Outside Lands San Francisco, Day 1

Post Author: , Jenz

For Day 1 the Meters initially piqued my interest, being that it is a rare opportunity that you get almost the entire New Orleans legends on one stage. The highlight for me was catching drummer Zig tear through his gold chromed DW kit with a force that worked in and out of call and response to Art Neville's Hammond key strokes.

MGMT kept it dodgy, front homie making the mark at times and others not so much. Case in point, on the live rendition of “Time to Pretend” I heard why they bury their snarky chirps in a deep wash of obfuscating effects.

The Big Boi no-show would have been a bust had it not been for Dave Chappelle's random cameo (I suppose this should not be so random being that he does live out here in the Bay and is notorious for random comedy show appearances) While a Falcons game and/or alleged 'technical difficulties' with DJ Swiff's MacBook side lined the showcase, Chappelle entertained the crowd with musings about being a black youth not being able to go to concerts along with his fixations on festivals with beach balls. After he gave us a beach ball kickoff into the crowd, Erykah Badu filled the sutro stage with good, sultry vibes to close out the first night.

The premiere Golden Gate Park Festival, 2011, day 1