Outside Lands 2022 Recap | This Must Be The Place
by Cayla Rubin
A rare glimpse of summer sunlight sparkled onto San Francisco’s traditionally fogy Golden Gate Park this past August. Even the sun knew there was something to celebrate as festival goers danced to a variety of vibey tunes, rejoicing at the genre defying festival’s magnetic energy. Rising indie icons such as Del Water Gap, The Linda Linda’s, and Wet Leg shared the stage with seasoned rock n roll professionals for an unforgettable weekend - illustrating the serendipitous, soul healing, and unifying power of music.
Kicking off the weekend, singer songwriter Ashe sang her heart out to a crowd as excited to be there as her herself. Her lyrical genius elicited waves of joy radiating throughout the crowd. Popstar on the rise Role Model transported the crowd to the beach with his surf punk energy. As festival goeser meandered from stage to stage, guests could hear Oliver Tree yelling at the crowd from afar. His vivacious energy left the crowd riled up as everyone belted along to his hit track “When I’m Down”. As golden hour hit day one, energy remained high and elusive, anything felt possible – especially for those at The Marias sultry set. Groups sat atop the grassy knoll while fans swayed to mellow rock n’ roll riffs in the crowd. Everyone there knew – this was not a set to miss.
The hardest decision Outside Land’s gave music aficionados was which headliner to see day one. SZA made a rare music festival appearance, her perfect vocals radiating from the stage deep into the crowd. Phoebe Bridgers sang her indie heart out, the crowd echoing her words, her traditionally melancholy tunes brought to life on stage. Lastly, Disclosure brought the house down with an unparallel DJ set - no one wanted to stop dancing to their fiery tracks. Ultimately, night one culminated in vivacious sets at each stage.
The best part of music festivals? They keep going. And Outside Lands knows how to keep the energy alive. German, 20-year-old singer songwriter Zoe Wees opened up day two with an electrifying performance. Kenny Hoopla made a roaring crowd want to dance from day to night and back to day again. Though, at peak midday on Saturday, crowds went absolutely wild for Local Natives picture perfect set. Like a breath of fresh air on a sticky summers’ day, Local Natives gave us what we didn’t know we needed, and a feeling of immense euphoria carried through us into dusk.
Gap-toothed Mac Demarco smiled on stage as his cracked voice roared over eager fans. With each pluck of his guitar lassoed over our hearts and a cigarette dangling from his lips, his electrifying energy was universally loved. Simultaneously, electropop Byron Bay boy band natives Parcels transformed their set into one vivacious, slap happy song that made dancing feel more natural than standing still. As summer light faded into a twinkled moonlit sky, Jack Harlow transformed day to night with his boyish charm. Green Day lead Billy Joel Armstrong brought that 90s nostalgia and early 2000s punk rock energy to the stage with their classic rock n’ roll spirit.
Waking up on the final festival day, the air felt crisp and chill, a quintessential mirror reflection of the music itself. Rapper Tyla Yaweh uplifted hungover spirits through his low-fi beats and simultaneously laid back and pumped up demeanor. Surf Mesa brought the Southern California beach vibes up to NorCal with his tempestuous tracks. Dominic Fike sang alongside badass bassist Blu DeTiger, the crowd echoing his every word. The Backseat Lovers take the cake for live performance, illustrating the intoxicating allure of simply having fun. Kim Petras said she didn’t want it all on stage, whilst giving the crowd all they wanted and more. Mistki sang to an intimate crowd of devoted fans - every move made, every bar sung eliciting screams of excitement and pure joy. Finally, Post Malone encouraged fans to “get fucked up and sing some shitty music”, ending the weekend on only the highest of highs.
Transformed into a playground for music lovers – each year, Outside Lands continues to light up Golden Gate Park into a mystical and magical oasis. Until next year…
Photographed by Dana Jacobs