janet. This is another record that pushed the sonic envelope, but also may have the one of the most iconic album covers of all time. And, for the last 25 years, she’s continued to put out smart, inventive music. 2015’s Unbreakable is a spectacular record that ranks among her best.
The Weeknd and Florence & The Machine
Jackson may be the headliner that’s generating the most chatter, but the other two Land’s End closers were also risky moves. This is the first time we’ve had a single woman headline this festival, let alone two. And the third headliner isn’t a bunch of white guys with guitars.
Florence & The Machine are one of the few “rock” bands on this line up. The fact that it’s a female fronted band where the harp takes the lead more often than a guitar still makes it a pretty risky booking, however. The Weeknd does dark, minimalist R&B that is closer to Portishead or Isaac Hayes than Michael Jackson. These are both heady acts that whose mainstream success is wildly unexpected.
The Most Diverse Line Up Yet
The top line set a tone that follows through the rest of the line up. We have bands Kikagaku Moyo from Japan, Gang Of Youths featuring members from Fiji, Samoa, Korea, and Poland by way of Australia, and so much more! All throughout the bill we are seeing bands from far and wide, and sounds that genuinely push what you would expect from a music festival.
Carly Rae Jepsen & the pop credibility gap
What’s likely to be the most divisive artist on the bill is Carly Rae Jepsen -yes, the “Call Me Maybe” singer. People immediately speak down to pop music as if it’s a lower art form, and doesn’t deserve to share space with the more credible Rock, Rap, Soul, and EDM that usual dominate these events. Jepsen’s third record, E*MO*TION, was one of the most universally acclaimed records of 2015, and her two singles released in the meantime, “Cut To The Feeling” and “This Love Isn’t Crazy” prove their her next record may be even better! This might be the year that straight ahead pop music finally gets it’s shot at being considered art, not simple commerce.
Seriously- this song is so bloody good:
Very proud of the folks at Another Planet and Superfly for putting together a truly challenging and exciting festival. Tickets on sale TODAY! Don’t miss out. It’s gonna be an excellent time.
