Outside Lands Diary: Saturday & Sunday

This post comes from our contributor, FP Naomi.

I fell in love this past weekend – with a city and a festival. San Francisco is a free, be-the-way-you-be, kind of place, and that only carries over into the spirit of Outside Lands. Everything just is and comes together perfectly within those grounds. You ride the day from one show to next, unconscious of any time passing at all. It really seems that for a moment, you’re in a world all its own, where time could even venture to not exist. It’s effortless and euphoric.

DAY 1 (Saturday)

On Saturday, there were a lot of shows to be caught. We managed to pack in Youth Lagoon, Jurassic 5, Tallest Man on Earth, The Head and the Heart, Nine Inch Nails, and a Yeasayer night show. Yeasayer and The Head and The Heart by far take the cake. Although very different, both bands are packed with so much talent, it’s ridiculous. Their voices grip at your soul when they sing out, and the layers of instruments leave you with something to discover in every blinking moment. Nine Inch Nails was well worth it, too. With a rock star performance, they lit up the grounds and put on an amazing show. You couldn’t help but dive into their grungy electronic sound.

outside lands 2013

outside lands 2013

outside lands 2013

Fun Fact: OSL is an amazingly green music festival, perhaps even the most eco-friendly in the world. This might blow your mind, but just imagine, all beer cups, service ware, and food containers on the grounds are made to be compostable. There is literally no waste. The festival also boasts the largest solar powered hybrid stage in the country, a small farmers market, refillable water stations, and urban farming workshops!

DAY 2

We decided to walk to the festival on Sunday. Along the way through Golden Gate Park, we made a detour to hike Strawberry Hill. I’m still amazed that San Franciscans have such good hiking within walking distance. We climbed up to the top and got a great view of the misty fog as it floated in the bay.

outside lands 2013

outside lands 2013

On Sunday, we managed to cover Dawes, Willie Nelson, Mat & Kim, and Kascade. I was excited to finally see Dawes live. Lead singer and guitarist Taylor Goldsmith rips on the guitar, and I love when Griffin Goldsmith, the drummer, chimes in with his take-me-away backup vocals. We plopped down in the grass after that, and watched Willie Nelson ride through the crowd on his golf cart up to the stage. Laying there for a bit, Willy serenaded us in the grass. We then got up to catch the end of Matt & Kim, which I was surprised to like so much live. My one regret of the day – I do wish I caught those Chili Peppers.

outside lands 2013

outside lands 2013

Dawes

outside lands 2013

Cascade

San Francisco experiences perpetual fall weather, and so I got a little inspiration of what’s to come for the next season. My favorite trend was the ode to the 90’s that resonated through the fashion. There were Keds & Converses with ankle socks, crew neck sweaters, and plaids thrown on for size. I saw a lot of oversized & printed baseball caps done in a fresh way, and hats/headpieces in general were sparking my inspiration. No matter what anyone was wearing at Outside Lands though, the looks were freeing and genuine, the most important fashion trick of all.

outside lands 2013

outside lands 2013

outside lands 2013

outside lands 2013

outside lands 2013

outside lands 2013

Taking the Cake

Yeasayer at the Independent, was, I have to say, the best show I’ve ever been to. The venue was small and intimate. Right there with them, you let their magical sounds take over your soul for a couple hours.  If you haven’t listened to them yet, you should. I venture to say they’re our generation’s force to be reckoned with. It was a special place to be that night.

outside lands 2013

outside lands 2013

Visit Naomi’s blog Numie Abbot.

More music festival news from the BLDG 25 Blog.

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10 years ago

Oh my goodness, this seems SO perfect. The fact that it is eco friendly makes me reaaally want to go! The line up is incredible! And the photos are perfect!

xo, Juliette Laura
http://juliettelaura.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/InfiniteStyleShop