I bought tickets for this way back in March, months before I even moved here. As this line-up tacked on more and more amazing artists, I came increasingly excited about this festival. Plus I haven’t been to a festival since 2004, so this will be quite interesting. They aren’t letting anyone camp overnight. Which means I’ll be reporting that night about what went down and be posting a few pictures as well.
So this is the plan so far…
Day One – I’ll be arriving sometime around 3pm which is when the gates open. I figure I’ll scope the place out and see how long it takes to get from one end of the park to the other. Then I’ll grab a spot for the ever-so-awesome Black Mountain (5:30 – 6:10). If they play “Bright Lights“, I’m going to poop myself. Just a warning. This is where things get difficult; I love Beck (6:40 – 7:50) and I love Radiohead (8:00 – 9:55). Beck finishes his set five minutes before the mighty Radiohead. This would not be a problem if they were playing on the same stage, however, that’s just not the case. Beck is all the way on the other side of the festival grounds from the Radiohead stage. So it’s fairly obvious that if I stay for even a little of Beck‘s set, I’m going to get a shitty spot for one of my favorite bands of all time. We’ll see how things work out, but one way or another I’m getting a good spot for Radiohead, no doubt. Beck isn’t the only act I’m sacrificing though. I have to miss the Black Keys, Lyrics Born, and The Felice Brothers. Whatever, I’m seeing f%$&ing Radiohead!
Day Two – This day is all about running around. Which could be both fun and frustrating. First up is the soul singer Goapele (1:00 – 1:40). I don’t know much about her, it’s more or so to get a good spot for dredg (2:15 – 2:55). dredg‘s set has a certain amount of importance for me because they are fresh out of the studio and will no doubt be playing a lot of new material. And if anyone has been keeping up with their studio updates, this new record is going to be epic. This is where things get difficult. One of my favorite singer-songwriters, Sean Hayes (3:00 – 3:35), is off in this odd part of the park and once he finishes, Lupe Fiasco (3:35 – 4:20) goes on back at the stage were dredg played. I’m leaning towards missing Sean Hayes because I’ve seen him three times already and never seen Lupe Fiasco. But we’ll see. After Lupe I have an hour break for food and poopies. Then it’s off to Regina Specktor (5:15 – 6:05)! I’ve loved her music for so long and had to pass up her shows countless amounts of times, but not this time. I don’t know what I’ll do if she plays Samson. After her, I get to chill out and wait for Cake (6:50 – 7:50) on the same stage. A childhood favorite, so it’ll be interesting to watch. After Cake is Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers (7:55 – 9:55). Another childhood favorite, it’ll be fun to see a legend at work and his ugly mug up on stage.
Day Three – An easy and less conflicting schedule. Pretty much everyone is on one stage for me. It starts with ALO (1:00 – 1:40) which I also don’t know much about, it’s to get a good spot for Stars (2:15 – 3:00). I haven’t heard the much of the new stuff, but Set Yourself on Fire is one of my favorite indie rock albums. After Stars will be the glorious Andrew Bird (3:35 – 4:25). I’ve heard great things about his sets, so this should be interesting. After Andrew I wander over to another stage to see The Cool Kids (4:25 – 4:55). They dropped off the M.I.A. tour last year so I missed them that time around, but hopefully they make up for it here at Outside Lands. After them it’s back to the same stage where I saw the other acts to watch Broken Social Scene (5:00 – 5:50). Then it’s Wilco (6:35 – 7:50) at the same stage. As soon as Wilco tears it up, I’m going to mossy on over to see Jack Johnson (7:40 – 9:10). Not a fan, it’s just that I paid over $200 for freakin’ tickets, so I’m getting my moneys worth!
So that’s it. I’m sure there will be weird shit happening throughout the day. Stay tuned tomorrow night and watch the webcast to see if you see my doofy ass.
Radiohead – Nude (Naked Lounge Mix)
Broken Social Scene – All My Friends
Sean Hayes – Calling All Cars