Catching up with the craziest of months...this is the second of three festivals in that span. Golden Gate Park in San Francisco proved to be a stellar place for Outsidelands-lots of grass and trees, plenty of room, and no fear whatsoever of that overwhelming Coachella sunshine sneaking out and biting you.
Fog was the word for day one, with the sun never really gaining purchase throughout the day, rendering sunglasses as a needless affectation. The setup was four stages, with two tents interspersed, covering a nice chunk of real estate. Unlike the more compact Coachella setup, this one demanded a lot of hiking if your tastes were random. The plus side was the lack of noise bleed between the stages-a major consideration when one is booking Metallica and Sigur Ros to overlap. Being San Francisco, the food was top notch, the best the Bay Area has to offer, and firmly above any other fest i've attended. Vendors were scattered throughout, and the wooded trail between the two largest stages was dubbed Chocoland! (Cue Homer Simpson drooling...) With Winelands and Beerlands both in effect, it really took the entire weekend to get to the bottom of things.
Friday was high intensity, and made for a lot of mileage roaming stage to stage. White Denim was a nice noisy way to start the weekend, and if day one had a predominant theme, for me it was Brass, and lots of it. From the seminal New Orleans outfit, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, to NYC's Afro-fusion heavyweights, Antibalas to L.A.'s Fitz and the Tantrums, there were horns every which way. Early on, Sharon Van Etten gave a set that would stand up with anyone by the end of the festival, alternating hushed confessionals and flat out rockers. Two Gallants got a rousing reception from their hometown crowd, and taking the opportunity to throw out chunks of their brand new LP. Tennis sparked some warmth from the depths of their down coats, and The Walkmen kept the faith with a large crowd at the Sutro Stage.
Afternoon found the main stage littered with acts that could have headlined the day, such was the abundance of talent on opening day. Both Beck and the Foo Fighters could have headlined the day, if not for Neil Young and Crazy Horse at the top of the bill. Beck brought one of the day's more touching moments, recalling that his first time at Golden Gate Park was brought about by Adam (MCA) Yauch of the Beastie Boys, who tapped Beck for a spot in the Tibetan Freedom concert. Beck then dedicated "Lost Cause" to MCA, and went on to cover Neil's "After The Gold Rush". Foo Fighters provided rock and roll bridge to the evening, cutting through the looming fog with an intense set. Justice siphoned off the hipsters for late night dancing fun, but center stage belonged to Neil Young, together again with Crazy Horse, and they wasted no time in upholding the tradition of doing whatever the hell Neil felt like. Opening with an extended "Love And Only Love" from Ragged Glory, the Horse took control, and Neil didn't even hit the first verse until eight minutes in. After scaring off the lightweights, he dove into a searing version of "Powderfinger", a highlight of the set. He also made room for songs from an upcoming album with Crazy Horse, due in October. Knowing his audience, the perfect closer was "Roll Another Number". And with that, Outsidelands was off to an auspicious start.
Wilco returned to Santa Barbara with a show that sold out painfully quick at the historic Arlington Theater downtown. Their last appearance here was at the much roomier Santa Barbara County Bowl, but given the Bowl season not opening until April, this was the next logical venue. Turned out, for those lucky enough to score tickets, a perfect choice, for I have never heard the theater sound that beautifully balanced.
"Reservations", the final cut from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot served as
the evening's opening song, and Nels Cline immediately served notice,
garnishing the song tonally, but not overwhelming it, then stepping up
his game with the band's segue into "Art of Almost" from their most
recent effort, The Whole Love.
They proceeded to romp through their catalog at will, and it was the combinations of songs, ("I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" into "One Wing"), that struck.
Personal highlight of the night would have to be the soaring, transcendant take on "Impossible Germany" from Sky Blue Sky, a showpiece on the LP, but live, it churned into the coiled intensity reminiscent of Television's "Marquee Moon".
Austin based White Denim opened up the festivities with spiky jams that were tightly focused and in no danger of meandering. The set was perfectly paced, culminating in an intense closer, the journey being the destination...
The band is capitalizing on a busy 2011, having released D, a full length LP, a live session cut at Third Man Records, and last fall's Takes Place In Your Work Space EP
