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Outside Lands 2023: Three full days of ‘giving life,’ saving face & switching up the game to celebrate the festival’s 15th anniversary

August 18, 2023 by Molly Kish 1 Comment

Photos by Christine Kemp & courtesy of Outside Lands // Written by Molly Kish //

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
August 11th-13th, 2023 //

Taking a beat to fully process the 15th year of Outside Lands, we had a lot to consider in terms of our annual accolades for 2023. Our team has had the pleasure of covering the music festival’s evolution since 2012, and many of us have been on the journey with Bay Area concert promoter Another Planet Entertainment after attending OSL’s inaugural edition in 2008. But while we have learned to anticipate certain logistical nuances and look forward to countless familiarities at Golden Gate Park, this year felt different in several very unexpected and positive ways.

Walking into the festival grounds, the footprint had noticeable modifications from previous years, including brand-new stages and a relocated Wine Lands. McLaren Pass, typically home to Choco Lands, the Bubble Tea Party, Cocktail Magic and various food vendors, now included a paired-down, more communal place to sip wines from the best vineyards in the Bay. Switching spots with Cocktail Magic, the newly located Wine Lands provided a premier viewing location for the Toyota Music Den, which ended up being a backup stage for overflow acts on Saturday and a home base for surprise appearances/pop-up sets throughout the weekend.

The largest and most widely agreed upon, favorite new addition to the grounds was the Dolores Stage holding space in the Polo Field entryway. The open-air dance club brought a surge of new talent and life to the main field, highlighting DJs, drag performers and a schedule of explosive LGBTQ+ artists over three days. Providing a welcomed alternative to the SOMA Tent’s long lines and Saturday’s closure for dancefloor maintenance, the Dolores Stage proved to be a true festival MVP. The lineup highlighted an intrinsic part of Bay Area culture that never felt fully recognized on the scale that it should have been. Providing a non-stop homage to SF’s historic ballroom culture, performers hit the stage, runway and ground, keeping the sold-out crowd dancing and happy at one of the festival’s main access points.

Aside from some lineup alterations, structural damage and traffic-flow issues at the entrances and exits, OSL’s 15th anniversary was a massive success. Worried at moments that things could derail, the staff handled the various complications that came their way with super effective and seamless production pivots. Artists were quick to shift sets to alternate stages, pop-up performances kept fans excited and engaged, and the amount of satellite bars, lounges and interactive activations offered more than enough entertainment to keep the capacity crowd stoked. If this year’s success was any indication, we expect the positive changes to become mainstay additions for years to come and look forward to seeing what the future will hold for Northern California’s flagship music festival.

ODESZA

OUTSIDE LANDS 2023 AWARDS:

Headliner of the Weekend: ODESZA

Breakthrough Performance: Crumb

Largest Crowd: DJ DIESEL

Best Stage: Dolores Stage

Most Swoonworthy Set: Lana Del Ray

Hardest Hip-Hop Moment: Tobe Nwigwe

Fiercest Performance: Reparations

Tastiest Menu: Shuggies Trash Pie and Natural Wine

Best Vineyard: Deux Punx

Most Magical Cocktail: “Large Marge-arita” // Buttery Tipple

Favorite Lands: Wine Lands

Most Impactful Artist: Balloonski

Satellite Bar Star: #OceanLove Tour by Grey Whale Gin

Favorite Merch: Outside Lands reusable festival cup

Best Marketplace: San Franpsycho

Top Showcase: Hard French at Dolores Stage

Most Memorable Experience: Outside Lands x LIVE by Amazon Music

Bay Area Favorite: Anchor Steam’s final kegs on draft at Beer Lands

Best Night Show: Interpol at The Independent

Outside Lands 2023 – Nation of Language

Outside Lands 2023 - Diesel (Shaquille O'Neal)

Outside Lands 2023 – Samia

Outside Lands 2023 - Mariah the Scientist

Outside Lands 2023 - Megan Thee Stallion

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Festival Reviews, Festivals Tagged With: aespa, Alex G, Alvvays, Âme, Âme B2B Trikk, Balloonski, beabadoobee, Becky Hill, Beer Lands, Blond:ish, Choco Lands, Cigarettes After Sex, Claptone, Cobra Man, Coco & Breezy, Crumb, Cuco, Daniel Avery, Denis Sulta, Diesel, Diesel (Shaquille O'Neal), Disco Lines, DJ DIESEL, Dolores Stage, Donny Benét, Dope Lemon, Eddie Zuko, EREZ, Ethel Cain, Evan Giia, Fake Fruit, Father John Misty, Fisher, Foo Fighters, Gabriels, Grace Ives, Holly Humberstone, Inhaler, Interpol, ISOxo, Izzy Heltai, J.I.D., Janelle Monáe, Jessie Murph, Joy Oladokun, Justin Jay, Kendrick Lamar, Kim Ann Foxman, L'Impératrice, Lana Del Rey, Lil Yachty, Lovejoy, Loverground, Maggie Rogers, Manila Grey, Mariah the Scientist, Megan Thee Stallion, midwxst, Mild Minds, Miss Dre, Monolink, NALA, Nanna, Nation of Language, NIKI, No Vacation, Noah Kahan, Nora En Pure, Odesza, Orion Sun, Orville Peck, Outside Lands, Outside Lands 2023, Outside Lands Music Festival, Outside Lands Music Festival 2023, Poolside, Pretty Sick, Raveena, Red Axes, Reparations, Sama' Abdulhadi, Samia, Shaq, Shaquille O'Neal, Soccer Mommy, SOMA Tent, The 1975, The Dip, The Jungle Giants, Tinlicker, Tobe Nwigwe, Tops, Trikk, Trixie Mattel, Upsahl, Venus & the Flytraps, VNSSA, Wednesday, WestEnd, WhoMadeWho, Wild Child, Willow, Wine Lands, Yaya Bey, Zack Fox, Zedd

HARD Summer Music Festival changes locations, moves back to two days in 2023 with Kaskade B2B John Summit, Skrillex B2B Four Tet

March 7, 2023 by Josh Herwitt 1 Comment

HARD Summer Music Festival //
LA Memorial Coliseum, Exposition Park & BMO Stadium – Los Angeles
August 5th-6th, 2023 //

If you thought Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival delivered a big splash by releasing its 2023 lineup to celebrate the 15-year mark this August, HARD Summer is making its own noise just hours later.

After extending to three days in 2022, the annual Southern California music festival is moving back to two with a brand-new location and a stacked roster that once again favors electronic and hip-hop fans.

While a variety of SoCal venues — Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, the Fairplex in Pomona and Auto Club Speedway in Fontana — have played host to HARD Summer over the years, the fest’s latest home for the past two had been the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino. But HARD founder and CEO Gary Richards has always had his sights set on returning to LA since leaving the city’s limits following its 2013 edition at the previous iteration of LA State Historic Park.

🔋🔥 PULL UP & POP OFF – UR #HSMF23 LINEUP IS HERE 🔥🔋 + MORE TBA 👀

HARD Summer 2-Day + Single Day Passes go On Sale this Friday, 3/10 @ 10AM PT! 🔗 https://t.co/s83XEy4OqM pic.twitter.com/FKtxngKRVF

— HARD Events (@HARDFEST) March 7, 2023

Now, the event will migrate 63 miles west to the LA Memorial Coliseum, Exposition Park and BMO Stadium with Kaskade B2B John Summit and Skrillex B2B Four Tet tapped as headliners, plus two special guests in 21 Savage and Kid Cudi.

This year’s undercard, meanwhile, isn’t too shabby either, littered with more B2B sets and other huge names that include Diplo B2B Blond:ish, Black Coffee, Kayzo B2B Sullivan King, Oliver Tree, Gorgon City, Yellow Claw B2B Flosstradamus, Dillon Francis, Deorro, The Martinez Brothers, Jungle (DJ set), Bicep (Live), 4B B2B JSTJR, TBA B2B Sonny Fodera, Diesel, Ludacris, Peekaboo, Fat Joe and more. Check out the poster above for the rest of acts who have been booked.

GA and VIP passes are on sale this Friday, March 10th at 10 a.m. PT here for fans ages 18 and over, with payment plans also available for single-day or weekend tickets after a $9.95 deposit.

UPDATE (May 1st): With more than four months to go until showtime, HARD Summer has uncovered a handful of 2023 lineup additions that sees MK B2B Sonny Fodera, Yung Bae, PAWSA, Rochelle Jordan and nøll joining the party this August in downtown LA. Scope out the poster above for the latest updates to the roster and sign up for the SMS hotline here to receive first access to tickets, lineups and more via text message.

UPDATE (August 2nd): Set times are here, and while there’s a whole lot to choose from, there’s also some tough decisions to make after 9 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Give the schedules above a good look before leaving for Exposition Park this weekend, and most importantly, have a great time!

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: 21 Savage, 4B b2b JSTJR, Alix Perez, AMÉMÉ, Auto Club Speedway, Azzecca, Ben Sterling, Bicep, Bicep Live, Black Coffee, Blanke, Blond:ish, Blossom, BMO Stadium, Boys Noize, Chasewest, Chee, CHEE x Jon Casey, Chuwe, CHYL, Club Tularosa, Denis Sulta, Deorro, DEVAULT, Diesel, Dillon Francis, Diplo, Diplo b2b BLOND:ISH, Dirt Monkey, Disco Lines, DJ Dials, Emo Nite, Exposition Park, Fairplex, Fat Joe, Fleur Shore, Flosstradamus, Four Tet, Frosttop, fun2bjane, Giolì & Assia, Gorgon City, Hamdi, HARD Summer, HARD Summer 2023, HARD Summer Music Festival, HARD Summer Music Festival 2023, Hayden James, ISOxo, IT HZ, John Summit, Jon Casey, Jungle, Kai Wachi, Kaivon, Kaskade, Kaskade B2B John Summit, Kayzo, Kayzo B2B Sullivan King, Kid Cudi, Kitty Ca$h, Knock2, LA Memorial Coliseum, LA State Historic Park, Lauren Lane, Lauren Lane B2B Ms. Mada, Laxcity, Loco Dice, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Ludacris, Luude, Mija, MK, MK (Marc Kinchen), MK B2B Sonny Fodera, Ms. Mada, NALA, nøll, Netsky, NIK P, Ninajirachi, Noizu, NOS Events Center, Odd Mob, Oliver Tree, PAWSA, PEEKABOO, Rochelle Jordan, Rohaan, Rossi., SAYMYNITTI, Senza, Sippy, Skrillex, Skrillex B2B Four Tet, Sonny Fodera, Space Laces, Sullivan King, Tape B, The Martinez Brothers, Toman, Toman B2B Rossi., Two Feet, Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, Wilkinson, Wuki, Yellow Claw, Yellow Claw B2B Flosstradamus, Yunè Pinku, Yung Bae

Celebrating its 15th year in 2023, Outside Lands hands the baton over to Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters & ODESZA

March 7, 2023 by Josh Herwitt 3 Comments

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
August 11th-13th, 2023 //

Now that a handful of California’s music festivals — whether it’s BeachLife, BottleRock, Coachella, Just Like Heaven or Lightning in a Bottle — have announced what their plans will be this year, it’s once again time for Outside Lands to join the party.

SF’s signature event turns 15 this August at Golden Gate Park, but after returning to its usual timing in 2022 and granting headlining duties to Green Day, Post Malone and SZA, it’s handing the baton over to a triumvirate of standouts in Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters and ODESZA.

K.Dot returns to OSL for the first time since the 17-time Grammy winner ambushed the Twin Peaks stage back in 2015, while Foo Fighters, who suffered the tragic loss of drummer Taylor Hawkins last March and have yet to reveal his replacement behind the kit, will end their own decade-long drought after playing the three-day event in 2012. ODESZA’s last appearance, in the meantime, was the most recent of the three in 2018, yet much has changed for the Seattle electronic duo made up of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight over that time.

ranger dave is pleased to announce the outside lands 2023 lineup! don't miss @kendricklamar, @foofighters, @odesza, lana del rey, & more as we celebrate 15 years, august 11-13

3-day tickets on sale tomorrow at 10am pt https://t.co/5NkMRCkQm5 pic.twitter.com/tixHIUjtAB

— Outside Lands (@sfoutsidelands) March 7, 2023

In addition to the aforementioned headliners, this year’s undercard is nothing to sneeze at — starting with Lana Del Rey, The 1975, Megan Thee Stallion, Zedd, Janelle Monáe, Maggie Rogers and Fisher. Other names on the 2023 lineup worth paying attention to include Lil Yachty, Noah Kahan, Cigarettes After Sex, J.I.D, Interpol, Willow, Father John Misty, Tobe Nwigwe, Orville Peck, aespa, beabadoobee, L’Impératrice, Cuco, Nora En Pure, Poolside, Alvvays, NIKI, Alex G, Soccer Mommy, Diesel (Shaquille O’Neal), Monolink, Raveena, Trixie Mattel, Mariah the Scientist and ISOxo.

Last year’s edition of OSL saw the SOMA Tent — which remains the fest’s home for all things dance music — expand after making its debut in 2021, and fans can expect the dancefloor to be packed as Âme b2b Trikk, Blond:ish, Claptone, Coco & Breezy, Daniel Avery, Denis Sulta, Disco Lines and more get ready to hit the decks from Friday to Sunday. Check out the poster above for the rest of the artists slated to perform.

Three-day GA, GA+ (a new ticket tier), VIP and Golden Gate Club passes go on sale here for $499, $674, $1,029 and $4,899 this Wednesday, March 8th at 10 a.m. PT, so take a peek at our previous coverage here before you pick one up!

UPDATE (April 18th): Daily lineups for OSL 2023 are out, with Kendrick Lamar headlining Friday, Foo Fighters rocking Saturday and ODESZA closing down the festival Sunday. Peek at the daily schedules above before single-day tickets go on sale here for $199 (GA), $299 (GA+) and $449 (VIP) starting this Wednesday, April 19th at 10 a.m. PT. And if you’re thinking about purchasing a three-day ticket payment plan and putting down just $99 up front, you can still do that for a limited time here!

UPDATE (May 11th): Interpol has confirmed that they will be performing their 2002 debut LP Turn On the Bright Lights in full from start to finish during the band’s set at OSL this year. Fans of the New York post-punk revivalists should pick up their single-day tickets here!

UPDATE (August 1st): With less than a couple of weeks to go, your 2023 set times have arrived. See the schedules above for all of your potential conflicts at OSL’s 15th anniversary so you can formulate a plan before getting to Golden Gate Park. Who will the TBA act on Saturday be?!?! Take your best guess in the comments below.

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: aespa, Alex G, Alvvays, Âme, Âme B2B Trikk, beabadoobee, Becky Hill, Blond:ish, Cigarettes After Sex, Claptone, Cobra Man, Coco & Breezy, Crumb, Cuco, Daniel Avery, Denis Sulta, Diesel, Disco Lines, Donny Benét, Dope Lemon, Eddie Zuko, EREZ, Ethel Cain, Evan Giia, Fake Fruit, Father John Misty, Fisher, Foo Fighters, Gabriels, Grace Ives, Holly Humberstone, Inhaler, Interpol, ISOxo, Izzy Heltai, J.I.D., Janelle Monáe, Jessie Murph, Joy Oladokun, Justin Jay, Kendrick Lamar, Kim Ann Foxman, L'Impératrice, Lana Del Rey, Lil Yachty, Lovejoy, Loverground, Maggie Rogers, Manila Grey, Mariah the Scientist, Megan Thee Stallion, midwxst, Mild Minds, Miss Dre, Monolink, NALA, Nanna, Nation of Language, NIKI, No Vacation, Noah Kahan, Nora En Pure, Odesza, Orion Sun, Orville Peck, Outside Lands, Outside Lands 2023, Outside Lands Music Festival, Outside Lands Music Festival 2023, Poolside, Pretty Sick, Raveena, Red Axes, Sama' Abdulhadi, Samia, Shaq, Shaquille O'Neal, Soccer Mommy, SOMA Tent, The 1975, The Dip, The Jungle Giants, Tinlicker, Tobe Nwigwe, Tops, Trikk, Trixie Mattel, Upsahl, Venus & the Flytraps, VNSSA, Wednesday, WestEnd, WhoMadeWho, Wild Child, Willow, Yaya Bey, Zack Fox, Zedd

Lightning in a Bottle taps REZZ, SOFI TUKKER & ZHU as headliners for ‘transformational’ festival’s 20th anniversary in 2023

January 17, 2023 by Josh Herwitt 2 Comments

Lightning in a Bottle //
Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area – Bakersfield, CA
May 24th-29th, 2023 //

Lightning in a Bottle, believe it or not, is turning 20 this year.

After 2022 marked its first installment in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic with Glass Animals, Kaytranada and GRiZ headlining, the “transformational” festival is back at it this Memorial Day weekend and ready to enter a third decade.

Sitting atop the poster for The Do LaB’s signature event will be three electronic heavyweights in REZZ, SOFI TUKKER and ZHU following its Phase 1 lineup announcement, but the undercard has more than enough dance-forward music to keep you moving and grooving into the early-morning hours, too.

20 years of lightning has led us to our most eclectic array of artists yet ⚡️ Get tickets: https://t.co/M9B6C9SvV1 pic.twitter.com/C0cPR3I9CB

— Lightning in a Bottle (@LIBfestival) January 17, 2023

Below the top line, some of the artists standing out at the Lightning Stage in 2023 include Phantogram, Tobe Nwigwe, 070 Shake, Caribou, DRAMA, Sampa the Great, MINDCHATTER, Uncle Waffles, Beats Antique and Ozomatli with Chali 2na & Cut Chemist. The Thunder Stage, meanwhile, has its own crop of acts worth highlighting here in Liquid Stranger, LSDREAM, TOKiMONSTA (DJ set), The Glitch Mob, LTJ Bukem with Armanni, MEUTE, Deathpact, The Polish Ambassador and The Floozies, yet so does the Woogie Stage with sets by Tale of Us, Diplo, Purple Disco Machine, Ben Böhmer, Stephan Bodzin (Live), Blond:ish, LP Giobbi, Giorgia Angiuli and more. Peep the poster above for the rest of the roster.

LIB has long been considered to be one of the country’s premier boutique festivals and a great way to cure any Coachella blues just one month later. Though there aren’t a lot of names — besides DRAMA — crossing over from the famed two-weekend, three-day extravaganza in the desert this April, both of them have previously shared the same electronic-leaning talent from RÜFÜS DU SOL, SG Lewis and Bob Moses to Four Tet, Bonobo and Tycho. Still, for as much as the music has been the main draw for fans over the last 10 years, promoting the ideals of sustainability, social cohesion, personal health and creative expression through art, yoga, workshops and speakers continues to play an essential part of the experience and The Do LaB’s overall mission since the very beginning.

GA and VIP tickets to LIB 2023 can be purchased here for $439 and $775, respectively, plus fees as well as car camping and parking passes. Group campsites in addition to admission for RVs and kids ages 1-17 will also be available, so feel free to bring the whole family to Buena Vista Lake for a long weekend of fun!

UPDATE (February 28th): The lineup for the Grand Artique stage has now been announced featuring performances by Band of Gringos, Bootleg Sunshine and more. You can find the rest of the scheduled acts in the poster above.

UPDATE (March 2nd): Two days after telling us which artists will play the Grand Artique stage, the festival has shared the roster for The Junkyard with Ali Khalili, Armando Kroma and Beau Sebastian leading the way. See who else will be there in the poster above.

UPDATE (March 7th): Feeling a little spiritual in 2023? LIB has revealed more of its Phase 2 lineup as LIGHTCODE by LSDREAM and Sunday Service with The Polish Ambassador lead the Compass Music stage with their ambient, chill vibes. Take a look at the poster above to familiarize yourself with the other artists on the bill.

UPDATE (March 9th): Hey, bass heads! The fest has dropped more music (like it’s hot) by delivering its roster for The Stacks that boasts The Gaslamp Killer and so much more, including special guests. Peek at the poster above for the full list of performers.

UPDATE (March 14th): With 10 weeks to go before LIB’s 20th anniversary, daily lineups have officially arrived. Scan the posters above for all of the acts taking the stage from Wednesday to Sunday.

UPDATE (May 16th): LIB has released its set times as the 2023 edition quickly approaches, and while there are certainly some conflicts to work through, at least they’re giving you more than a week’s notice, right? Also, the music goes until 4 a.m. on Friday-Sunday so don’t forget to pace yourself if you’ll be at Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area next weekend. See more details above.

UPDATE (May 19th): Heading to LIB next weekend? Make sure to check out the festival map above before you get there!

UPDATE (May 22nd): More maps for all of your camping needs! If you’re going to LIB this weekend, take a closer look above at the four camping areas: High Noon Camp, Sunrise Camp, Sunset Group Camp or Sunset Camp. Also, those of you staying in an RV will be placed in the Sunrise Camp.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Tale Of Us will be unable to perform at the LIB event. A lineup replacement has been arranged, and Lee Burridge will perform instead. pic.twitter.com/vU8lcnSR8Q

— Lightning in a Bottle (@LIBfestival) May 24, 2023

UPDATE (May 24th): Due to unforeseen circumstances, Berlin-based duo Tale of Us will not perform at LIB this weekend and will be replaced by British DJ Lee Burridge, who has been an LIB staple for years, on the Woogie Stage.

Dive back into our past coverage of LIB here.