A special thanks to Paige Parsons for providing us with so many lovely photos this year. You should follow her on Instagram, as her feed will bring you many bursts of joy.
Outside Lands was the first concert I remember going on sale in the dark days of SIP. It sold out in two minutes, and my husband and I looked into our souls and wallets and sprung for VIP. And then, I wound up getting a press pass. Anyway! I was very very excited to go, and it’s been a long time since I reviewed anything.
I’ve avoided OSL in past years because the aggressive rage I felt after a day of bros spilling beer on me and running into me overshadowed my excitement over the music. One year Elton John was headlining, and I looked at the bros in their football jerseys, drunk and high and exhausted, losing their fucking minds over rocket man, realizing they probably bullied me and my friends back in school for having the audacity to not fit in, and here they were, pretending to get it. Fuck them all.
This year something was very different. The vibe was… happy. Joyful even. Chill! People were sweet! Nobody spilled beer on me even once in all three days. Nobody even bumped into me. More people were stoned than drunk.
Was it the excitement of being back to music? Was it the Halloween silliness? Usually, OSL is in August, and I had assumed that Halloween weekend would have made it a bigger shitshow, but the opposite was true. The crowd was nice! I had so many sweet interactions with very young people. Usually, we complained about the relentless capitalism at the same time we kvelled about the lineup. I also found my fellow bitter Gen Xers throughout the weekend. At one point I heard someone behind me say, “You know? This is actually kind of fun.” I turned around and said “Hello my fellow old” and we high-fived.
On the other hand, when I told a guy at the beer stand I was 46, he didn’t believe me. His coworker said “Oh! You’re like us Black folks! Not cracking!” Best. Compliment. Ever. I credit my extensive skincare routine.
The costumes were out in force. The most common costume I saw was Daphne from Scooby-Doo. The best group costume I saw was a bunch of people dressed as Sia. There were a lot of Marios, a surprising number of Average Joes from Dodgeball, a helping of Ted Lasso and Coaches, lots of spacesuits, a few Billy Eilishes and a smattering of David Bowies. The absolute worst costumes I saw were two cis white dudes dressed in Handmaid’s Tale cloaks and bonnets. I feel like I know everything I need to know about those dudes.
My spouse snarked that Outside Lands is a music festival for people who like airports. He’s right in this of course – it has elite and elite plus access levels, with tiered qualities in the food and restrooms. You have to walk through endless commercial areas to get from one stage to another, everything is overpriced, and every other person there is a little bit annoying and there are too many of them, but everyone is also kind of excited to be there.
So many bands featured were synth-heavy, with the grindy, sleepy feel to them that Eilish popularized. There’s a mood to this atonal grinding of being overwhelmed and tired, and overstimulated but pushing through to find clarity. It can feel a little joyless but beautiful, or maybe a little disengaged. I can imagine a lot of the creators scrolling through TikTok while composing. I am definitely… old.
I was relieved to hear so many of the artists comment on the need to come together during this era of grief and isolation. I’m feeling the pandemic and the exhaustion, and the practice of hope is hard. Music and art are the way out though, and a bit of vulnerability is a salve, even if it’s on display in front of thousands.
Friday:
The first act I saw was Madeline Kenney. She was good! Not my taste! Almost singer-songwriter rock and roll, but still had that fuzzy background sound that the kids are very into these days, which feels like Brian Eno’s less imaginative sobriety tech test soundtracks to me. She’s singing “I keep getting older.” I’m thinking GIRL STOP you do not know. Gen X is rolling its eyes. The lineup is cute. The reverb trend is too much.
Both Madeline Kenney and Melanie Martinez incorporated the chorus from It’s My Party by Leslie Gore, into a song. It’s a great song! And it’s very relevant in these times – no matter how fun something is there’s this thread of grief underneath.
The Hu are a Mongolian heavy metal band. They totally shredded and while the genre is familiar they really don’t sound like anyone else I’ve ever heard. The band featured an electric morin khurr, a traditional two stringed Mongolian instrument, with a carved horse head on top. They were absolutely lit, and the world needs a lot more heavy rock sound than we seem to be getting lately. Also the lead singer is deadass hot af. A++ would see again and again and again.
Buscabella are a disco-y duo from Puerto Rico, singing in Spanish. Light and fun and breezy delight. Raquel Barrios commented on the need to stop gentrification in PR. “Never forget the Island.”
Sharon Van Etten always delights and I am in love with her and she is objectively wonderful. If you disagree you are wrong. Her voice sears and her guitar cuts and she is full of joy and grief and anger and delight. The end. As an added bonus she was joined on stage by Angel Olsen for a duet at the end. I swooned.
While I was standing there, two bros stood in front of me and started chatting loudly while she was playing. Rather than try to confront them directly, which is a very hit-or-miss endeavor, reader, I simply lean into being more irritating than they are. I hollered and screamed my undying love for SVE. They looked at me like I was batshit crazy, and went on their way. This is my free tip for the day. Feel free to use it.
Drama are fun and dancy synthpop. Delightful! Not terribly original sounding to my ears, but delightful.
Glass Animals are always fun. Nice high-energy vaporwavey pop. Fun, quality ear candy.
The Strokes: Finally, a band from my era that just felt like old comfort and spoke to my tired soul. Give me that heavy bass and the spare rock sound. There’s a delicious grime patina to it. Put it straight into my veins and let me overdose on this, please.
Day 2:
I am a glutton for punishment and hosted a brunch at my house for my synagogue prior to going to OSL. Why do I do this to myself? I was very sad to miss Hinds as a result. I’m a fan of theirs. We need more all-women garage rock bands. I can say with certainty that they were outstanding, even having not seen them.
Dr Dog: I hadn’t really planned to see them, I’m glad I did, and I doubt I’ll revisit them? They’re good! They didn’t stand out but I’m glad to see more rock and roll. The crowd loved them. I think they’re basically groovy and fine.
Angel Olsen came out on stage saying “The spooky cruise has arrived! We need more spooky here!” We do, and she provides. She was delightful, and she also had four women in her backup band. It’s been years since I saw five women on a stage playing music together. She did a cover of “Gloria” by Laura Branigan. She sways between mellow and brutal, and always beautiful and emotive, and glorious.
Melanie Martinez was both a delight and a disappointment. I love her brand of pop, turning to fairy tale and dollhouse imagery; I love Courtney Love and Tori Amos and Kate Bush, and it does seem like she does too. Husband said, “ooh, she reminds me of Bjork!” I do not think she’s anywhere near as bravely weird as Bjork, but almost nobody performing today is on that level. I caught her lip-syncing during her set, though, which doesn’t thrill me. I’d rather a singer miss a note or two and be less produced, but this is my aesthetic preference. Many great bands have lip-synced – Wham did, for example. Her set was beautiful, and she’s overall wonderful pop, and more performer than musician.
Reggie Watts was a nice surprise to see, as he substituted for another act. He has lots of heart, lots of positive messaging, lots of reminders to care about people. He’s whip-smart and strange and exudes gentleness, which is a big deal, I think, for a male performer. He’s very clever, and very talented, and funny and good at making strange sounds with electronic instruments. He recommended taking Ketamine. He recommended setting up your environment before doing so – get your temperature right, get your water bottle set up and remove the cap, get comfy in bed with a good friend, put on a Brian Eno album, and let loose. He also had a pretty good joke:
Anyone here from Egypt? Anyone here from New York? How about Qatar? How about Qatar Center?
Lizzo is impossible to overpraise. She is perfection. I’ve seen her twice before this festival and will show up to see her every chance I get. High energy positivity and a voice with a massive dynamic range. I find myself tearing up every time an artist talks about how much it means to be together, in front of a crowd, and how they’re still grieving and looking for hope. Same same same.
Sunday
Resistance Revival Chorus: Absolutely stunning choir of womxn; gorgeous arrangements and political songs about hope. When I first heard them I was reminded of Sweet Honey in the Rock, and in fact, they talked about Dr. Bernice Regan, founder of the iconic band. Beautiful songs about rising up and resisting, and we need these voices right now. Highly recommend; definitely my favorite discovery of this year’s lineup.
Neil Frances: IDK some DJ shit or whatever with references to pop and disco. I want to see people play instruments. I don’t think Ableton is an instrument. Obviously, I am not the intended audience.
Caroline Polacheck: First of all, points for having a woman drummer. Also, points for the French revolution reference, performing in a Belle Epoque-style gown with a throat gash. She delivered a gloriously dynamic and deftly skilled set, with her characteristic swooping vocals and vibrancy. Beautiful indy pop performance.
Yves Tumor: I hadn’t heard of them before the listings in the festival, and they are pure magic; a little punk, a little rock, a little metal, a little bit of their own big wave of bold sound. I highly recommend and will be keeping an eye on them. Very gender-bending, Black, bold post-post-punk. I am in love.
Brittany Howard: There is something wrong with this festival because Brittany Howard should have been the closer. She’s an extraordinary force, as good as anyone who ever has sung on a record; a queer Black woman singing from the deepest parts of the soul for love and revolution, and she was put below *checks notes* … Tame Impala? They’re good. They don’t even come close, though. The music industry is stupid. We left after Brittany Howard because live music simply doesn’t get better than her. Her voice is magic. Her energy, her deep calls for justice. She covered “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher” by Jackie Wilson. She sang her original songs. She called for us to keep fighting for each other, for love, and against those who are trying to push darkness on us. She swept around the stage in a long gold robe, like the absolute Queen that she is.
At that point dear reader, I was an overstimulated mess. I skipped out on Kehlani and Tame Impala and managed to catch the Muni that ran almost door to door.
