You’ve secured your Outside Lands tickets, picked your festival outfits, planned your trip, and now it’s time to choose which performers in the ever-growing lineup you are going to see over the weekend. If you’re experiencing some decision fatigue, we’ve put together our selections from the busy three-day schedule to help you make the most of your time on the festival grounds at Golden Gate Park this weekend.
Friday, Aug. 5
You can kick off your weekend by getting lost in the synthy tunes of Bay Area artist SPELLLING (Sutro Stage, 12:05-12:50 p.m.), whose latest album “The Turning Wheel” deals with human unity and the pains and joys of existence. New Zealand indie pop band The Beths (Twin Peaks Stage, 12:45-1:30 p.m.) will begin their set as SPELLLING wraps up hers. Then, you can make your way to the main Lands End Stage to be entranced by Bay Area-raised genre-defying artist ODIE (1:30-2:20 p.m.), whose amalgamation of alternative rock, hip-hop, soul and Afrobeat is not to be missed. Up-and-coming star and designer Duckwrth (2:50-3:40 p.m.) will follow on that same stage, bringing to the Bay Area a taste of his dynamic, ’90s hip-hop-infused sound. You can take a break, try grabbing a bite or check out The Beths’ shorter, more intimate set at the Music Den before Duckwrth comes onstage. Indie pop singer-songwriter Ashe (Twin Peaks, 3:45-4:35 p.m.), whose breakout hit “Moral of the Story” has amassed a handsome 680 million streams on Spotify, will then take the stage, followed by the lovable one-man-band Dayglow (Twin Peaks, 5:20-6:10 p.m.), who elevates the bedroom pop genre to the next level.
The first evening of the festival presents us with some challenging decisions: Lil Uzi Vert (7-8 p.m.), who recently made headlines when they announced their new gender pronouns, and headlining R&B powerhouse SZA (8:45-9:55 p.m.), whose highly anticipated follow up to 2017’s “Ctrl” is due out this year, will perform on the Lands End Stage for a more contemporary hip-hop/R&B flare. On the Twin Peaks Stage, jazz and funk fusion band The Marías (6:55-7:45 p.m.) will hit the stage before alternative music sensation and critical darling Phoebe Bridgers (8:35-9:50 p.m.) sends you home crying. And on the Sutro Stage, electronic artists Purple Disco Machine (6:40-7:40 p.m.) and Disclosure (8:25-9:40 p.m.) will cap your night with a huge dance party. This is a tough call, but we would stick around the Lands End Stage to catch the headliner SZA on Friday.
Saturday, Aug. 6
We begin the second day of the festival with Salem Ilese (Panhandle Stage, 12:05-12:45 p.m.), a pandemic breakout artist from Mill Valley who is best known for her song “Mad at Disney” and co-writing TikTok phenom Bella Poarch’s hit single “Build a Bitch.” If that’s not your speed, The Linda Lindas will hit the Lands End Stage synchronously with their punk-pop riot grrrl energy. New York-bred six-member indie pop band MICHELLE (12:50-1:35 p.m.) will perform on the Twin Peaks Stage right after.
Mid-afternoon demands more grueling decisions, as English indie rock newcomer Sam Fender (2:20-3:10 p.m.) takes the stage at Lands End while soulful pop vocalist Zoe Wees (2:20-3:10 p.m.) performs on the Twin Peaks Stage. And when those sets are only halfway through, Grammy-winning pianist and recording artist Robert Glasper (2:50-3:40 p.m.) will arrive on the Sutro Stage to perform in his signature genre-bending style, marrying jazz and hip-hop with R&B and neo-soul elements. Splitting your time between Sam Fender and Robert Glasper seems manageable, giving you 40 minutes to enjoy each of their 50-minute sets.
Honduran American musician and producer Empress Of (4:10-5 p.m.) will follow Robert Glasper on the Sutro Stage. Her latest extended play “Save Me” is filled with danceable, introspective jams that showcase her vocal agility and emotiveness, so we have high hopes for this performance. Then catching multi-instrumentalist alternative artist Mac DeMarco (Lands End, 5:10-6:10 p.m.) seems like a no-brainer. When he wraps up, head to the Panhandle Stage for a set by R&B rising star thuy (6:20-7 p.m.), a Vietnamese American singer from the Bay Area whose latest project “i hope u see this” has amassed more than 60 million streams on Spotify.
We’re heading back to the Twin Peaks Stage to watch British-Japanese pop trailblazer Rina Sawayama’s set (7:05-8:05 p.m.), whose sophomore project “Hold the Girl” is due out in September. Sawayama’s eponymous debut album, released April 2020, made a splash in the alternative pop music sphere with its eclectic mix of sonic influences. She headlined two sold-out nights at the Warfield earlier this year, and if that show is any indication, you do not want to miss her set here. The East Bay’s own Green Day (Lands End, 8:25-9:55 p.m.) is headlining right after, but you might want to stick around the Twin Peaks Stage to end your day with Colombian R&B and neo-soul artist Kali Uchis (8:55-9:55 p.m.) perform. Her latest studio album “Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios)” features the global smash “telepatía,” which has garnered more than 1.8 billion streams since its release.
Sunday, Aug. 7
An impressive lineup on the last day of the festival is here to help you fight the Sunday scaries. Oakland-based old school funk and dance club trio Planet Booty (Lands End, 12-12:45 p.m.), who have just completed a monthlong residency at the Elbo Room in Oakland’s Jack London District, will boost your energy to start the day. Then R&B/soul newbie Unusual Demont (Panhandle, 1:15-1:50 p.m.) will take the stage with a set that will likely include songs from his acclaimed debut EP “HUES.” Head to the Twin Peaks stage to catch British-Chinese-Jamaican pop up-and-comer Griff (1:50-2:35 p.m.), who received the Brit Award for Rising Star in 2021 and was up for the Best New Artist trophy in 2022.
R&B singer-songwriter Amber Mark (2:30-3:15 p.m.), who put out her debut album “Three Dimensions Deep” in January, will perform at the Lands End Stage. It is one of the most ambitious records that came out this year, so we recommend you not to pass on the opportunity to see those songs come to life.
For the next hour or so, you can pick from hip-hop star Pusha T (Lands End, 3:45-4:35 p.m.), TikTok sensation Surf Mesa (Twin Peaks, 3:20-4:10 p.m.), British female rock duo Wet Leg (Sutro, 4-4:50 p.m.) and Russian feminist protest and punk performance art group Pussy Riot (Panhandle, 4:10-4:50 p.m.), who have recently raised $7 million to help Ukraine. We’d go with Wet Leg, whose self-titled debut record has been making waves since its release in April this year, but there’s no wrong choice here.
If you’re ahead of the curve, you’ve already heard about hyperpop phenomenon 100 gecs (4:55-5:45 p.m.), a duo consisting of Dylan Brady and Laura Les. You can check out what these avant-garde artists have to offer at the Twin Peaks stage. Kim Petras (Twin Peaks, 6:30-7:30 p.m.), a frequent collaborator of the hyperpop and PC music artists and the first openly trans woman to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards, will hit the stage after 100 gecs. Her major label debut album under Republic Records is yet to be announced, but she has released plenty of critically acclaimed music independently since 2017’s “I Don’t Want It at All.”
To wrap up your weekend, we recommend skipping Post Malone’s headlining set (Lands End, 8:20-9:35 p.m.) in favor of breakout hip-hop artist Baby Tate (Panhandle, 7:30-8:15 p.m.) and indie showstopper Mitski’s (Sutro, 8:10-9:20 p.m.) performances. There’s also going to be a “special hometown performance” from San Francisco-raised artist Illenium (8:20-9:35 p.m.) at the Twin Peaks Stage, if electronic dance music is more of what you’re looking for.
Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival takes place 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m.-9:40 p.m. Sunday in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. The main entrance is at the intersection of 30th Avenue and John F. Kennedy Drive. Tickets are $175-$1,995 for a single day and $409-4,699 for a three-day pass. A local shuttle is $24 per day or $60 for a three-day pass. For tickets, the map and more specific details about attending the festival, visit https://www.sfoutsidelands.com/ or download the Outside Lands app on your smartphone.