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I remember travelling to the very first year of Outside Lands festival in 2008. I still lived on the Central Coast, and I drove up with a friend to catch the Sunday slate. We wandered a bit, but camped out at the Twin Peaks stage most of the day, and I’ll never forget seeing Stars, Andrew Bird, Broken Social Scene, and Wilco in consecutive order.
On that closing Wilco set, we had linked up with another close friend who would go on to be my roommate down the line when I moved to San Francisco. The three of us, tucked into the front of the crowd, went through a range of elated states, singing along to “Hate It Here” at the top of our lungs, then later dropping our jaws when we witnessed Nels Cline playing the guitar solo to “Impossible Germany” for the first or second of the many times in our lives.
I drove back to Santa Barbara that night (file under: things you’d only think were reasonable when you’re in your 20s) and we kept ourselves awake listening to This American Life episodes and talking about “how awesome it’d be to live in San Francisco someday and have that festival in our backyard!” A year later, we did exactly that. And every year that my roommate and I went back to the festival, we made it feel more and more like it was a part of our identity as we reminisced on that first year and the foundation it laid for seeing so many other epic performances at Golden Gate Park. There are distinct memories and feelings from over the years that still live deep within me.
There was Beirut on Sutro Stage in 2011, when I finally felt like I was moving on from the biggest break-up of my life. There was Sigur Rós closing out Twin Peaks in 2012 as the fog hovered above the cypress trees, imbuing me with a feeling that San Francisco really is my home. There was being in the photo pit for Kendrick Lamar’s coming out party in 2015 at Twin Peaks, working alongside friends who are still colleagues in this wild music industry. And there was Janelle Monáe on the afternoon main stage in 2018, playing the greatest set I’ve ever seen at Outside Lands, making me happy that the industry I was making a career in wasn’t just a good ol’ boys club. This place was starting to look like the diverse city and world that I lived in, and I never looked back.
So yeah, every year that Outside Lands comes back to Golden Gate Park, the thrill of that first year and the life in music and in SF that we willed into existence is never lost on me. And I love coming across stories from other people who had a similar light go off in their head and their heart when they were amid the bliss of the festival experience at Outside Lands. Here’s a couple.
A Family Tradition
Sage Ressler was bored out of her mind, stuck in the rigmarole of trying to write college essays to get into a university. She tagged along with her Dad, Mark, on a business trip to San Francisco when he showed up after a Friday morning walk with a flyer that said “Outside Lands” that he pulled off a streetpost. The flyer was filled with artists that Sage loved.
“I had no idea what it was, and I was just like, ‘Let’s go!’” Sage recalls. “I’m pretty sure I got us tickets off of Craigslist,” Mark adds.
“We showed up to Golden Gate Park with no idea what to expect,” Sage remembers. “By the end of that Friday night, we were hooked. We bought tickets for the rest of the weekend and made a promise to come back together every year until we physically couldn’t.”
Indeed, Sage and Mark have come back to every single year of Outside Lands since. They cite Mumford & Sons’ headlining set in 2015 as the one that tipped the scales and relished in discovering acts like Fleet Foxes, Toro y Moi, and Balthvs in years since.
“I still remember watching Mumford & Sons that first night and turning to my Dad mid-set, sharing a look of total understanding that this was going to be a core memory for both of us,” Sage says. “Music was always something that I shared with my Dad. He’s the reason why I’m in the industry, and my favorite bands are my favorite bands. But Outside Lands was the first time I was able to experience live music with my Dad. It’s all become this shared passion that extends beyond a father and daughter relationship; he’s my favorite concert buddy.”
Since that first year, Sage (who now works in the music industry as Head of Synch for Ineffable Music Group) and Mark have documented their concert-ing escapades together on the @dadwhoconcerts Instagram account. It began as an ode to Outside Lands, but now features videos and photos from the slew of festivals they’ve attended together like Kilby Block Party, Pitchfork Festival, Afropunk, Governor’s Ball, ACL, etc.”
Outside Lands 2025 marks a ten-year anniversary for their momentous first father/daughter concert jaunt, and they’re looking forward to celebrating together.
“We’ve developed our rituals around it all, and it’s such a central part of our lives,” Sage says.
Mark agrees and smiles. “There’s no concrete under our feet out there,” he says. “And most of all, it’s unbeatable hang time with my daughter.”
All The Stars
David Silva was feeling completely lost after a terrible breakup. He wasn’t sleeping well, wasn’t smiling with the same vigor he’d always expressed, and was losing touch with himself. The breakup shook the foundation of who he thought he was; we’ve all been there one way or another.
“You know that feeling when everything familiar suddenly feels like it doesn’t fit anymore? That was me,” David says. “I didn’t recognize my own energy. I was drained, kind of numb, and unsure how to start over.”
Looking for any kind of distraction, he went to Outside Lands 2022. He didn’t expect it to change him, but there was a powerful energy that he felt when he set foot in Golden Gate Park. And as he made his way through its meadows and fields, he slowly started to find his way back to himself. Then, during a certain set, all of the elements that were missing seemed to coalesce for David and stitch his sense of self back together.
“One of the most unforgettable moments was seeing SZA perform,” he recalls. “The sun had set, the sky was that deep dreamy blue, and suddenly it was just me, my people, and a crowd of strangers, all swaying, singing, crying, healing together. It was that kind of moment where time melts, and nothing exists but presence and peace. I remember looking around and thinking, ‘This is it. This is the joy I forgot I deserved.’”
David’s recollection speaks to the power of being in a community of like-minded people experiencing something together. It’s this ethos that, in 17 years, Outside Lands has slowly built up. And in this glorious playground to listen, frolic, and feel, it sometimes can seem like the most powerful place in the world; a place that no matter who you are, it was built for you.
“That weekend reminded me that healing doesn’t always look like solitude and silence,” David says. “Sometimes it looks like dancing in the grass with glitter on your cheeks, singing your heart out under the stars.”
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