While all my East Coast family and friends complain of the oppressive heat and humidity, I worry whether or not I have enough layers to spend the day outside in Golden Gate Park. Fortunately, I did. And the sun even managed to grace us with her presence - for a short while.
Still in its infancy in its third year, Outside Lands is a two-day music extravaganza in San Francisco that I had the fortune to experience this Sunday courtesy of the ever-reliable Kendall, who managed to score free (yes, free!) day passes for Christina, her friend Lenka, and me. Granted, the only band I'd even heard of in the line-up was the headliner - Kings of Leon - but I figured it would be an entertaining day whether or not I knew the bands.
Now, I've been to music festivals before, mind you. Rock Werchter 2006 in Leuven, Belgium - one of my favorites. Newport Folk Festival 2009 for my friend Ali's 25th birthday - also a classic. But, this was my first west coast music festival. I went into it with visions of hippies, flowery dresses and lots and lots of a certain illegal substance which is not-so-illegal in this green state.
And oh, how right I was. Not only did I manage to have a vegan crepe for lunch (among many natural food options), but I was able to compost the plate when I was done.
For $1, I could even refill my own reusable water bottle at one of the water stations! Only in California.
Just as unique was "Wine Lands," the on-site tent featuring local vineyards, where you could purchase a glass (or, rather, a govino) and tickets which were redeemable for tastes at the various different wineries' booths. There were a few producers I recognized, including Robert Sinskey, where I gravitated for not one but two tastings of the 2006 POV, a delicious red blend.
We bought silly hats and danced to my new favorite band to dance to, Chromeo. We visited the Heineken tent, where live DJs were spinning, and enjoyed the sounds of Phoenix and Al Green, who I now know is not a country singer like I thought, but in fact a legendary soul singer.
By the time Kings of Leon took the main stage (the largest of the festival's four stages), it was nearly 8pm - and only Kendall and I were still standing. With what little energy we had left, we fought our way to the stage, getting as close as we possibly could - which was still pretty far, yet seemed to anger a lot of very passionate Kings of Leon fans, nonetheless.
It was a great day, one very worth the 2 1/2 hours of traffic I sat in trying to get over the Bay Bridge on my way into the city and the 25 block walk back to where we'd parked from the festival entrance at the end of the night (which we saved oh, about five minutes of, by taking the bus a mere five blocks).
A great day, on top of a great weekend. I'd say I've earned my Monday night off.
Your post has brought back all the great memories of our trip to Rock Werchter! Boy, was that a great day! Miss you!!!
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