Alright, we’re right in the middle of a 3 day music sandwich and today definitely had the bacon! Today was spent mainly in front of the Lands End stage and ended up right in front by the time The Black Keys took the stage. So what did I think?
Cold War Kids
The Surprising: The Cold War Kids
I really enjoyed this band, and will likely download a few tracks of theirs soon. Just chill enough for a mid-afternoon set, the energetic frontman Nathan Willett still was able to muster up some great rock vocals for this indy band. I originally was going to try to get into one of the comedy shows, but when it hit capacity, I was glad to have found Cold War Kids instead. A true treat.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
The Underwhelming: Unknown Mortal Orchestra
I’ll admit, these guys were a bit hyped up to me. I hadn’t listened to anything of theirs before today, which I probably should have. Their psychedelic vibe was perhaps a bit to early in the day for my tastes, and felt it really could have benefited from a different venue with more lighting control. The crowd seemed just a little too into their green stuff and not as much into the music, which is a bit of a turn off for me.
Billy Idol
The Old Favorite: Billy Idol
I saw Billy Idol just a few months ago at the Fox in Oakland and enjoyed him as a headline show. ds in the audience waiting for Tame Impala or The Black Keys had no real idea who Billy Idol was, but that didn’t stop us for loving his set. Breaking our some new stuff with the usual standbys, in the end he had the crowd wanting “More, More, More!” Plus, Steve Stevens is a guitar god!
Tame Impala
The Fan Favorite: Tame Impala
Another slightly psychedelic band, this group focused much more on the production than Unknown Mortal Orchestra. With lots of synth but drowning in reverb, these guys really mixed the psychedelic and indy rock well. The crowd was definitely here to see Tame Impala, and they didn’t come off as just an opener for The Black Keys
The Black Keys
The Best: The Black Keys
I’ve only heard a few songs by The Black Keys before, but enjoyed them. I was most looking forward to this band all day, and they delivered a rockin’ set. With many acts this year at Outside Lands being very “chill heavy” as seems to be the trend this year, it was nice to have some solid rock and roll influences to end out the day. An hour and half set was just long enough to give fans what they wanted!
Devon Baldwin
Mac DeMarco
The other acts I caught: Mac DeMarco, Devon Baldwin
Devon Baldwin as an American Idol contestant. Nothing to write home about, though she did a cool cover of Blink 182’s “Don’t Leave Me.” Mac DeMarco – well, I just don’t like his music. It’s just too chill bro for my tastes.
And, as promised, the bacon of the day:
Baconland!
