Like all of you out there in the world, I’ve been constantly checking Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, anywhere I can think of hoping to find any clue as to what was happening with Outside Lands this year. I was hopeful that measures like masks and social distancing would lead to true containment of COVID-19, and by late Summer the disease would be but a memory of a tough time we all lived through, but through strong leadership, a sense of global unity, and clear, concise directives, we succeeded in ending transmission of this wretched virus.
I should’ve known better.
The good news is that the medical community is “cautiously optimistic” that we will have an effective vaccine by late 2020 or early 2021. Which means Outside Lands 2021 is going to a massive, safe, joyful marathon of fun. The kind of catharsis that comes from being cooped up in your apartment for 12-18 months straight, and you finally get to experience sun and dancing and hugging your friends again. And the kind people of Another Planet & Superfly have decided to give us one of their best lineups to date! We have the return of NYC Indie Heroes’ THE STROKES, playing their first Bay Area show since they last played Outside Lands in 2010. We also have one of Spinning Platters’ favorite performers, Lizzo, making the well deserved leap to headliner status, despite what the naysayers on Reddit say. (Redditors are the worst people on Earth, FYI) The third headliner is Tame Impala, marking their third appearance at the festival, but their first time closing it up! Other exciting acts of note include Puerto Rico’s J Balvin, a man who had a #1 single during the 4th of July that was primarily in Spanish. We also have Oakland’s own Kehlani returning to Golden Gate Park, an appearance by Nelly that NOBODY was expecting, and a huge supply of Spinning Platters favorites: Khruangbin, Brittany Howard, Big Theif, Melanie Martinez, Angel Olsen, Hinds, Cam, Sharon Van Etten, and so many more!
Tickets are on sale Thursday, June 25th at 10am. (Yes, that’s tomorrow) If you bought Eager Beaver tickets for 2020, your tickets are good for 2021, and if you can hold on to those tickets, Outside Lands is planning on doing contests throughout the year to help make it worth your while to hold onto those. Of course, we are all experiencing hardships these days, and refunds are available here if you need to.
Here is the full lineup! See you next year!
