BuzzSugar

Friday Tunes: An Outside Lands Playlist

BuzzSugar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:30:19 PDT

Come fog or sunshine (probably fog), the Outside Lands Festival is invading San Francisco's Golden Gate Park this weekend, and I'll be hitting up the three-day fest.

I barely made it out alive last year, but I'm hoping that since it's the festival's second year, everything will come together a little more harmoniously (pun intended). With a lineup running the gamut from Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, and Jason Mraz (whom you decidedly love) to M.I.A. and Modest Mouse (random or diverse: you decide), I know I've got to be in for some good performances. For those of you who can't get out to the Bay, I've put together a playlist with some of my favorite songs from the festival's acts. To hear it, just

2009 Outside Lands Festival

Are you going to Outside Lands? What are your favorite tracks from the acts on the lineup?

Surviving the 2008 Outside Lands Music Festival

BuzzSugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:30:13 PDT

In theory, the Outside Lands Festival here in my little city by the Bay seemed like a lot of fun - especially since I didn't have to pay the exorbitant ticket prices ($250 for a three-day pass!). As such a gigantic concert in Golden Gate Park, it seemed like an experiment I should witness firsthand, like I might be a part of history or something.

The lineup for the weekend was impressive: Radiohead, Beck, Wilco, Regina Spektor, Tom Petty, Jack Johnson, Cake, The Walkmen, The Black Keys, and a bunch more. Then again, you'd have to have those cartoon speedy legs that turn into blurry wheels as they propel you forward at warp speed in order to actually see all the bands you'd like to see. The stages were pretty far apart, and there was a noticeable lack of helpful signs. On Friday I walked in the wrong direction for a while before doubling back toward the box office, and by the time I got my pass the only act I could catch was Radiohead. They were excellent - no complaints about the actual performances, really - but it was a lot of running around (literally), not to mention a royal pain in the neck dealing with the public transportation system, which was clearly overwhelmed by the multitudes of concertgoers.

Anyway, for the most part, I liked the concerts once I got to them. To check out some of my impressions,

I hadn't seen Radiohead perform in years, so it was a real treat to check them out. For all the vast space in the main-stage area, the sound was good (well, perhaps a little too good for many of the residents living near the park).
Tom Petty was one of my very first concerts as a teen, so getting to see him again was sweetly nostalgic. His set was also the one where I found a pretty wide variety of ages in the audience; it was really cool to see how many generations know and love Petty's music. As he and the Heartbreakers began their final song I decided that those first sounds of "American Girl" (tun-tunga-tun, tatata, tun-tunga-tun) might be some of the most recognizable in all of American music.

There is definitely something uniquely awesome about a Summer music festival with all the raucous dancing in the sun and carefree belting out of lyrics. It's fun to see how unifying music can be, even with crowds of thousands.
The bands seemed to agree. Almost every act I caught appeared to be having an almost blissful time and giving spirited performances in return. Broken Social Scene's multitextured sound was boosted by its collective mirth.
Even Jeff Tweedy, the often-surly lead singer of Wilco, was downright giddy as his band closed out the Twin Peaks stage on Sunday night. Unfortunately, the sound at the Wilco show could have been turned up a notch or two; it was too hard to hear, even from the VIP section on the sidelines.
The Drive By Truckers, on the other hand, were as wonderfully over-the-top as always, rocking through a tight set and passing their standard bottle of Jack Daniels back and forth in the waning afternoon sun. In fact, I probably most enjoyed the experiences on the smaller side stages, where the crowds were rollicking but not impenetrable like on the larger venues.
Another favorite part about fests: Though I always have an itinerary of shows to hit, I love stumbling onto the ends of other performances I didn't plan to catch - in this case, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. I never understood all the fuss about Jones until I caught the last 15 minutes of her set; damn, that woman is intense, and intensely sassy. Hearing her live is clearly the way to go.

Buzz News Roundup, 3/3

BuzzSugar — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:33:10 PST

Access Hollywood reports from the Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice singing benefit in LA. You can watch some shaky video footage over here.
Speaking of Grey's, Eric Dane will join Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston in Marley and Me, writes ComingSoon.
ComingSoon reports that Tim Allen will make his directorial debut with the indie comedy Crazy on the Outside.
Anne Heche will replace Jennifer Jason Leigh in the "indie sex comedy" Spread, also starring Ashton Kutcher, writes Hollywood Reporter.
According to Variety, Al-Qaeda is calling for the execution of a Dutch filmmaker and a politician on account of their anti-Koran short film, Fitna.
Radiohead, Tom Petty, and Jack Johnson will headline the inaugural Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in San Francisco in August, Billboard reports.
L.A. will host the first Brazilian Film Festival March 7-9 at the Landmark Theater, Variety reports.
CBS is no longer the No. 1 TV network, losing the most-viewed title to Fox, the LA Times reports.

Outside Lands 2011 in Pictures

Shannon Vestal — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:15:07 PDT

This past weekend was the fourth annual Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival, and we made it out to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco to see acts like Phish, the Black Keys, Girl Talk, and Arcade Fire. The three-day concert brought out tons of other musicians as well, and even if you didn't make it to SF to check it out, we've compiled 20 of some of the coolest pics from the fest for your viewing pleasure.