Live Review: Outside Lands (Day 2) - Golden Gate Park - San Francisco, CA

While Outside Lands kicked off in a half-day whirlwind with Radiohead at the eye of the storm, the following full day gave concertgoers a chance to become better acquainted with the events non-musical offerings. To complement the traditional festival trappings, Outside Lands offered sustenance unique to San Fran's own culture, including food from local restaurants—highlighted by a tent selling raw oysters—and an opportunity to sample wines from across California.

Outside Landers | by Jay Watford

Along with the cuisine, around 25 percent of the festival's performers hailed from the Bay Area. Though he was born in Texas, freak folk messiah Devendra Banhart first made a name for himself in San Francisco venues, and one look at the bearded troubadour on stage made it clear why. Banhart's telluric presence melded perfectly with the outdoor setting. His hushed, soulful voice took on an unfettered buoyancy as it twisted through the trees on the opening song, "Seahorse." "We're in San Franscico, so we're going to do a song by a band from the UK," the mercurial Banhart joked before a vibrant rendition of Mungo Jerry's seasonal classic, "Summertime," that coerced young and old into sprightly dance.

Angus Andrew (Liars) | by Jay Watford

To the chagrin of some, the folk gypsy closed up shop early to watch the experimental rockers of Liars remove the folk but stoke the freak. The band's Australian-born singer, Angus Andrew, lumbered onto stage with arms outstretched and eyes rolled back to the cacophony of thunderous toms and banshee feedback. Possessed by convulsions, the singer led the group through a smoldering rendition of "We Fenced Other Houses" that built slowly before veraciously boiling over into a disturbingly fun shout-along. Partially suppressing his demons, Agnus channeled a subtle, yet deeply haunting vocal performance over the tangles of percussion on "A Visit From Drum," which he affectionately dubbed "Alcatraz Is No Place Like Home" in honor of the day.

M. Ward | by Jay Watford

To ensure folk coinsures got their fill, renowned guitarist and songwriter M. Ward offered an unforgettable track-by-track rendition of his 2006 classic, Post-War. With a semi-hollow body Gibson in hand and flanked by two drums sets, Ward and friends imbued a freewheeling vitality into the careening folk rock of "Right In the Head" and the chugging rhythm "Chinese Translation." Ward enthralled the audience with his command over the six-string on the rollicking instrumental piece "Neptune's Net," and put on a finger-picking clinic with his closer, "Afterword/Rag." Ward waved goodbye to a grateful crowd, foreshadowing the night to come with his farewell, "We'll see you at the Primus lawn."

Kaki King | Regina Spektor | by Jay Watford

From there, many headed across the field in hopes that Kaki King would continue the spectacle of guitar bravado with the idiosyncratic style that earmarked her early output. Sadly, lead woman Katherine King chose a set list rife with the humdrum singer-songwriter songs from her latest album Dreaming of Revenge. While King has an incredible ear for intricate guitar arrangements, she lacks a vocal prowess to match; a fact made painfully clear by her mundane performance. Luckily, songstress Regina Spektor more than made up for the midday misstep, taking the stage for an unforgettable a cappella rendition of "Ain't No Cover," with only her finger tapping the mic to back her. From there, Spektor weaved an entrancing web around onlookers with her warmly endearing vocals, delicately lilting piano and blissfully simple percussion drummed on an old chair.

Les Claypool (Primus) | by Jay Watford

On the other side of the park, Primus fanatics converged at the festival's second largest stage, forming a tumultuous sea of people that overflowed into the concession tents. To the deafening chant of "Primus sucks," Les Claypool and Co. took the stage and, with the backing two inflatable astronauts, shook the grounds of Outside Lands with an intensity that the weekend's other acts couldn't fathom. Claypool stalked the stage with a comic stride on the opener, "Mr. Know It All," assaulting the crowd with his shock-and-awe style bass licks without ever breaking a sweat. On "John The Fisherman," the maestro bowed a standup bass with the skill of a savant and the tonal sensibility of a madman. As the band dipped into the psychosis of their early catalogue, a colossal mosh pit erupted—a reaction that only the eccentric hand of Primus was able to summon all weekend form the laid back crowd.

Tom Petty | by Jeff Kravitz

As the carpet-bombing of bass drew to a close, attendees scurried across the park towards the distant whisper of Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down." In front of two arches of light, Tom Petty reminded crowds how he has stayed at the crest of a rapidly changing music scene for over 30 years. With the help of The Heartbreakers, the legend dropped hit after hit from a seemingly bottomless repertoire of classic songs. The only unexpected break came when Petty took an unplanned, 5-minute rest to try and preempt the technical difficulties that plagued Radiohead the night before—even though the volume still dropped dramatically at times, almost completely cutting out on "Mary Jane's Last Dance." Despite the minor hiccups, an undeniably gratifying set list—peppered with covers ranging from Stevie Wonder to Van Morrison—adeptly won over even those unfamiliar with the stalwart's catalogue. While Petty's performance may have lacked the historic significance that electrified the opening night, he still gave all those in attendance a show they won't soon forget.

—Jay Watford
08.28.08

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3