My room lays quiet. The usual sound of chirping birds, snoring pugs, and earsplitting, exhaust vomiting vehicles are mysteriously absent from my neighborhood tonight. I sit at this computer screen dazed, confused, tired, numb (particularly around the southern regions of my body), but above all else extremely satisfied from the days that preceded this moment. I am referring of course to OUTSIDE LANDS 2011, a music and arts festival that has truly outdone itself in terms of food, wine, art, and above all else --top notch musical acts that had many talking, even after the last guitar had been strummed or auditory lyric uttered. My mind is running in ten different directions, so i'll try to stay focused. ON TO DAY 1.
DAY 1
Day 1 started out and ended quite calmly, my girlfriend Simonique and I got a bit of a late start and didn't arrive at the festival til about 2pm. Getting to and from Golden Gate Park was definitely the hardest part of the trek. Hailing a cab was a nightmare at my hotel, but I was lucky enough to split the fair with two other "Festival-Goers" who hailed all the way from Australia.
After a brief frisk near the entry point to Polo Field, I was eager to explore the grounds. Passing through a fairly averaged-sized tunnel, I was immediately greeted with the reggae sounds of Collie Buddz (who was nearing the end of his set) which crafted the festival ambiance quite nicely. First order of business was receiving that alcohol wristband and guzzling down my first 4 oz cup of wine. I then proceeded to the numerous food tents, which delivered in both quality and quantity. The alluring aromas of the Spicy Pie tent convinced me that my first entree had to be a giant slice of veggie pizza (I think called a gnarly marley) and a cookie pie. I always enjoy the little quips given to the names of the pizzas, for instance Simonique ordered a "'Hot Lips' Houlihan" (for all you M*A*S*H* fans out there) which consisted of Jalepenos, Pineapple, and crushed red peppers. Let the gorging begin.
My main goal for Day 1 was motivated by two acts: MGMT and the Shins. Unfortunately to see these two acts I had to wade through the Original Meters and Big Audio Dynamite.
P.S. I had forgotten my camera that day, so I was forced to use my pixelated cell camera.These were the best shots I obtained.
LANDS END STAGE (MAIN STAGE)
The Original Meters (2:50PM)
I had never heard of the Original Meters, but assumed that since their name was averagely sized on the lineup poster that they had to be something to see. Apparently they are considered in the same ranks as James Brown and have formed lasting strides in the Funk and R&B world. Unfortunately I was disappointed by the Meters' sound, as what I heard were long, blues-jam sessions in which every song sounded like the last one before it. To make matters worse, there were technical difficulties that ensued during the performance. A faulty amplifier kept George Porter, Jr. from really bringing the funk, disappointing the crowd (but probably the band more). Ziggy Modeliste, the drummer, had to stall the audience and keep us in Jam-session purgatory hell as the equipment roadies tried desperately to remedy the situation. Despite all the negative, the Meters were lively and accessible enough for the audience's forgiveness who seemed to be enjoying themselves regardless (most likely thanks to some illegal substances emanating from the large mass).
MGMT (4:35 pm)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5csbmDkLrI
Notable tracks: The Handshake, Siberian Breaks, Weekend Wars & Congratulations.
Food Truck Forest, Chocolands, & Ecolands
The only real exploration of the festival I did was my transition from the Lands End Stage to the Twin Peaks stage on Day 1. Having just saw MGMT, and having no desire to see PHISH, we trotted over to see what else Outsidelands had to offer. Upon walking through the Mclaren pass, there was an unfortunate manure fragrance for about the first twenty or thirty steps. Cries of hunger echoed from our stomachs as Simonique and I scavenged for food within Food Truck Forest. Brass Knuckle truck offered fried chicken sandwiches and bacon wrapped hot dogs, Whisk on Wheels served Angus burgers and Empanadas, Kara's Cupcakes supplied (you guessed it!) cupcakes. Not yet in the mood for sweets and having not consumed meat for this year, I gravitated toward the Those Fabulous Frickle Brothers truck. The Frickle truck provided deliciously fried pickle chunks and sliced fried green tomatoes,only made more flavorful with two complimentary sauces. We chose the High Sierra Sauce (similar to thousand island dressing) and the MOLE-Q sauce (a combination of Mole and BBQ sweetness) that added extra levels of delectable pleasures.
After numerous Frickle questions of "what's that?" and "where can I get some?," I entered Chocolands. Excited to see some Wonka-ish fantasy of chocolate rivers, a giant chocolate toupe wearing bear, or hell even a some unicycle riding carnie handing out hershey's kisses; I was met with much less. Much to my dismay, Chocolands was comprised of only about three desert booths and a few decorative figureheads thrown about. There was some invention in the treats, as lines formed for chocolate covered potato chips (Sharona's Chocolate Shop), chocolate mousse pops (Candybar), and even raspberry chocolate ganache cupcakes (Mission Minis Cupcakes). Wanting to get a good seat for the Shins, we moved on from the underutilized Chocolands and on to Eco lands (which contained both Farmlands and Winelands).
After a Frickle thrist came upon us, we discovered a little booth which supplied green juice, watermelon blend, and a coconut. I had to indulge in the coconut, while Simonique tried the green juice (comprised of kale, celery, spinach, or anything else green). The coconut water was fresh and even charmed Simonique, who holds a strong distaste for coconut, while the Green juice tasted sour and probably could have benefited from a few apple slices added to the mix. Farmland was your typical farmers market, mainly focusing on fresh produce, while Winelands offered $3 wine tastings. By now the cold chill of Golden Gate Park crept into the crevices of my body and stirred my eagarness to hear the next band. This beckoned me closer to the Twin Peaks stage.
TWIN PEAKS
BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE (7pm)
Awful. Just Awful. It was my largest regret of the day (and probably the festival) having to sit through these guys. A hodge podge of instruments, people, and music that didn't cohesively run together on any level. Their music sounded like a giant piece of 80s cheese that should of have been featured on a very special episode of Saved by the Bell. The lead singer Mick Jones couldn't sing well and seemed drunk throughout the entire set. The crowd seemed to enjoy it, but I was just waiting for the Shins to put a stop to them. Big Audio Dynamite reunited for 2011 tour after disbanding in 1997. Outside Lands was the last stop of their reunion tour, and for fans of Big Audio Dynamite, I suppose this show was a blast. For me, however, the bands' abbreviation is a perfect summation of my feeling for them: B. A. D.
THE SHINS (8:40pm)
Mary Jane's smoke rose out of many pipes before the Shins emerged from their Twin Peak dwelling. Pretty much anyone who didn't want to see Phish was at the Shin's set and for good reason. The set began with one of the most recognizable and best tracks of the Shins' discography: Caring is Creepy. I first heard of the Shins from Natalie Portman's Character in Garden State and have been enamored with them for quite some time. They're responsible for some great memories and I can now add this performance to that list. My favorite song performed had to have been Sleeping Lessons, which lulled the audience into a submerged aquatic-like trance and then crescendo-ed and climaxed with rousing energy. The crowd seemed to elect New Slang to be the Anthem of the night as everyone "oooed" along like hypnotized owls. The entire band was impeccable and the female guitarist Yuuki Mathews displayed excellent skill. New songs were played, and there was really only one song that had me questioning if it was actually Shins' song or some island jam (steel drums are tricky to pull off). I was disappointed by no encore song, but I guess that was reserved for the headliners. By the end of the set I had met a very drunk girl, her annoyed boyfriend and a very high jock-ish type of guy who was quite brotherly anytime the Shins hit a fast beat. No worries though, it's all apart of the festival experience.Notable tracks: Caring is Creepy, New Slang, Sleeping Lessons
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