And then it was Sunday...With the rough agenda and total sensory overload of the first two days of Outsidelands, Sunday was, (on paper), the respite-the day to totally kick back and do sweet F.A. until the evening's closer/bucket list entry: Mr. Stevie Wonder. Of course, things never adhere to plan, and this day, in the most delightful of ways, was no exception.
In keeping with the casual approach, I drifted through the grounds, exploring the nooks and crannies that I'd previously ignored in the race between stages. People watching in San Francisco is always pure entertainment, but with people trying extra hard at a festival, it was just that much more...
Cool discoveries early on were Infantree, and the precociously talented Birdy, who seemed very comfortable onstage for a 16 year old.
Settled in for a quick bite before heading over to see Franz Ferdinand, always a reliable festival band, when things got interesting. The band before Franz wasn't clicking for me, and I strayed off in search of cupcakes, and happened to stumble on a crowd gathering around the Third Man Records Rolling Record Store. So we gathered...and the payoff turned out to be a very intimate secret show from Jack White, in a forest clearing in Golden Gate Park.
Pow!
As if that weren't enough, he made way for an a few songs by Tom Morello, who was then joined by Boots Riley. Many thanks to Third Man Records for facilitating that special moment.
For the complete story, check out The Owl Magazine. In the middle of the gang's full day wrap-up is my breakdown specifically on the secret show.
It was interesting to contrast with his later appearance on the main stage to, i would guess, 30-40,000 people. In between, I snuck in some good times with Santigold, who shared the stage with a nice portion of the audience in a very party friendly set. The genre-hopping of her records seems so natural in a festival setting, almost like seeing multiple acts at once.
We'll conclude the Outsidelands adventures in the next post, as Stevie Wonder definitely deserves his own space...
Infantree
Infantree
Birdy
Birdy
you've been warned...
Birdy
It's all about the moment...Pictured above, Santigold, (striped dress), egging on fans to invade her stage, bemused backup dancers, and the arm of a crowd surfer holding up an inflatable shark...
Santigold (and friends)
Santigold
Teaser: The burbling of synthesizer registered for a brief few seconds, before the almighty roar of the crowd kicked in as one's attention was drawn to the wings of the stage...
No comments:
Post a Comment