Outside Lands returned with its “Sweet 16” this past weekend, and even though the surrounding city of San Francisco changes every year, Golden Gate Park remains a safe haven for incredible music.
Looking at the park’s stunning surroundings and otherworldly beauty, it’s hard not to feel like you’ve entered another universe when you arrive at Outside Lands – after all, the park has its own climate compared to the city at large (this was my sixth Outside Lands and I still have no idea how to dress for it). The surreal atmosphere pairs perfectly with the music every year, and 2024 was no exception.
This year’s edition included headlining shows from The Killers, Sabrina Carpenter (who filled in for Tyler, the Creator after the rapper pulled out of the festival in June) and Sturgill Simpson, as well as a special country set from Post Malone on Sunday night. Of course, it was Chappell Roan who Really was the headliner of this festival, as many visitors and viewers of the Amazon livestream can confirm – but more on that later.
As with any festival, every year is a little different. The appeal of the headliners and top acts is reflected in the crowds and overall density of the festival; last year it was fuller on average every day, while Sunday (Chappell’s Day) this year was one of the busiest festival days I’ve ever experienced, period. There were some new features and experiences and some light Changes to the formula, but for the most part, Outside Lands is a festival that just keeps delivering. Here’s what we saw last weekend in Golden Gate Park.
From Rave to Rodeo
Despite the arrival of Goldenvoice’s new electronic-focused Portola festival in the Bay Area, Outside Lands has embraced electronic music as a core element of its identity in recent editions. ODESZA headlined last year to a huge crowd, Illenium played a major sub-headlining gig the year before, and a brand new SOMA stage was introduced to provide an all-electronic destination.
For 2024, they could have capitalized again on San Francisco’s enthusiastic electronic audience and offered another headlining DJ performance – Skrillex just curated an entire stage at Lollapalooza, and Fred just headlined again at Bonnaroo, also produced by Superfly. But this year, electronic music seemed to take a back seat as a new genre inevitably took center stage: country music.
