Things were foggy but largely friendly on Day One of Outside Lands, with the Polo Field and adjoining meadows of Golden Gate Park packed with some 75,000 fans for dozens of acts, large and small.

The sun never came out and it was a chiller-than-average start to the festival Friday, but the vibe was light throughout. Conan O'Brien was back in town attending the festival with his daughter, Neve, as he's done in multiple previous years.

This year's Outside Lands lineup, as we noted before, has veered strongly in the direction of the type of electro-heavy performers who have previously been featured at the Portola Festival. And a strong lineup of DJs in the SOMA dance area only elevated the always high demand to get in there, leading to an extraordinary long line just to enter Marx Meadow that began around 3:30 pm.

Also, perhaps moreso than some recent years, some heavier rock acts took over the bigger stages and got the crowds fist-pumping and, in the case of Turnstile's early evening set on the Sutro Stage, moshing like maniacs.

The Polo Field was also pretty full by mid-afternoon for the main stage set from the electrifying UK rock duo Wet Leg. Sporting a shock of pink hair, singer Rhian Teasdale flexed and writhed her way through fiery renditions of "Mangetout" and "Catch These Fists" from their latest album, 2025's Moisturizer.

The Friday curation for the LGBTQ-focused Dolores' Stage was handled this year by goth outfit Hot Goth GF, featuring acts like Ms. Boan (seen below), and Romy.

Friday also felt like a super-sized edition of last week's Charli xcx look-a-like contest as numerous young fans arrived dressed themselves in tribute to Friday's headliner.

Memphis rapper GloRilla followed Wet Leg, resetting the energy from mosh pit madness to a cracking club.

Tinashe brought pop energy and a legion of fans to the Twin Peaks Stage for her 5 pm set, booty-shaking to a stream of hits including "Nasty," "No Broke Boys," and "Crash Out."

Many made their way to the Sutro stage for Brooklyn rock act Geese, who ultimately proved they are not a "psy-op." Instead, the set that saw lead singer Cameron Winter's voice impressively channel everyone from Creedence Clearwater Revival's John Fogerty to Counting Crow's Adam Duritz as he lead his crew through a scintillating run of scorchers.

Impressively, fans even turned out in droves for small sets like Virginia dubstep artist ALLEYCVT, who made an iconic evening appearance at Duboce Triangle, a stage tucked away in the eucalyptus groves of McLaren Pass.

Perhaps that's why there weren't more people in attendance for the highly-anticipated reunion of Clipse, comprised of brothers Gene "Malice" and Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton. Despite a surprisingly paltry turnout, the siblings put on a great party, even busting out some footage of OJ Simpson's infamous Bronco chase for visual accompaniment during "So Be It."

Labrinth, best known for creating many of the soundtrack moments for HBO's Euphoria, brought his atmospheric, often unsettling brand of alt-R&B to the main stage as the sun was going down.

Many fans en route to see Charli xcx close out the main stage on Friday night were compelled to stop at the Dolores' Stage for a spell to twirl to the tunes of a captivating DJ set from Romy, aka Romy Madley Croft. Best know as the guitarist and co-vocalist of The xx, she'll thankfully play again with the full band at tonight's edition of the festival.

No one is accusing Charli xcx of being a one-trick pony but her evolution from the Brat era to the show she delivered to close out Day One of Outside Lands was nothing short of masterful. Focusing mainly on the more raw, rock-heavy tracks from her new album — Music, Fashion, Film — the 34-year-old British pop star proved she's got the chops for rock as a full band and plenty of backup dancers filled the Lands End stage with sultry spectacle and infectious earworms.

Charli didn't say much in between songs, but it's unlikely her most ardent fans cared given every second of her 80-minute set was a pure delight. And, of course, she played "Apple," "360," and the rest of the hits, but she finished the set not with one of her well known bops but with one of her new tracks, "No One Lasts Forever," an infectious song that nonetheless deals with ideas that are not usually the purview of pop, like "the crushing highs and lows of ego," and which fades into the voice of filmmaker David Cronenberg talking about mortality and an artist's life, and a near-death experience he had.

Programmed against headliner Charli xcx were Modest Mouse, crooning and rocking on the Sutro Stage, and Griztronics, who had the large crowd dancing at the Twin Peaks Stage before the metaphorical lights came up and the place cleared out.

A few more photos from Friday below.

Jay Barmann also contributed to this article.