The Bay Area’s annual music festival, Outside Lands, drew in a total crowd of over 225,000 people to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park across three days. With a slew of over 110 artists from different genres, ranging from hip-hop to to indie-rock, music fans could find a stage meant for them. Celebrating the culture of the Bay, covering food, arts, music, and cannabis, Outside Lands’ 17th year continued to boost San Francisco’s local economy. However, similar to the event’s surroundings, the music festival’s expensive ticket, food, and merchandise prices reflected the high cost of living. In contrast to the hot, summer weather in other areas like the Midwest and the Southwest, the Bay enjoyed its usual moderate, foggy climate. So much so, Hozier stopped to comment on it: “Thank you for turning on this drizzle, by the way. It makes me feel very much at home.” Outside Lands continues to provide an important platform for local talent like Infinite Jess, festival familiars like Vampire Weekend, and all-star headliners such as Doechii, Doja Cat, and Tyler, The Creator.
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FRIDAY
What’s unique about Outside Lands at the Golden Gate Park is that it makes a perfect atmosphere for switching from a mosh pit to a relaxing open air park performance. Those who weren’t familiar with the cold night climate and the Bay’s infamous fog were left exposed to the wet, windy and cold elements. However, in a surprising turn of events, the sun peaked out in the early afternoon and dosed the Twin Peaks and Panhandle stages with a warm breeze.
On a neighboring stage, folk singer Mark Ambor kept spirits high with uplifting tunes and vocals. The New York native launched his first studio album in 2024 and has only seen upward traction and attention to his comforting lyricism and upbeat melodies. “I’m coming from a small town all the way in New York called Pleasantville. To be so far from home and to see all of your beautiful faces staring back at me means more to me than you’ll ever know. Thank you for being here, and I really mean that. I know tonight you might not have come to see me, but for the next forty or so minutes, your job is to enjoy yourself and it’s my job to help you do that,” said Ambor. “I’m going to put on the best f–king show I can for you. But before we get started, I got a question for you Outside Lands: Are you going to have some f–king fun with me or what?!” Acts in the early afternoon are in a rough spot as they’re well aware that the crowd is still trickling in, but Ambor’s sincerity and infectious smile made the crowd love him even more.
Just like other big music festivals, such as Lollapalooza and Coachella, fans have to make the tough decision to split their attention between great artists who unfortunately overlap. One of the biggest draws for the day had to be rapper Doechii as excitement swelled ahead of the singer’s upcoming Live from the Swamp Tour. The Land’s End area was filled to the brim, with hardly any open space to be seen in both the VIP and GA area. Even though other artists were criticized for relatively low production sets, the Florida-born native came out guns blazing with a classroom themed set design. As she started out hard with her bars in “STANKA POOH,” her team ensured the stream on Amazon Music would also be getting its own unique performance with a digitally rendered production that included onscreen title cards, filters and overlays, and animated lyrics. No expense was spared as both the in-person and online experiences were tailored to deliver an unforgettable, explosive set.
Friday closer Doja Cat stole the hearts of many as her confidence and prowess as a performer turned heads. Donning a zebra print outfit with free-flowing glam rock length blonde hair, Doja Cat commanded attention with “Woman” and the live debut of “Jealous Type” and “Boss Bitch.” Blending the glamour of Tina Turner, Doja blended elements of pop and rock together for her discography. The fans matched her superstar energy, with their screaming coming out loud and clear as feedback in the speakers and on stream. “Have you ever loved somebody? Me too! Have you ever felt jealous? Me too! I’m just glad that I can’t hurt him. This one’s for you.”
For those who wanted alternative programming and to be tucked gently into the Friday night, they found themselves right at home with Beck with Symphony at Sutro. Joined onstage with an orchestra, the experimental artist fit right in with the tone of the foggy atmosphere. “This is the first one of these we’ve done with the orchestra where it isn’t 95 degrees and 80% humidity,” commented Beck. Providing his rich vocals along with the strong tempo of “The New Pollution,” Beck delivered an unforgettable performance. “This is one we’ve only done a few times. It’s from a film called Scott Pilgrim. I turned down Shrek. It’s a great film and I think a lot of people don’t know that I wrote most of the songs for the movie. This is sort of the love theme ballad for it,” he shared before going into the first notes of “Ramona.” Many of the Scott Pilgrim film fans wanted to fit a compact version of the live set to take back home with them, but they’ll have to make due with being present in the moment.
SATURDAY
Of course, with San Francisco’s famous cannabis culture, many performers played into the crowd’s high and happy vibes. Ludacris, a veteran in having nothing but complete command on stage, engaging in call-and-response to keep their energy high. From his refrain in Fergie’s “Glamorous” to Justin Bieber’s “Baby,” the rapper showed off just how ubiquitous his voice and lyrics still are. Just to show his appreciation for the Bay’s famous cannabis culture, he threw in a remix of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
Once the thick fog rolls in, potentially dampening the mood of the crowd, bands have to quickly gauge the situation. A different personalized biome existed in Sutro and Lands End compared to Soma, Panhandle, and Twin Peaks, and UK-based singer Artemas knew exactly what to do. Known best for his moody, backroom synth beats and cheeky lyrics, his hit-after-hit setlist imprinted his infectious tracks on the minds of listeners. As a nod to his fans waiting eagerly to hear his viral hit, “I Like the Way You Kiss Me,” the English musician gave a rousing closing delivery of it before saying goodbye.
As the sky darkened, hundreds rushed to the Sutro stage for French DJ Gesaffelstein’s night ending set. Surrounded by black crystal formations and donning his usual pitch black mask and suit, the producer stood center stage as strobe lights blasted into the crowd. His intense, electrifying set sent shivers down the spines of even sober attendees. The eyecatching visuals and earworm mixes re-energized weary souls into hypnotized dancing bodies.
SUNDAY
Returning to Outside Lands for the second time since 2021, the English indie rock band Glass Animals took their spots on the Lands End main stage. Bringing back their signature psychedelic sound, rock star energy, and bold visuals, the group almost felt like Bay Area natives. “This gentleman right here was in the first show we ever did in America,” pointed lead singer Dave Bayley to a man at the barricade. “About 10 years ago, right? Very good to see you again. This is like a full circle moment.” The positive affirmation and support Glass Animals gave to their longtime fans felt heartwarming as the crowd appreciated their sincerity. Not all bands can hold and earn the respect of a festival crowd, but they certainly proved they could.
Arguably, Sunday night’s closers all had something different to offer and felt as if fans were stuck between a rock and a hard place. Especially as a genre omnivore, attendees were forced to run laps to capture and experience all the different closing sets. Rapper Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals brought a smorgasbord of high quality performances at the Twin Peaks’ stage. Providing the crowd with the blasting jazzy tune of “Mo Brown’s Trumpet Intro,” Anderson .Paak ensured fans were going home with a soul full of energy. “Bay Area! What the f–k is popping, I’m finally home baby,” yelled .Paak. “I never play around in the Bay cuz you guys show me so much love. So I came here for one reason: to give you the best show you’ve ever seen in your f–king life!” Joined by his supporting group, The Free Nationals, they reminded the packed, loud crowd that they came for a good time. It was simply impossible not to scream along with the band and yell back everything .Paak said twice as loud.
Making his return to the Outside Lands main stage after his last appearance at the festival in 2019, Hozier captivated the audience with his soulful notes and strong political messaging. Joined by a full stage of back up singers, instrumentalists, and performers, the Irish singer brought a tour level production to stage. Bringing the event to a close with his eternalized anthem, “Take Me to Church,” the singer sent weary souls back home. “Thank you so much Outside Lands,” said Hozier. Unfortunately, the ending fireworks were completely shrouded by fog, leaving only the thick smell of sulfur and smoke to envelope the crowd.
FINAL THOUGHTS
When it came to high octane energy, the headliners brought the fire. But a notable mention has to be given to the multiple complaints around crowd etiquette. In light of the Astroworld documentary, fans felt a heightened sense of awareness around the dangers of crowd crush and actively stayed farther back.
In addition, as the Bay Area is home to Silicon Valley, both performers and attendees had political messages they wanted to deliver using the festival’s platform. Philadelphia punk band, Mannequin Pussy, took the time to speak out against billionaires while acknowledging their set is streamed on Amazon’s platform. “Community is often the only people who come running to our aid when we need it,” said Marisa Dabice. “If you’re the type of person who doesn’t think politics belongs in entertainment, get f–ked.” Cheers erupted during her speech, as well as during bandmate’s Colins Regisford addition as well. “Y’all know what it is. Free Palestine, f–k the police, f–k ICE, and maybe one day we can free ourselves,” yelled Regisford. Anderson .Paak also had a “F–k ICE” pin on his beanie while Hozier acknowledged and extended his arm out to the Palestinian flag flown near the barricades of his set.
In the end, Outside Lands 2025 ended with a bang, making it another memorable slew of performances for the books.
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