Twenty-Something Wasteland: Outside Lands 2010

Twenty-Something Wasteland

Outside Lands Music Festival 2010: As experienced by Andrew Maness

Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat; I had not been to a music festival before attending Outside Lands in San Francisco two weeks ago. For some people what will make a difference in how they feel about what I’m going to say in this article but hopefully you’re not one of those people. The truth is that technically I could say I’ve been to two music festivals (Ozzfest in 2005, Virgin Music Fest in 2007) but I’m not counting those because they didn’t have the festival “vibe” (you know hula hoopin girls, spun out old hippies, rampant drug use,). I was unsure at first if Outside Lands would even have that vibe I’ve heard so much about but all my doubt was diminished the moment my friends and I went through security at Golden Gate Park on Saturday the 14^th of August.

I feel that it’s important that I preface this piece with the story of how I ended up at Golden Gate Park the morning of the 14^th. I had gone out the night before with my friend Pete and demoed damn near every fine drinking establishment in his neighborhood. This was after making the six hour drive from LA which I somehow turned into a four and a half hour trek (rule number one on the 5, always have a guinea pig) without getting a speeding ticket. So to say that I was running on fumes the morning of the 14^th would be a vast understatement. However a dreary damp San Francisco morning and a vicious hangover would not deter me from meeting up with my friends so we could catch People Under The Stairs at 12. After a free bus ride (always carry a $20 they don’t make change for a $2 ride) I ran four blocks to catch up with my friends and we headed into the park. I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I hadn’t looked at pictures from past years nor had I ever been to Golden Gate Park. I was walking into a completely new experience with a splitting headache, blurry vision and in San Francisco no less. My friends did not share my condition and had quite a bounce in their step thanks to the bottle of rum the four of them had polished off prior to meeting me. They had plenty of that good smoke stuffed in various places as well as some rolls that they planned to eat a little later. For the first few songs I was able to force myself to move around, mostly shuffling my feet and nodding my head to the beat of my favorite songs (Acid Raindrops, San Francisco Nights, The L.A. Song) but I knew I wasn’t going to be able to keep up especially since I’d just gotten down on a bowl of Humboldt’s finest. All of the sudden I realized I needed water and I needed it right away. I turned and headed across the fields which would later be littered with trendy kids on blankets, girls spinning around not knowing which way was up and old hippies just looking for that purple smoke. All this was of course yet to be and at that moment all I wanted was some cool refreshing H20. When I got to the only vendor cart on that end of the field my vision was very blurry and I felt extremely light headed. I politely asked the two female employees for water to which I got no response as their backs were turned to me. I then banged my hand down on top of the cart and simply said “WATER!”. Both employees turned around with surprised looks on their faces. I think it was either they were genuinely startled or just surprised that someone was in as rough as shape as I, so early in the morning. They asked if I was ok to which I replied “noooooo that’s why I’d like some water please!”. Three hours, two naps and one African tribal band later I was back to feeling like myself again which meant it was time to get fucked up and party.

The time in between bands at a music festival is used for a.) hydrating and getting food so you don’t get to messed up b.) going to the bathroom so you don’t have to during a set c.) finding and doing as many substances as possible or d.) taking as many pictures as possible for a blog post. Answers will vary depending on your age, social circle, religious background or diet but if you chose c.) and d.) then welcome to my club. I met a-lot of good people in between the end of Sierra Leone’s Refugee Allstars and the start of Bassnectar. I wish I could remember their names but given the circumstances I think I get a free pass on that one. Let’s just say that by the time Bassnectar started for the first time (I’ll get to that) I was feeling really good. In fact up until that in between time I had no plans to do a write up about Outside Lands. I was simply very impressed by how good looking the crowd was and decided to start documenting it with my I-Phone. Let me just say that for a city that’s supposed to be mildly snotty and pretentious not a single person was put off by my asking if I could take their picture with an I-Phone. Perhaps it’s just that they know how good of a camera it has or maybe they just figured I wasn’t some creeper. Either way people were way cooler about it than those I’ve encountered in other cities (NYC, LA). After getting a ton of good shots I headed back to our blanket (festival points=10) and chatted with newfound friends until Bassnectar took the stage. Now you might think that listening to head pounding electro in the middle of the afternoon wouldn’t be all that fun but clearly that make you just a casual whomp user. If you’re really into it then it shouldn’t matter what time of day it is only what type of drugs you’re on. About half an hour into Bassnectar’s set there was some sort of electrical failure and it was clear exactly how many were on what.  To say that kids got super pissed off would be a vast understatement. One guy near me shouted, “Come on fix it I’m fucking peaking!” If there’s a better representation of spoiled American youth I think you’d be hard pressed to find it. The crowd grew more and more restless, many people shouted for their money back. I was shocked, I mean yeah it sucks there was no music but it’s not like it was his fault nor was he going to be the only performer that day. I then remembered how angry I was when I found out Wolfmother had cancelled at Virgin Music Fest three years earlier due to the bassist’s wife giving birth. However I went on to enjoy The Shins, TV On The Radio, Muse and Beck at that show, so it only backed my feeling that these people should shut the fuck up and wait for the equipment to be fixed which it soon was. Bassnectar came back out, and said he’d play an extra half hour so that all would be right in the world of whomp. I for one didn’t really care about that. I’d had my mid afternoon fill of pulse pounding beats, as had two of my friends. So on that note we headed to see one of our favorite bands, My Morning Jacket.

A friend of mine in Vermont first introduced me to My Morning Jacket in 2005. Right away I knew that if they kept making music as good as that on their critically acclaimed album “Z” I’d be a lifelong fan. To my standards My Morning Jacket hasn’t dropped the ball yet. The closest they came was the song “Highly Suspicious” off the album Evil Urges and that changed after hearing it live at Outside Lands. I’d been waiting to see them live since hearing them for the first time in 2005 and they were one of the main reasons I wanted to attend Outside Lands in the first place. Their set was truly amazing and it was as if they were reading my mind with their song selection. They balanced playing stuff from their earlier albums (Tennessee Fire, At Dawn) with newer stuff from “Z” and Evil Urges. I can honestly say I heard every song that I’d always wanted to hear them play live especially since buying their concert DVD Okonokos. For me the highlights from their set were “Golden” “Off The Record” “Touch Me I Think I’m Going To Scream Pt. 2” and of course “One Big Holiday”. Having had a very satisfying experience watching Jim and the boys get all the holdouts on the MMJ bandwagon I wondered how it could possibly get any better. Then I realized that it was time for Wolfmother and I had no idea what was in store for me.

Wolfmother is one of those bands that has really had an uphill battle to superstardom. I’m not exactly sure if people at Outside Lands or perhaps even in the U.S. appreciate how big they are worldwide. Yes the ground in front of the stage(the smaller of the two main which surprised me) was packed with people but I still wonder how many of those people were unaware of  who Wolfmother even was up until that evening. I spoke to a few people the next day that said it was indeed the first time they’d heard of Wolfmother but like most, they were instant fans. If my memory serves correctly Wolfmother kicked off their set with Dimension and kept their foot on the gas all the way through. There was hardly any delay between songs and when there was a gap it was so Andrew Stockdale could strut around the stage getting the crowd more and more amped up. Had they not been playing an evening show to a crowd that was coming down off a long day I’m sure there would have been an Ozzfest like mosh pit. Instead the collective energy level was more like that at a Weezer show but that didn’t stop Stockdale or those like myself from rocking the fuck out. Then in the middle of “White Unicorn”(one of my favorite songs) there it was, a familiar succession of keyboard notes that dribble down into the part of your brain that says “holy shit this song is awesome”. The crowd began to scream and clap loudly as Stockdale paraded across the stage nodding before launching into The Doors’ “Riders On The Storm”. This was a song I’d always wanted to hear live and the fact that Wolfmother of all bands was covering it was nothing short of pure musical bliss. I didn’t think that it could get any better than that interlude but a few songs later I was proven wrong when Stockdale and co. decided to really melt all the unsuspecting faces in the audience by playing an even more familiar keyboard riff which was that of The Who’s “Baba O’ Riley” One of the spun out old hippies that’d been floating around all day was next to nearby and I heard him exclaim, “What year is it people 1971?”. For a moment I’m sure he probably thought that it was. The crowd was thrown into a frenzy, people were using the very last of their already haggard voices to scream so that Wolfmother would know they were on board for this high octane musical adventure. “Babe O’ Riley” is one of those songs that no matter how many times you hear it you still get goose bumps. It makes you want to get up, drive fast, yell at the top of your lungs and party. It was as if Wolfmother had collectively agreed that they didn’t want anyone leaving their show having any doubt that they were truly a rock band worthy of mentioning in the same sentence as the all time greats (more on this later). If that was their goal then I say mission accomplished ten fold. They closed out their mind-blowing set with another personal favorite “The Joker & The Thief”. Many might think that it would have been better to close after rocking “Baba O’ Riley” but again I think in a expertly calculated move it was good for people the hear one of the best rock songs ever and then one of the best new rock songs. Mark my words; people will look back on bands like Wolfmother with the same respect and admiration as The Who, it’s just gonna take some time for people to come around.

After Wolfmother there were three options, go see the Strokes(who I like) go see Furthur(who I don’t particularly care about) or go home, charge my dead phone and go party. I opted for the final option, bid my friends good evening and headed off through the park to catch the bus. As I exited I heard the first guitar notes from Phil Lesh and Bob Weir echo across the grounds and I knew I’d made the right choice in leaving. I was tired, had no phone to reach anyone, and just felt that capping off the day with a rock show was the right call. I mean that and I didn’t have any kind of treats to help me enjoy two old burnouts jam for a few hours. So on that note I boarded the bus (again for free) and headed back to my buddy’s place. As I rode along Fulton Street I stared at the old houses most of them with their curtains open so one could see the warm light and activities taking place inside. House after house I saw kids playing, people setting the table, couples sitting down for dinner. I couldn’t help but laugh for they seemed to have no knowledge of the twenty-something wasteland just across the street. Then I had a truly sobering thought, this had just been the first day and tomorrow’s lineup was supposedly the better of the two. I promised myself that I’d take it easy that night so that there’d be no repeat of the previous morning.

Thanks to a good friend from Vermont having a birthday party I did anything but take it easy Saturday night. However thanks me being smart enough to stick to whiskey and beer (wine and vodka had entered the equation Friday night, never smart) there was no repeat of the Great Hangover Of Saturday August 14^th. In fact I felt like a million bucks when I woke up Sunday morning. I’d met some really cool people the night before and was even ready to say that I really love San Francisco (something I never thought I’d say, ever). Of course my love for it was due largely to the fact that almost all the people I’d met the previous night were from The Cape, The Vineyard, and various other places of notoriety around New England. Like I’ve always said if you put a bunch of us together just about anywhere we’ll have a blast and San Francisco is no exception. Half an hour after waking up I hit the streets with my buddy Pete to head over to a Sunday morning brunch. Now this was not your ordinary Sunday brunch. No this was a most ingenious and expertly planned brunch. See these girls knew that some people would be struggling after day one and some people would just wanna get the party started early so what do they do? Cook up a bunch of pancakes, bacon, pour stiff mimosa’s and invite some more good people over to get the day started off proper. I’d like to say thanks again for hosting and supplying exactly what was needed to fuel the debauchery that was to follow. Everything was delicious and ya’ll were great people to have met on such a special weekend. So it was with a healthy buzz and a big grin on my face that I left with Pete to get bikes so that we could get to the park quickly. Not surprisingly the ride from Pete’s place on top of a hill down to the festival was one of the most entertaining bike rides I’ve ever had. Once we dropped our bikes at bike valet I took over responsibility for the supply pack that we’d filled up earlier. Two sandwiches (that were so very very good at 5pm) two bottles of water (unopened so we could bring em in) a chocolate chip cookie from a local bakery( had to) and extra layers for later (it got down to 50) were the contents of the pack. In the back of my pants a flask size bottle of Jack and in Pete’s SoCo (still don’t know why he did that to himself). I figured security would be as lax as it was the day before and I was right. I’m not complaining here obviously but seriously why bother having security at all if you’re just doing to feel a backpack, barely look inside and then pat my arms? The only problem I have with that is how easy it would be for some spun out psychopath to bring in a weapon but I guess the good vibes of the festival prevailed cause I don’t know of any arrests or incidents that took place.

Once inside I quickly realized that there was probably double the people in attendance Sunday that were Saturday. Pete and I met up with my other friends to watch the end of The Temper Trap (who were new to me and I love em). After that we started making our way towards the main stage in the back area to see Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes. I had not left the main field area on Saturday so the back area was like a whole new world. It had a distinctly different vibe to it mostly because trees and thick brush enclosed the main stage area. There was a zone that later in the day during the mass exodus from Nas & Damien Marley to Kings Of Leon would become a treacherous human bottleneck but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Around 3:45 Alex Ebert and his band mates took the stage and lit into “40 Day Dream”. I’d been waiting to see these guys live since some friends told me how good they were at Coachella and of course they killed it. I really can’t put it much better than that. They sound even better live than on their album, have great stage presence, really work the crowd and know when to play their hits. Like everyone else watching I was wondering when they were going to play “Home” and when they did it was the perfect time. During the end of the set I handed off some bills for some late afternoon treats and headed back towards the main grounds. Sunday’s schedule was a pretty stacked on and even though the Outside Lands I-Phone app was helping keep us informed of who was playing where and when we still had trouble deciding what to do. Ultimately some friends went off to see Al Green who was reportedly “ok” but mostly too preachy and some caught Chromeo who were “alright”. I myself was just content eating some of my sandwich, smoking and chilling until Phoenix came on just before 6. I’d been looking forward to seeing Phoenix again since I saw them open for The Killers in Vegas last fall. I knew it would be a high-energy show and that the open grounds would play to their strengths as a band but I could never had expected the blow out performance they gave. I’m pretty damn sure Phoenix drew a larger crowd and more fans out of more people than any other band at the festival. The clouds had begun to dissipate during Edwards Sharpe but by the time Phoenix played they were nowhere to be seen and with the grounds bathed in warm summer sunlight it was truly a moment to be savored. Lead singer Thomas Mars shouted, “ this is our last show here for a long time and we want to have fun”. I think if Thomas Mars had jumped off a bridge the whole crowd watching Phoenix’s set would have too. The only other time I’ve seen a crowd be so engaged and willing to do someone’s bidding is when I saw Iron Maiden in 2008. Bruce Dickenson is some exceptionally good company to keep as a front man Thomas Mars, pretty exceptional indeed.

After having my heartbeat match that of Phoenix’s bass player and nearly passing out from bouncing around to the set closer “1901” it was time to go get some irie vibes from Nas & Damien Marley. If there was a rapper/reggae match made in heaven this is certainly it. I cannot for the life of me remember what order they played songs in but it pretty much bounced back and forth between Nas’ tracks, Damien’s songs, Damien’s dad’s songs (some guy named Bob) and then songs that they’d done together on their amazing album Distant Relatives. I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty twisted one some treats I’d acquired before Phoenix and spent some of the Nas/Damien set just taking it all in from a seated position. The back area was fully packed and with the sunlight fighting through the trees it was truly a sight to see. Once we all figured out who was going to Kings of Leon we formed our troop and headed out. I mentioned earlier that there was a mass exodus from the back area to the main fields and will now elaborate. Back home there is a venue we always went to called S.P.A.C. It’s the closest large venue to where I grew up and they get a-lot of high profile acts. I’m not exactly sure what the crowd capacity is there but I know that Golden Gate Park is probably close to four times bigger. Now I say this for those who have been to S.P.A.C. and know about the post show cattle drive across the entry bridge. The shoulder-to-shoulder bumping, the frustration, the groping, it’s not a very pleasant experience. Now for those of you who know what I’m talking about just imagine that one a much, much larger scale and you’ve got an idea of what The Great Exodus to Kings Of Leon was like. For someone in my state at that point in time I don’t think it could have sucked more however it was fully worth it.

Like My Morning Jacket and Wolfmother, Kings Of Leon is a band I’ve been wanting to see live for about 6 years now. While most people know them as the band that did “that song every chick ever likes” I know them as a foul mouthed, whiskey drenched, badass Southern rock band. I once read an interview with Caleb Followill in which he said, “if I ever have to hear Sex On Fire again it’ll be too soon”. I personally don’t mind that song it’s more that it’s just a simple single and Kings Of Leon are vastly more talented than that. Anyone who knows all the albums can attest to that fact. With six years of mishaps that had screwed me out of seeing K.O.L. live I was really hoping not to be disappointed as some said I might be (they’re a big venue band and a little different than 2003 buddy) and like I knew in my heart, I wasn’t. They played a song off Come Around Sundown (their new highly anticipated album dropping October 19^th) called “Pick-Up Truck” which sounds like a perfect blend of their older sound with newer attitude. It was awesome to hear “Mary’s Chambers’” live as well as two of my other favorites “Manhattan” and “Revelry”. They closed the festival down right with “Sex On Fire”/”Use Somebody” rolled into one continuous jam with fireworks and exploding lights. If there was any doubt that Kings Of Leon is a rock band in the truest sense of the phrase when it’s been laid to rest for good.

After the lights when off and the clapping stopped there wasn’t much else to do but file out of the venue along with the stunned masses. I remember hearing one kid near me going “braaaaaaaaains, braaaaaaaaaains” which was funny and pretty accurate. It took me a few days(if not longer) to come out of the fog that was that weekend but looking back on it, I’d say it was one of the best experiences of my life. Of course waking up Monday morning to find that the apartment I’d been staying at had apparently (I still think it was an inside job) had been robbed and that my photo pack was amongst the items missing. I guess it’s un-cool to lock both your gate door and front door when you live on a heavily traveled street in San Francisco. It’s all good though cause whoever did steal my shit has some epically bad karma coming their way. I won’t be making it to anymore festivals this summer as festival season is almost over but I will for sure be back at Outside Lands next year if they put together a line up as good as this years’.

On a side note I’d just like to say that for those dissenting voices out there that believe My Morning Jacket, Wolfmother and Kings Of Leon aren’t great rock bands you can kindly fuck off. Wake up people it’s 2010 this is a new generation of rock and they’re not ripping off the great’s of the late 60’s and 70’s they’re just taking what they did and making it their own. You think Zeppelin, The Stones’, The Beatles and all those other bands didn’t borrow from other previous musical acts? If so then you clearly don’t know didly shit about music history and no one will ever get through to you anyway. I know music is a very personal thing and you just like what you like but I felt it necessary to make a point of saying that those three bands are of the same talent of “the greats” and they should be respected as such.  Now go browse the photo gallery if you haven’t already.

Cheers.

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