While it is not quite as popular as Coachella (but, it's getting there), Outside Lands was another great music moment for the year of 2015. With over 200,000 guests this year and a performance by the legendary Elton John, who will be retiring soon, it is safe to say that Outside Lands was a highlight of 2015 for all of the attendees.
The Good
The music at Outside Lands is always amazing, with huge headliners every year and other amazing artists that fit perfectly in the San Francisco atmosphere. This year some of my personal favorites, besides the classic Mumford and Sons, Black Keys, and Sir Elton John, included Tame Impala, Milky Chance, Glass Animals, and James Bay, along with many others. While many of the smaller artists won me over and are currently being added to my Spotify playlists, seeing big names at a festival is an amazing experience. Not only can you get even closer to an artist at a festival compared to buying a ticket to one of their regular concerts, but those artists can also expand their set lists to include their hits as opposed to sticking to the album that they are touring for. And despite the high price of the ticket, I only paid an average of $17.40 for each of the 19 artists I saw over the three days. But Outside Lands isn't solely about music, it involves art, food, beer and other things.
I would really encourage anyone who attends the festival to check out the food that's sold by local restaurants and the amazing pieces of work that are created by local artists. This type of festival really brings out the San Francisco pride in everyone, and you can feel it in the air.
Being such a young festival, the first Outside Lands was in 2008, there are a lot of big changes that happen each year. The changes this year were mostly related to technology. The tickets were switched to wristbands this year, making it a lot harder to lose your ticket, but also a lot harder to sell a ticket. The wristbands also came in handy for those who were participating in the "Wine Lands" section of the park because "bison bucks" could be loaded onto the bracelet and used to purchase glasses of wine. This convenient feature is supposed to expand to all other vendors in years to come. There was also a live-stream available to those who could not attend this year.
The Bad
While Outside Lands is probably my three favorite days out of the whole year, there are some aspects that I find less than pleasing. None of these aspects are attributed to the coordinators of the festival, but rather the attendees. I'm not trying to list all of my complaints just to rant, but instead I'm trying to make any future festival-goers aware of some not so courteous actions that I have personally noticed.
Obviously I don't blame anyone for documenting the wondrous weekend on their iPhones, I am guilty of the same action although I know it is not the best way to embrace any concert experience. However, I would encourage everyone to watch the majority of the show with their own eyes instead of through a tiny screen. I would also like to ask that you save your phone calls for an area where people aren't trying to enjoy the music. This goes for general talking, as well. I've seen way too many people push their way closer to the front of the stage just to have a loud and completely unrelated conversation with their friends. If you're not going to listen to the artist, please don't disrupt people that are trying to do that exact thing.
Another small friendly reminder, this music festival is not a frat party. That means that you should try to keep yourself together and refrain from going too crazy, throwing up, or passing out until you are safely back at home or your hotel. And, more importantly, don't be a creep. The girl or guy dancing around crazily in front of you is just embracing the music, not inviting you to grind your hips against them. This isn't a middle school dance either. Just think before you act.
The Elton
Elton is neither good, nor bad. He is simply amazing. And if you all couldn't already tell, I'm pretty pumped I saw a legend.
