THOUSANDS OF FANS packed into the Lands End stage at Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park on Saturday, eager to catch the performances of several big-name artists.
Vallejo-native rapper LaRussell exuded local pride with an energetic set under the afternoon blanket of summer fog. He sang a mix of tunes from his latest album and covers of Bay Area anthems like Too Short’s “Blow the Whistle.”
“I’m a Bay Area kid,” he said to the crowd in between songs. “I haven’t witnessed too many people be from here and make it on the stage.”
Dressed in a red jersey ensemble and a cow-print beanie with ears, LaRussell instilled a positive vibe through endless dancing and encouraging crowd participation. At one point, LaRussell walked into the crowd to party side-by-side with attendees, spreading infectious joy.
“I am so glad I stopped by his performance,” said Cole McLean, a San Francisco resident, in an interview. “It was so fun and positive and set a good tone for the day.”
LaRussell was followed by rapper Ludacris, who played throwback after throwback to the delight of thousands of attendees.
Ludacris, who rose to prominence in the 2000s, captivated the crowd with a long list of nostalgic tunes. In addition to his own songs like “Move Bitch” and “My Chick Bad,” attendees jumped with excitement to hear hit records that Ludacris is featured on such as “Baby” by Justin Bieber and “Yeah” by Usher.
For some, Ludacris’ set transported attendees back to the 2000s and felt unique among Outside Lands’ lineup of newer artists and mostly younger crowd.
“This will definitely be one of the highlights of this year for me,” said attendee Nicole Leong in an interview. “Me and my friends were dancing the whole time since it was all the music we grew up listening to.”
Headliner delivers
The night was concluded by headliner Tyler, The Creator, an alternative hip-hop artist whose set this weekend was eagerly anticipated after he canceled his scheduled appearance at last year’s Outside Lands.
Thousands of fans were packed in tightly up to the Lands End stage, with some decked out in his own merchandise that fans could buy from a separate booth at the festival selling only Tyler, The Creator items.
Tyler, The Creator ran out onto the stage with thousands of fans screaming with excitement. He opened his set the songs “Big Poe” and “Sugar on My Tongue” off his new album “Don’t Tap the Glass.”
Although he immediately complained about the cold temperatures, he was soon “dripping wet in sweat,” he said after a few songs of energetic dancing.
“This will definitely be one of the highlights of this year for me. Me and my friends were dancing the whole time since it was all the music we grew up listening to.” Nicole Leong, Outside Lands attendee
Tyler, The Creator entertained the crowd with a high energy performance that featured pyrotechnics, fireworks, and vibrant strobe lighting that reflected off the foggy mist covering Golden Gate Park.
He played a mix of new and older songs, including “Sticky,” “Earfquake,” “Who Dat Boy,” “See You Again,” and “New Magic Wand.” He also took the audience back to the past with the track “She” from his 2011 debut solo album “Goblin.”
The Lands End stage remained packed throughout the entire performance, which lasted over one hour. To finish out his electrifying performance, Tyler, The Creator gave a shoutout to San Francisco with a call-and-response tune he made on the spot.
“Where we at with it, S.F. Bitch!” he rapped. “Where we at with it, S.F. Bitch!” “Thank you all so much for having me,” he said as he departed the stage.