Outside Lands 2023: 22 Instant Set Reviews

Happy 15th Birthday, Outside Lands! I’ve been to 13 out of 15, which are pretty good odds if you ask me! And despite this being the “year of the throwing stuff at bands,” this may have been the kindest, friendliest Outside Lands yet! I don’t think I’ve had more lovely conversations with strangers in three days at any other point in my life. Folks were consistently watching out for each other on the ground, working together to get medical attention for folks quickly, even at the risk of losing their spot, sharing food and water, and all around being grade-A music fans. I had the most amazing Creole Garlic Noodles of my life. I had the worst vegan experiment of my life- a veggie lamb slider (I won’t tag the restaurant here). I had plenty of Rocko’s Ice Cream Tacos because Outside Lands isn’t complete without at least 1 taco a day. 

Also, it’s important to stop by for a glass of wine first.

 

 

Thank god for the fog because this band would feel wrong in the sunshine. Nation Of Language played a set of big and triumphant synth goth. How can “goth” be big and triumphant? Pretty much only these guys and New Order have figured that out.

 

 

The crowd ate her up. This didn’t feel like a festival set but a fan set. But her melancholy minimalism just didn’t connect to me. I love how much the audience loved her, but I needed something else…

 

And I found EXACTLY what I needed.

 

 

Oh shit! I might be in love. I heard Yaya Bey while walking around, and it was a smooth, beat poem backed by a nice and funky jam. Bey herself was bemeaning. In between songs, her banter was just plain hysterical! She kept coming back to a riff on space heaters at a music festival. She “complained” about being contractually obligated to play 40 whole minutes. She scolded photographers for shooting her feet because “these feet have been touring for two months, and nobody wants to see that.” The music was fantastic, too! She went from beatnik to reggae to soul ballads to improv jazz funk and everything in between. I’m ready to see her play a full set, no matter how much she complains about it.

 

 

I’ve listened to Crumb records and enjoyed them. That did not prepare me for the rolling thunder that was Crumb live. Singer/guitarist Lila Ramani just plain shreds! It was a big and loud, massive rock n roll show that felt so good in the park. We even got some nice hot sax for our ears!!

 

Outside Lands isn’t quite a hip-hop festival, but that triple header of JID -> Janelle Monae -> Kendrick Lamar is about the best hip-hop triple bill you can get in 2023. JID is part of the new school of unabashedly political and aggressive hip hop. He kept the energy high, and the audience came along with him.

 

 

Shaq DJ’d while I was waiting for Samia to go on. I couldn’t believe how many people were watching him. 

 

 

I fell for the music of Samia while studying this year’s lineup. She wears her heart on her sleeve and is unafraid of being silly or happy and presenting those songs with the same care and respect for her darker stuff. And there were plenty of super fans there that knew all the queues and even the newly converted got down hard to set closer “Honey.”

 

There is no performer in the same league as Janelle Monae. She kept with the beach theme of her new record, with the band dressed as lifeguards aside from the horn section dressed in matching red two-piece swimsuits. Every moment was tightly choreographed, and despite the set being heavy on the new material, the crowd was heavily into it. Although the biggest surprise (other than the return of the vagina pants) was that my section of the crowd broke out into a mini pit during “Dance Apocalyptic.”

 

 

I was a little let down by the simplicity of the Kendrick stage show. It really was just him and his band for the most part, aside from a handful of dancers that were only lightly utilized. Musically, it was spot on- running through the hits with the wildly diverse crowd in sync with every note. Although I wished for the theatrics of his last tour, they weren’t needed. All we really needed was one of the most important modern voices in music, and we were sated.

Mariah the Scientist

Armed with nothing but a microphone and a backing track, Mariah The Scientist pulled the surprisingly small Sutro stage crowd in with the perfect balance of killer pipes and awkward stage presence. She focused heavily on her downtempo soul ballads, and, well, it worked nicely! She was a little upset about the cold weather and commented on how she’s upset she forgot to pack a sweater. That being said, she also caught a medical issue in the crowd and managed to work the call for help within the confines of the song, ad-libbing the lyrics PERFECTLY. (They brought the person some water, got them some space, and all is well.)

Father John Misty

I’ve spent most of my life trying to like Father John Misty. I decided it wasn’t worth my effort to keep trying.

Invisbl Skratch Piklz & Friends

The lede was buried on this booking. One of the single most influential acts in Bay Area music history was resurrected, and they got quietly added to the tiny Cocktail Magic stage. Starting with just legendary DJ Qbert and guest Dan The Automator on stage, scratching out mixes of Handsome
Boy Modeling School cuts, as well as Dan’s megahit with Gorillaz, “Clint Eastwood,” the rest of the crew slowly made their way onstage, giving us an epic record scratch dance party. Cut Chemist of Ozomatli and Jurassic 5 did a little record dazzling, as did Beastie Boys’ Mixmaster Mike and original Piklz DJ Apollo, Shortkut, and D-Styles.

Maggie Rogers

I didn’t realize how well I knew Maggie Rogers’s work. In fact, I thought I’d never heard her before. Instead, I enjoyed an hour of high-energy, soft rock earworms performed with a potent voice and dynamic energy. I was captivated by Rogers’ every move and found myself singing along to songs I don’t know the name of. On my way out, I actually picked up the one record for sale of hers at merch.

Foo Fighters

I love Nirvana. I love Germs. I love No Use For A Name. I love Sunny Day Real Estate. I’ve never “loved” Foo Fighters. Then, Grohl and company took the stage in a ferocious thunder, opening with the headbanger “All My Life,” and I was taken in by the rhythm and the energy of both the band and the audience. They matched equally and never let up. Much like Rogers’ set, I had no idea how deeply ingrained these songs were in my psyche. For nearly two hours, I hopped around, sang along, and had one helluva a good time. As did the band! One banger after another, with Grohl all smiles. When introducing new drummer Josh Freese by poking fun at all of the records he played on, including a silly cover of Michael Buble’s “Haven’t Met You Yet,” complete with, um, Buble himself planted in the crowd with an “I <3 Buble” sign brought on stage to sing it.

The only time things kinda slowed down was for an intense three-song set of ballads with Violet Grohl on vocals. No matter- I left the park feeling warm and bubbly after one of the best rock n roll sets I’ve ever heard.

 

UPSAHL

I rather enjoy UPSAHL singles. “Drugs.” “Wet White Tee Shirt.” “Good Girl Era.” Etc… I was not expecting to want to go full LUNATIC at 12pm on a Sunday, but church is church, and the church of UPSAHL is the sexy rock n roll church that I’m more than ready to convert to. I actually forgot that I was invited as “press” for this thing and really just let myself be in the moment.

Fake Fruit

Fake Fruit is the best local band we’ve got right now. Will Metallica send me hate letters for this? Probably. But I’m pretty sure after watching Hannah D’Amato shred, Kirk Hammett would happily hand over his throne. This particular set was extra fiery- they played hard and weirder than before. They performed “No Mutuals” in Spanish. They went for an extra animated version of “Psycho.” They brought out a sax player for the second half of the set. And, just to make sure we knew D’Amato is a full-on magician, she sang the last song, WHILE COMPLETING A RUBIK’S CUBE?!?!?!! And the song and the cube were both completed at virtually the same time.

I swear to God, if Fake Fruit doesn’t headline this thing in five years, something is severely wrong in this world.

Venus & The Flytraps

Despite no women top lining this year, there definitely seems to be a healthy dosing of female-identifying persons doing bold, emotionally bare, and complex music. Venus & The Flytraps is, on the surface, a fun pop-punk band. Their banter is silly, and the stage show is energetic, but as lyrics kept crawling in, these songs are heavy, and it takes a lot to get these lyrics on paper. There is someone in your life whose life will be forever improved by this band. So share them with someone who might need it.

Nanna

Nanna is the lead singer of arena folk titans Of Monsters and Men. I was expecting to find the grove at Sutro to be packed to the gills. Instead, the small group of us were treated to something beautiful and amazing. The music was still a blend of folk and shoegaze, like Nanna’s day job, but stripped of the twee elements, we experienced something more intense and profound. Hell, she managed a tear-jerker ballad named “Everything’s Coming Up Millhouse.”

Grace Ives

So, everything today has been straight up TOO GOOD. I was exhausted but rallied for Grace Ives. Her lofi beats were somewhere between Peaches and Atom & His Package. Her performance was full-on cabaret. She moved to the songs and wouldn’t stop moving. She made dry, self-deprecating comments between songs. The show could work in the weirdest, most beautiful parts of Vegas.

Lil Yachty

Let’s Start Here is possibly the most divisive record of 2023. Lil Yachty split his set, focusing on his more accessible, familiar hip hop cuts, including hits like “Broccoli” in the first half, and focusing on his swirling, psychedelic masterpiece of a new record for the second half. There was a definite, expected energy shift. It was like seeing two completely different acts on stage. His band could jump between styles with ease and mastered both sides of Yachty. I would love to see him do a full Let’s Start Here set. Probably in a field in the desert would be best.

Megan Thee Stallion

Outside Lands has been running for 15 years. I’ve been to 13 of those years. Megan Thee Stallion’s explosive set is *might* be the greatest set I’ve ever seen at this thing. Megan is masterful. The way she twists and bends rhymes make me think her tongue isn’t human. She’s definitely the quickest of any of us. She managed to get a field of like 50,000 people to all have a cathartic moment screaming, “dick don’t run me, I run dick” in unison. She signed people’s graduation caps on stage! And, unlike other crowded sets, I didn’t see any fights break out; everyone helped each other get out when the crowd was too much. Top to bottom, beginning to end, Megan The Stallion far exceeded every expectation.

Soccer Mommy

It’s been six years since I’ve last seen Soccer Mommy. She’s gone from a shy, self-conscious performer to someone of a guitar hero. She still doesn’t seem to need to say much or even come out from behind her bangs. But her playing is supremely confident. Her show was a big rock show, and she even managed to eke out a well-crafted cover of Sheryl Crow’s “Soak Up The Sun” that was both faithful yet reenergized the original.

Odesza

I wasn’t planning on seeing any of Odesza. I wanted an ice cream taco to enjoy on my way home. However, while I was walking out, eating my taco, I was surprised by what I was hearing. I was expecting a propulsive thumping. Instead, I enjoyed the most beautiful cinematic score to close out my weekend. I didn’t stay long… After all, tomorrow is a work day. But I stopped to take in the lights and the sounds, and for one shining moment, the guy who hates all electronic music was enjoying one of the premier acts of the genre.

It was, beyond a doubt, the best way to end what may have been the best Outside Lands yet.