Sunshine remained in short supply on the third and final day of Outside Lands. But that didn't stop possibly the biggest crowds of the weekend from catching highlights like headliner Rüfüs Du Sol, two servings of Death Cab for Cutie, and a surprise set from Leon Bridges.
The big takeaway from this Outside Lands was that, yes, the kids love EDM and rap and pop, but rock is far from dead, despite the message of articles like this one from 2023 decrying the death of rock as a popular genre. It may as well have been 1995 out there in Golden Gate Park, with the mix of hard-driving rock acts, singer-songwriters trying to one-up Taylor Swift for original lyrics, and R&B crossover acts like Dijon and Labrinth experimenting with rock and industrial sounds in ways that would make Prince proud (RIP).
(It should be noted that, for the aging readers of the New York Times, critic Jon Pereles countered the "rock is dead" narrative eight months ago in this year-end piece, in which he specifically called out the popularity of Dijon and another act that made a notably raucous Outside Lands appearance on Friday, Turnstile.)
Also drawing big crowds of fans this weekend were rock bands like Balu Brigada, Geese, Momma, and Wet Leg — the latter two being female-led and sounding at turns like they were paying homage to the likes of Hole, early Liz Phair, and the Breeders.
Opening things up on Sunday on the main stage, as they did last year, was the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, who delighted the early-arriving young audience with a cover of Chappell Roan's "Pink Pony Club," among other pop selections.
One of Sunday's opening and closing acts was what would be called a legacy act these days, Death Cab For Cutie, who just put out a new album this summer but whose debut album came out 28 years ago this month.
Before Death Cab frontman Ben Gibbard played a single note Sunday, he shouted out Outside Lands' medical team for injecting him with steroids after he woke up without a voice.
"Now I feel like I could fight 100 men!" Gibbard joked, and he went on to lead the band, albeit a bit hoarsely, through a full performance of the group's 2005 album, Plans — and true to the demographic, Mayor Daniel Lurie, who is the same age as Gibbard (49), was spotted enjoying the show from the crowd at the Sutro Stage.
Gibbard and the band would return about eight hours later to the same stage, doing a more career-spanning set and sounding much more warmed up, including favorites like "The New Year," "I Will Follow You Into the Dark," and "I Will Possess Your Heart," as well as new tracks "Riptides" and "I Built You a Tower."
Brooklyn indie rock act Momma made the most of their mid-afternoon Sutro set, wafting chill fuzz and catchy licks into a impressively big crowd that included Hüsker Dü's Bob Mould. Continuing in the lineage of acts like Soccer Mommy and Snail Mail, Momma and their ruminative riffs felt like they were made to be heard on a foggy Sunday afternoon.
One of several nepo babies at this year's festival, Will Ferrell's kid Magnus Ferrell, delighted afternoon audiences with his falsetto pop crooning.
British singer Jade, formerly of the girl group Little Mix, drew a sizable crowd on the main stage as the afternoon wore on, performing her hits like "IT Girl," which she opened with, "FUFN (Fuck You For Now)", and "Angel of My Dreams."
Disco Lines gave the main stage a bump as the dolphin-loving DJ brought pyrotechnics and beats so loud that several speakers temporarily failed. It wasn't enough to ruin the mood, however, with the apex coming when a sea of fans grooved along to a remix of Dom Dolla's "San Frandcisco."
Empire of the Sun also had the Polo Field crowd dancing into the sunset hour, in their full-color regalia and anime-esque set. Aussie frontman Luke Steele declared, toward the end of the set, "America needs a cleansing," and obviously he wasn't talking about the racial or ethnic kind despite the odd choice of word. He seemed to be referring to a cleansing of anger and division, and went on to say, "I love this beautiful country, America," and told everyone in the audience to turn to someone beside them and say, "I love you, you’re amazing."
Meanwhile The Temper Trap brought fun vibes to the Sutro Stage. They were followed by indie artist Not For Radio, aka María Zardoya of The Marías.
New York-based sibling quartet Infinity Song proved their 1970s-inspire mettle by opening their set on the Panhandle Stage with a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" that morphed into an 11-minute, three-act rock opera, aided by the talents of vocalists Angel and Momo Boyd. They quickly delighted the audience with their own tunes "Hurricane" and "Hater's Anthem" as well.
With only hours left before night's end, Outside Lands pulled one final trick out of their hat in the form of surprise set from Grammy-winner Leon Bridges. Taking the intimate Duboce stage, Bridges and a backing band of three singers, two brass players, and a DJ played songs from the artist's forthcoming new album, Happiness Anytime.
Witnessing this all transpire from within a grove of eucalyptus trees was a mighty special moment, with Bridges serenading fans over blasts of sax and a crowd so big that it seemed to stretch forever.
Then it was time for headliner Rüfüs Du Sol to take over the main stage while Baby Keem drew his own crowd at the opposite end of the festival grounds.
As the subwoofers bellowed from headliner Rüfüs Du Sol's set through the trees to the Sutro Stage, where Death Cab was doing their second set, Ben Gibbard offered thanks to the admittedly small crowd that turned out to see their performance, saying, "Here at Death Cab for Cutie incorporated, we appreciate you spending your time with us versus whatever that is."
A few more photos below.
Zack Ruskin also contributed to this report.
Top Image: Photo by Josh Stansfield/SFist
