Outside Lands - Day 3 - Sunday 8/31/09

They performed their hits such as "Bananas & Blow" to a packed audience on the Twin Peaks stage. In true form, there was something in the air with this jam-band, and the audience for that matter. - Clovis

Dead Weather's infamous collaborators Jack White (Whitestripes) and Alison Mosshart (The Kills) took the stage on the what had become a cold day even for a San Francisco winter. Breaking into their set, they heated the place up with their brand of sonically/noisy/bluesy tinged rock'n'roll.
The energy was visceral as they pounded out songs with lyrics like " I look like a woman, but I Cut Like a Buffalo". The vocal duties (and and a good deal of the sexual tension on stage) were mainly in the realm of Moshart. White also sang periodically, taking a break from the drums. Moshart and White also sung together on one of the last songs, making the show an excellent ride from intense and noisy to emotional & noisy. The Dead Weather is definitely a band to see. - Clovis
The indie-pop stylings of the multi-talented Australian singer Lenka, wooed the audience with equal parts charming demeanor and catchy indie-pop songs. She delivered quirky and catchy tunes without being contrived. One of her last tunes was a catchy philosophical number about life called "I Want my Money Back", and the audience chanted along
Heartless Bastards from Cincinnati, OH sounded tight as the band lead by singer/songwriter Erika Wennerstrom's rocked the house. - Clovis
Calexico repped the southwest the third and final day of Outside Lands, performing their widely-beloved form of tejano/spaghetti-western rock with guest vocalist and percussionist Salvador Duran as well as an expanded horn section. - Dru


After two days of uncharacteristic sun, the fog and cold wind of summer returned to Golden Gate Park; but neither that-- nor the late replacement of final headliners Beastie Boys with Tenacious D-- stopped the thousands that came for the last day of Outside Lands. Soul/blues chanteuse Bettye LaVette was one of the first acts of the afternoon and caught the attention and awe of everyone in ear range of her emotional performance, during which she told stories from her 47-year career. LaVette's set included "A Change Is Gonna Come," the 1964 Sam Cooke song that she also performed at the Obama inauguration.

Many fans stayed close to the main stage, where Modest Mouse and M.I.A. drew some of the largest crowds of the weekend-- evidently no one was deterred by M.I.A.'s twitter posts earlier in the week in which she complained about having to open for "The D," due to to recovery of Beastie Boy MCA (aka Adam Yauch) from cancer surgery.

In all it was an excellently run festival-- though they might have wanted even more public busses available at the end of the night considering what an effort the organizers put into encouraging everyone to "go green." It seemed that one need but turn to find a convenient set of three large cans for trash, recyclables and compost, and even a friendly volunteer to help make determinations if you spent too much time in the wine tent. Many environmental causes and green businesses were supported by the festival including ecomom.com, Save the Waves Coalition, Global Water Challenge and the Surfrider Foundation. The San Francisco Bike Coalition returned for a second year of Outside Lands to handle the valet parking of hundreds if not thousands of bikes.

Outside Lands - Day 2 - Saturday 8/30/09

While the heat seemed not as oppressive, it was sunnier still as Day 2 of Outside Lands unfolded, and several acts had to play with direct sunlight beaming down. Mastodon did not burst into flames. It was a good day for heavy rock though as they, Tom Morello's Street Sweeper Social Club, and later at sundown Mars Volta took the Twin Peaks stage which is situated right at the main entrance. - Dru




One of the highlights of OutsideLands, English import Bat For Lashes played a considerably smaller stage than their usual fare. The audience arrived to the satge uncharacteristically early, waiting for nearly an hour before the band took the stage. Bat for Lashes' siren singer/songwriter Natasha Khan, took the audience through a spellbinding set, playing songs from their two releases "Two Suns" and "Fur & Gold". This is one bands to catch before they are absolutely huge. The only other US date for this tour that they are playing is a sold out show Monday the 31st, in Los Angeles. - Clovis IV


"Hey I'm alone on stage..." Deerhunter guitarist/vocalist Bradford Cox found himself all alone after a quick soundcheck and had to engage in some joking around with the crowd as he waited for the rest of the band to return. He said they all had to go to the bathroom, then said, "Oh, they're landing in the helicopter-- it's going to be just like Woodstock." - Dru
L.A.'s Dengue Fever brings together two completely unlikely components: super sweet Cambodian pop and avant garde experimentation. Lyrics are in Khmer and English and showcase the amazing artistry of Chhom Nimol, who brought the crowd to shivers despite the warm day with her sometimes ancient and otherworldly vocals. - Dru

The guests for the press conference this year were a great representation of the aspects that Outside Lands aims to bring together: not just music, but food, wine and technology, the last of which has become an integral part of listening to and following music today. YouTube is live simulcasting artists' performances throughout the festival, including several from the two main stages, all the way up to Day 2 headliner Dave Matthews Band. Festival goers could also create custom schedules from the Outside Lands web site and share them with friends via their Facebook pages, or download the Outside Lands app for the iPhone. - Dru

Words by Dru & Clovis Photos by Clovis.

Outside Lands - Day 1 - Friday 8/29/09

Thievery Corporation kept tons of fans clear across Golden Gate Park from headliners Pearl Jam near the end of the first night of the Outside Lands Festival with a steady stream of vocalists, a real sitar, and free earplugs.



The first day of San Francisco's second annual Outside Lands Festival in Golden Gate Park was met by a lot of eager if wardrobe-challenged Bay Area residents and visitors who were not prepared for hot & humid weather. Day 1 saw bands as diverse as garage-rock inspired The Duke Spirit-- who kicked off the festival-- through a cycle of indy heavies (Built to Spill, Silversun Pickups), to the actual Mr. Tom Jones, who played new songs and covers, as well as his own hits from 40+ years ago. No underwear was seen flung to the stage, but women up front were alternately clutching and holding up his picture.

The festival runs throughout the weekend and also features comedy, international music (if you are ever tired, just go see Alt Rock en Español act Kinky), and a variety of burlesque/circus-themed bands, dancers and other art forms, such as a shadow puppet theater. One can even get a first look-- and play-- of Beatles RockBand in the XBOX 360 lounge.

As a celebration of all things San Francisco, organizers Another Planet Entertainment and Big Hassle worked to bring together some of the best food and wine purveyors around. Local restaurants Q, Maverick, Ti Couz, Eos and Farmer Brown can all be found amongst the many terrific food stalls.

Fans of artists as diverse as Bruce Springsteen and Joy Division all came together in appreciation of The National and the cool baritone lilt of singer Matt Berninger. No wonder the band's "Fake Empire" was adopted by the Obama campaign during his nomination and victory speech events.



Hailing from the Silverlake district of Los Angeles, Silversun Pickups took the main "OutsideLands" stage with thunderous applause. The front-man Brian Aubert, gave ample complements to the beautiful city & people of San Francisco. He also gave heart-felt props to Built to Spill, being in awe of getting to play alongside them.
Even with minor technical difficulties, Silversun Pickups played a driven & first rate rock show. They preformed a covey of songs including the hits "Panic Switch" & "Lazy Eye". - Clovis

Meric Long from The Dodos focuses intently on the music. The Bay Area outfit swung from minimalist to psychedelic with their heavy emphasis on percussion and beautifully played vibes that were even treated to a couple violin bows.

Zap Mama is a Belgian group with strong African influences, especially Congo. It is lead by Marie Daulne who pioneered the use of voice as an instrument to meld popular music such as R&B and hip-hop with traditional African sound and rhythm.

The Duke Spirit kicked off the second annual Outside Lands festival at 1pm on an uncharacteristically hot and muggy day in San Francisco's Golden Gate park. Early festival goers swooned to their raw, bluesy, vintage sound and spectacular front woman Liela Moss.

Words by Dru Photos by Clovis IV