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In May 2015, the “Like This” rapper Chinx was tragically killed in his hometown of Queens, New York. Nearly three years following his death, local authorities formally made two arrests in the matter. Now, an official sentence has been handed out.

Yesterday (August 12), Fox 5 reported, that one man received a 23-year sentence in connection with the murder of Chinx (real name Lionel Pickens).

The alleged killer, Quincy Homere, will serve out the next two decades in a New York State prison after pledging guilty to the charges posed against him.

While addressing the court, Pickens’ widow, Janelli Caceres, relived the tragic moment. “I was told I had two minutes to say goodbye, holding his mother’s hand, watching his lifeless body praying and crying for him to wake up,” she said. “A mother has to bury her son. At the age of 28 I had become a widow. My children, who were 15, 11 and 4, are now without a dad.”

Following Chinx’s death, his past collaborators and friends Max B and French Montana expressed their condolences.

The Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz also shared a statement regarding Homere’s sentencing. Read Katz’ remarks below.

Quincy Homere was sentenced today to 23 years in prison for killing Lionel Pickens Jr., a successful rapper, husband and father who was mercilessly gunned down in 2015. Homere fired numerous rounds into Pickens’ car while he was stopped at a red light in Briarwood and then fled, leaving the young man for dead. Nothing can undo what happened, but I hope today’s sentence brings some solace to Pickens’ loved ones as they continue to grieve.

Sadly, the case is far from over. Homere’s co-defendant Jamar Hill hasn’t stood trial just yet, as he is currently incarcerated for an unrelated charge.

Women’s boxing at the Olympics does not typically end up on the front page of the news, but this year saw Algerian boxer Imane Kelif become a leading topic after she became the target of transphobic hate messages and intense online discourse after Italian boxer Angela Carini quite less than a minute into their quarterfinal fight after taking a Khelif punch to the face.

Khelif, despite being born female and identifying as female, became a trending topic as misinformation spread across social media over accusations she was a trans athlete — despite competing for Algeria, which has extremely stringent laws against the LGBTQ+ community. Many prominent voices joined in commenting on Khelif’s presence in the Olympics on social media, including the likes of J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk, who pushed and amplified the (false) uproar over Khelif’s sexual identity.

After Khelif won the gold medal at 66kg in Paris, she went on to file a cyberbullying lawsuit in France, which Variety confirmed includes Rowling and Musk as part of the complaint filed against individuals that posted hateful messages and spread misinformation on X.

The lawsuit was filed against X, which under French law means that it was filed against unknown persons. That “ensure[s] that the ‘prosecution has all the latitude to be able to investigate against all people,” including those who may have written hateful messages under pseudonyms, said Boudi. The complaint nevertheless mentions famously controversial figures.

“J. K. Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others,” he said, adding that Donald Trump would be part of the investigation. “Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution.”

The complaint was sent to France’s national center for combating online hate. It’s not immediately clear what leverage the French prosecutor’s office would have against people living in outside of France, although Khelif’s lawyer states the French can request legal assistance from other countries. If this should make it to court, it would figure to be a landmark case regarding hate speech on social media.

The 2024 Paris Olympics are officially over. Still, the worldwide celebration is far from done. But there’s one last minute decision that has dampened those Olympic parties—Jordan Chiles’ bronze medal stripping.

But thanks to Flavor Flav, Chiles has something special to add to her jewelry collection. Yesterday (August 12), the hip-hop legend made good on his promise to replace the medal she was stripped of with a bronze necklace in hopes to cheer her up. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Flavor Flav confirmed that Chiles’ iced out bronze clock necklace was now a permanent fixture for Chiles’ possession only.

“USA gonna Fight the Powers that be,” he wrote. “In the meantime between time, imma always a man of my word, Jordan Chiles.”

Users online quickly began to praise Flavor Flav over his swift actions. Others pointed out that this wasn’t the first time Flavor Flav stepped in to show his support for a Team USA Olympian.

Back on August 1, thrower Veronica Fraley expressed how her financial strain was impacting her mental health ahead of the games. After Flavor Flav caught wind of it, he offered and then paid for Fraley’s rent.

Flavor Flav will go down in hip-hop history as one of the greatest hype man ever. But is a cheerleader for many other causes.

Five nights. Four days. Three stages. A whole lot of house music.

Last weekend, Defected Records brought a lineup of world-class DJs, producers, and performers to celebrate its eighth edition of the international destination house music festival, Defected Croatia. This festival has always been one of our favorite destination festivals to highlight because each year all the coolest kids flock here for a mid-summer throwdown.

Set upon Tisno’s breathtaking Adriatic coast, Defected Croatia gathered a global set of 5,000 house heads into an inclusive atmosphere to shimmy through the salty air among dance music greats and the scene’s most-loved pioneers. Over 80 artists from the likes of DJ Holographic, Hannah Wants, Honey Dijon, Le Chev, LP Giobbi, Natasha Diggs, Purple Disco Machine, Sam Divine, SG Lewis, Todd Edwards, and more soundtracked this year’s festival across three stages that hosted sweltering parties during the day and lit up throughout the evening.

The daily boat parties combined with its wellness programming of yoga classes and mindfulness sessions places this festival in a league of its own, showing that while the United States’ festival scene is alive and well, it’s these curated events in Europe that should really be on your radar.

But it’s not just the festival or its programming that makes it a world-class event. Defected Croatia is a yearly gathering that celebrates Defected Records’ ethos: “In Our House, We Are All Equal.” Defected Croatia’s dance floor was a place where people came together to exist in the moment. That’s the true power of these events.

Scroll down to view a photo gallery of this year’s Defected Croatia and secure your 2025 tickets here.

The titular podcast of Only Murders In The Building turns into a misnomer in the trailer for the popular whodunit’s upcoming fourth season, but even without the building, its stars Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short still display their crackling chemistry.

This time, however, they’re headed to Hollywood, where a movie studio has designs on turning their grassroots murder show into a full-blown film production. As with past seasons, the trailer promises season four will be packed with guest stars galore — but this time, there’s a twist. Eva Longoria, Eugene Levy, and Zach Galifianakis are playing themselves playing our intrepid trio, giving Gomez plenty of call for incredulous glances and Short and Martin a ton of opportunities to play out-of-touch (Short mistaking Galifianakis for Macaulay Culkin left me gasping for air).

Of course, those of us who caught the end of season three knew that the crew would eventually have to discover the latest murder victim, and this time, they’ve got their celebrity shadows in tow as they work to solve the mystery of the latest murder at the Arconia. While the trailer doesn’t quite give us any musical moments, we can only hope that the season 4 soundtrack gives us another cast member flexing their vocal chops, a la Meryl Streep’s “Look For The Light” or Steve Martin’s “Angel In Flip-Flops.” Perhaps this time, we can get the most musical cast member’s contribution as a treat, since she’s suppposedly quitting music soon?

You can watch the trailer for season 4 of Only Murders In The Building up top.

Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts Tour is rolling into LA tonight. When’s the best time to get to the Forum to make sure you don’t miss a moment? Honestly, if you’re not there already, you’re late. Just kidding, but getting there early wouldn’t be a bad idea… right? (Hint, hint, wink, wink.)

Fortunately, if you’re reading this anytime before 8 PM, you’re in luck; according to fans who attended the kickoff show in Palm Desert in February, Rodrigo doesn’t hit the stage until about 8:30 PM, at which point, she launches into a 90-minute set, finishing up right around 10 PM.

However, considering the traffic and parking situation around the iconic venue, you should probably be planning to get there a little earlier to find parking, hit concessions, grab refreshments, and use the restroom (one of the most overlooked parts of concert preparedness; nothing worse than having to run out to avoid a bursting bladder, only to return and find out you missed the best part).

Our longtime concert vets recommend giving all this at least an extra hour, but the Forum parking can take up to twenty minutes by itself, so if you’re pulling in around 7 PM, you’re in a good space. After that, you’re rolling the dice, buddy. Now, THAT takes guts.

The first popular tracksuit took off in 1967 and it started a fashion revolution. Athleticwear had always been a thing, but the tracksuit presented something new — a way for people to seamlessly transition between relaxation and exercise. Stylish enough to wear outdoors, and comfortable enough to wear at home, the tracksuit invented the concept of athleisure. And over the next 50 years, athleisure went from a sporty niche sub-culture to the look of the golden age of hip-hop, influencing streetwear in the process until the late 2010s and early 2020s, when it became the dominant fashion trend.

There is no doubt that when it comes to modern fashion, comfort is king, and athleisure is such a powerful trend that even if you don’t self-identify with the fashion movement, you undoubtedly own a number of athleisure pieces in your wardrobe. While athleisure has come in all sorts of different fits and silhouettes throughout its 50+ year history, when the style became a household name in the 2010s it had a clearly defined look — tight, form-fitting, and flattering.

But an interesting trend started bubbling up across fashion in recent years as styles became more relaxed, roomier, and more obscuring for the first time since the ‘90s. Right now, the dominant look in modern fashion, streetwear or otherwise, is baggy. So what is athleisure, a fashion movement known for its sleek silhouettes to do? Simple, the answer is to go baggy, and Under Armour’s Unstoppable Collection is leading the way.

The Unstoppable Collection is an extensive set of athleisure staples with a few pieces that lean comfortably into the baggy aesthetic. We’re here to highlight the best pieces and why you need to pick them up to level up your wardrobe.

Women’s UA Unstoppable Fleece Wide Leg Pants

Price: $100

The UA Unstoppable Fleece Wide Leg Pants feel like a future classic. Made from smooth premium double-knit fleece, these pants pack all the tech-focused functionality you expect from modern athleisure, like moisture-wicking quick dry material, and stretch fabric, but it’s presented in a loose full cut that looks wonderfully modern.

Dropping in a classic white or black material, these fleece pants look simultaneously comfortable and stylish enough that if they popped up in a futuristic music video, we wouldn’t bat an eye.

Pick up a pair of UA Unstoppable Fleece Wide Leg Pants here.

Men’s UA Unstoppable Vent Cargo Pants

Price: $120

Sleek, tech-focused, and stylish, UA’s Unstoppable Vent Cargo Pants attack two burgeoning trends at once: baggy fits, and the resurgence of cargo pants.

What I love about the Vent Cargo Pants is that instead of those bulky pockets typical of the style, the Vent’s side pockets are a bit more obscured, blending seamlessly into the design giving the pants a sleek look, while still providing the convenience of cargo pants.

The pants are breathable, made from durable stretch-woven fabric, and feature bungee-equipped adjustment at the hem for a more versatile and customizable look.

Pick up a pair of UA Unstoppable Vent Cargo Pants here.

Women’s UA Unstoppable Oversized Hooded Jacket

Price: $120

No baggie look is complete without a good hoodie, and UA’s Oversized Hooded Jacket is one of our current favs. Like everything from the Unstoppable Collection, this hoodie is designed to be, well, unstoppable, thanks to its water-repelling element-defying fabric.

That fabric ensures that the hoodie is durable, and designed to hold up to everyday abuse and wear and tear while being light, functional, and above all else, comfortable. Getting deep into the details, the hoodie has a drop hem shoulder and an extended body length, which helps to make its oversized fit look intentional rather than like you’re just wearing something that doesn’t fit right.

The jacket is available in three different colorways, but the standout to us is the Tetra Gray, which has a sort of light lavender vibe about it that makes it the collection’s stand-out piece.

Pick up the UA Unstoppable Oversized Hooded Jacket here.

The Emirates NBA Cup (formerly the In-Season Tournament) will be returning for its second year starting in November, as the league’s effort to give some regular season games a bit extra juice will begin group play on November 12 and end on December 3, with the quarterfinals on December 10-11, semifinals on December 14, and championship on December 17 (with the last two rounds being in Las Vegas).

Last year, the In-Season Tournament provided us with some good fun, with the Lakers beating the Pacers in the inaugural championship game, resulting in the Lakers hanging the first NBA Cup banner — to the dismay of some. On Tuesday, the league announced who will make up the six groups of five teams and when they’ll play their Cup games, as we continue to get details about the schedule ahead of the full release, likely later this week.

EAST A: Knicks, Magic, Sixers, Nets, Hornets

East A features three playoff teams from a year ago, as the Knicks and Sixers will be the favorites, while the Magic figure to be a contender as well. The Nets, now actively tanking, shouldn’t be a factor and the Hornets will be underdogs in every game but against Brooklyn.

Knicks: at Sixers (11/12), vs. Nets (11/15), at Hornets (11/29), vs. Magic (12/3)

Magic: vs. Hornets (11/12), vs. Sixers (11/15), at Nets (11/29), at Knicks (12/3)

Sixers: vs. Knicks (11/12), at Magic (11/15), vs. Nets (11/22), at Hornets (12/3)

Nets: at Knicks (11/12), vs. Hornets (11/19), at Sixers (11/22), vs. Magic (12/3)

Hornets: at Magic (11/12), at Nets (11/19), vs. Knicks (11/29), vs. Sixers (12/3)

EAST B: Bucks, Pacers, Heat, Raptors, Pistons

East B also features a trio of playoff teams, as the Bucks, Heat, and surprise conference finalist Pacers figure to be the top contenders in this group. Toronto and Detroit will be longshots in this group, but both teams are hoping to take some strides this season led by young cores, and we’ll see if they can make a little noise in this group.

Bucks: vs. Raptors (11/12), vs. Pacers (11/22), at Heat (11/26), at Pistons (12/3)

Pacers: vs. Heat (11/15), at Bucks (11/22), vs. Pistons (11/29), at Raptors (12/3)

Heat: at Pistons (11/12), at Pacers (11/15), Bucks (11/26), vs. Raptors (11/29)

Raptors: at Bucks (11/12), vs. Pistons (11/15), at Heat (11/29), vs. Pacers (12/3)

Pistons: vs. Heat (11/12), at Raptors (11/15), at Pacers (11/29), vs. Bucks (12/3)

EAST C: Celtics, Cavs, Bulls, Hawks, Wizards

The defending NBA champion Celtics will be heavy favorites in this group, with the Cavs as the clear top contender to them. The Bulls and Hawks met in the Play-In a year ago, while the Wizards are still figuring things out in their rebuild.

Celtics: vs. Hawks (11/12), vs. Cavs (11/19), at Wizards (11/22), at Bulls (11/29)

Cavs: vs. Bulls (11/15), at Celtics (11/19), at Hawks (11/29), vs. Wizards (12/3)

Bulls: at Cavs (11/15), vs. Hawks (11/22), at Wizards (11/26), vs. Celtics (11/29)

Hawks: at Celtics (11/12), vs. Wizards (11/15), at Bulls (11/22), vs. Cavs (11/29)

Wizards: at Hawks (11/15), vs. Celtics (11/22), vs. Bulls (11/29), at Cavs (12/3)

WEST A: Timberwolves, Clippers, Kings, Rockets, Blazers

Just about all of the West groups are tough, but the A group is the one that features a clear favorite. The Timberwolves, fresh off a conference finals appearance, should be a good bit better than the other four teams, but in a four-game round-robin, anything can happen. The Clippers will be dealing with life post-Paul George, while the Kings are hoping to get back in the playoff mix and the Rockets have an eye on actually crashing the Play-In party this year. The Blazers, meanwhile, are one of two teams in the West (along with Utah) clearly vying for the best odds to land the No. 1 pick.

Timberwolves: at Blazers (11/12), at Kings (11/15), vs. Rockets (11/26), vs. Clippers (11/29)

Clippers: at Rockets (11/15), vs. Kings (11/22), at Wolves (11/29), vs. Blazers (12/3)

Kings: vs. Wolves (11/15), at Clippers (11/22), at Blazers (11/29), vs. Rockets (12/3)

Rockets: vs. Clippers (11/15), vs. Blazers (11/22), at Wolves (11/26), at Kings (12/3)

Blazers: vs. Wolves (11/12), at Rockets (11/22), vs. Kings (11/29), at Clippers (12/3)

WEST B: Thunder, Suns, Lakers, Jazz, Spurs

West B is a fascinating group. Oklahoma City is the favorite after earning the West’s top seed a year ago and bolstering their roster with two big additions this summer. That said, we saw last year that LeBron James and the Lakers do take this seriously and the Suns might be looking to make a bit of a statement (if they can) that this season will be different. Beyond that, Victor Wembanyama always brings intrigue, and the Jazz will be the big underdog in this group.

Thunder: vs. Suns (11/15), at Spurs (11/19), at Lakers (11/29), vs. Jazz (12/3)

Suns: at Jazz (11/12), at Thunder (11/15), vs. Lakers (11/26), vs. Spurs (12/3)

Lakers: at Spurs (11/15), vs. Jazz (11/19), at Suns (11/26), vs. Thunder (11/29)

Jazz: vs. Suns (11/12), at Lakers (11/19), vs. Spurs (11/26), at Thunder (12/3)

Spurs: vs. Lakers (11/15), vs. Thunder (11/19), at Jazz (11/26), at Suns (12/3)

WEST C: Nuggets, Mavs, Pelicans, Warriors, Grizzlies

The Group of Death title belongs to West C, which was always going to be the case for whatever group landed the Grizzlies. Memphis was awful last year due to an insane run of injuries, but when healthy they were a top-4 team in the West for two straight years. Add in the defending West champs in Dallas, the NBA champs from two years ago in Denver, a Pelicans team that thinks they’ve upgraded their roster, and it may be the Warriors (who have Steph Curry) who are the underdogs in this group.

Nuggets: at Pelicans (11/15), at Grizzlies (11/19), vs. Mavs (11/22), vs. Warriors (12/3)

Mavs: at Warriors (11/12), vs. Pelicans (11/19), at Nuggets (11/22), vs. Grizzlies (12/3)

Pelicans: vs. Nuggets (11/15), at Mavs (11/19), vs. Warriors (11/22), at Grizzlies (11/29)

Warriors: vs. Mavs (11/12), vs. Grizzlies (11/15), at Pelicans (11/22), at Nuggets (12/3)

Grizzlies: at Warriors (11/15), vs. Nuggets (11/19), vs. Pelicans (11/29), at Mavs (12/3)

Gunna continues to promote his new album, One Of Wun, showing that there’s always work to be done to keep the momentum of a project moving. Two weeks ago, he released the video for the title track, and today, he follows up with the video for “Today I Did Good,” showing off all the hard work it takes to stay on top of his game.

The video follows a day in Gunna’s life, seen from his perspective (complete with a blinking eye effect!) as he breakfasts at a hotel in Rome, takes in a fashion show, boards a plane to Johannesburg in South Africa to shoot a video with Tyla, heads to London, then pulls up to Ohio State University to perform the first show of his Bittersweet Tour, and finally heads to Los Angeles for a photoshoot. And yes, all this is done in the space of a day, once you account for time zones. When exactly he sleeps remains a mystery, and honestly, I hope he’s scheduling enough downtime to ensure that getting enough rest.

Watch Gunna’s “Today I Did Good” video above.

One Of Wun is out now via Young Stoner Life Records / 300 Entertainment. You can find more info here.

Too often these days, judgment of a music festival’s merits is reduced to the “who’s on the lineup?” question. It feels trivial, now, in our second decade of a peak music festival landscape showing few signs of slowing down, that we don’t consider everything else to be equally as important as the lineup. It’s in that “everything else” department that San Francisco’s Outside Lands has edged past other festivals over time, and demands more attention than a lineup that many thought wasn’t among the strongest in its 16 years when first announced.

The prevalent narratives about Outside Lands 2024 will understandably center on Chappell Roan drawing yet another gargantuan crowd, Grace Jones putting on an unimaginable performance masterclass, Kacey Musgraves joining fill-in headliner Sabrina Carpenter on stage, and Sturgill Simpson’s first live performance in three years. But it also absolutely also needs to be that Outside Lands 2024 was the most well-produced version of the Golden Gate Park megafest yet.

Let’s be honest, if you’re dropping around $500 for 3-day GA passes (double that for VIP) you could reasonably expect a music festival to provide a bit more than just the bare essentials. Unfortunately, the bar is set so low for festivals that if a large-scale production can make it through the weekend without anyone complaining about bathrooms, food lines, crappy cell service, or a headliner dropping out, it’s probably a good enough effort.

Outside Lands took everything a step further for the benefit of attendees this year. There were once again more bathrooms, and I seldom found myself waiting longer than a minute or two to use one; even the handwashing stations were always filled with water, soap, and paper towels at all hours of the weekend. And texting was smooth throughout, making meeting up with friends an actual possibility in every scenario.

This was the first year where I felt like the long food lines didn’t stand in the way of being able to sample all of Outside Lands’ extremely well-curated collection of 101 Bay Area food vendors from a bevy of cultural backgrounds. Hot and juicy quesabirria tacos, the most elite selection of hot dogs and corn dogs I’ve seen outside of a Korean night market, lobster tots and tacos, dumplings from countries I didn’t know much about until this weekend, and a new program designed to allow for people to try smaller versions of items so that they can engage with more of the food stands. This was awesome.

What was new to the 2024 version of Outside Lands legitimately added to the experience and didn’t feel like a frivolous sponsorship cash grab. The Latinx-music focused Casa Bacardi looked delightfully like Scarface’s Cuban getaway house, and it was thumping and vibrant all weekend long. DJ’s perched on a balcony played reggaeton and electrocumbia to a two-level crowd. You could stop and dance, or casually chill and walk through the ornately styled lower bar level. It felt like a really successful case study for organizers who could very well expand the Latinx music offerings next year.

Adjacent to Casa Bacardi was the Cocktail Magic area where six different bars were slinging craft espresso martinis and old fashioneds for anyone to purchase, regardless of ticket tier. Beer Lands was once again an excellent representation of the Bay Area craft beer scene, while a scaled-down Wine Lands area still featured Sonoma pinots and natural wines from 30+ wineries in a more intimate and approachable space than in year’s past — elevated amenities you should have at your disposal at a $200/day festival ticket, but don’t get everywhere.

Now in its second year, Dolores’ is a queer-focused indoor/outdoor dance club at the far end of the Polo Field opposite the main stage. Spirits were crazy high all weekend with drag shows, queer DJs, and even ‘90s disco diva Crystal Waters delivering a downright tour de force to what couldn’t have been more than 1,500 people on Sunday night. Outside Lands partners with local queer entertainment curators and it really comes across like an accurate representation of queer culture in the region. “I used to sneak into this festival and now I’m on stage here!” drag queen Nicki Jizz said to a roaring crowd, driving the point home of the inclusivity and diversity that took years for Outside Lands to achieve.

Dedicated to electronic music in all forms, the SOMA area was redesigned this year to be entirely outdoors and, more importantly, to expand capacity three-fold. Gone were structural and ingress issues, and gone was the dark, seedy rave den of the past. I managed to stop here once each day and it was buzzing with the under-21 crowd who found themselves in an accessible alternative space.

A walk from one stage to the other came with welcome stops along the way. In the eucalyptus groves of McLaren Pass, a wedding venue dubbed City Hall hosted three ceremonies a day. Some friends and I sat in on a wedding on Friday afternoon, with thousands of bubbles floating past a bride and groom who fostered their love for each other at Outside Lands ten years ago. We toasted the pair and left with full hearts, ready to embrace the rest of the festival around us.

It’s these walks through the winding paths of Golden Gate Park that filled me with joy the most. When the sun’s rays found their way into open fields, through trees and onto hillside crowds, it was the single biggest elevator of the festival that finds itself at the mercy of San Francisco’s testy weather systems; truly the most authentic part of the city. Midway through Saturday afternoon, the sun was in full force and the festival was humming. Every single stage I made my way past, from Romy’s arresting and vulnerable vocals at Sutro stage to the loud and proud bounce at Dolores’. It didn’t even matter who was playing on the main stage, because there was SO MUCH to see and do everywhere.

There was Flower Lands, where you can craft an arrangement or simply stop and smell different flowers in the “aroma lounge,” or The Mission, where nonprofits focused on voting and sustainability tabled all weekend. Heck, even activations like the Chase Sapphire Lounge rest stop and interactive bars from Gray Whale Gin and Sierra Nevada — all long-time presences at the festival — felt like they seamlessly belonged to the experience because they’ve grown with it.

Make no mistake about it, there were also a number of defining performances. The aforementioned Chappell Roan and Grace Jones drew the most elated main-stage crowds of the weekend. If there was a set you had to be at, it was those two, with Jones’ unabashed creativity towering (literally and figuratively) higher than everything all weekend. Shaboozey held nothing back on Friday afternoon with a raucous industry-heavy VIP area looking damn near as full as the much bigger GA crowd. Real Estate shined with charisma in an early time slot and Schoolboy Q understood the assignment, delivering emphatically for one of the biggest crowds of the weekend. Meanwhile, Billy Woods’ avant-garde flow, local rockers French Cassettes, and next-big-thing Medium Build marked the intimate Panhandle Stage.

There were also some flops, like Daniel Caesar’s lukewarm and detached Friday nighter. Later, Brandon Flowers introduced The Killers calling themselves “a great rock band!” which felt achingly desperate. They closed with a tired rendition of “Mr. Brightside,” which was eclipsed by a passionate sing-a-long in the exit tunnel from attendees as the band clinged to their classic in the background. Jungle sounded generic in an early evening show, settling for videos of vocalists who weren’t on stage with them — including Channel Tres, who was at the festival. Unless you’re Gorillaz, that shtick is never gonna land and Outside Lands is just really at its best when it isn’t so algorithmically charged. For as well-received as Sabrina Carpenter’s performance was, I couldn’t help but think how much stronger originally-scheduled headliner Tyler, The Creator (before he dropped out) would’ve been following Grace Jones; a 1-2 punch of Black excellence for a festival that seemed focused on maintaining that throughline.

If Post Malone’s country set wasn’t your cup of tea, Sacramento native Victoria Monét was putting on a highly theatrical R&B display across the fest; shrewd counter-programming. Sturgill Simpson’s pure outlaw country with a newfound emotional edge was dynamite, but definitely a soft-landing for a smaller main stage crowd to close out the fest. Adrenaline was still pumping through my veins on the fest’s final night, as I drifted away from Simpson for one final long walk across the festival grounds to see the last hour of Kaytranada’s set at the second biggest stage, Twin Peaks. Kaytra achieved what some SOMA DJs couldn’t, and told a story with intention through a wizardly-mixed set of his original songs. Hearing Gal Costa’s vocal sample on “Lite Spots,” at the same stage where I’d heard him play it at the fest seven years earlier to a crowd a fraction of this size, was beautiful — both a subtle homage to the Brazilian singer who died in 2022 and a hat tip to his history here. His was a beaming, brilliant display all around.

At the wedding I attended on Friday, the officiant explained that the couple chose to get married at Outside Lands because of the “shared values and imaginations here” and how “the intangible magic of it all is so attractive to them.” Finding that zone can take time and the best way to do it at Outside Lands? Wander. Plan less and allow room for discovery in this infinite slate of choices of what to see, do, hear, eat, and drink. Because more than any other shiny name on the lineup, it’s what surrounds the main stages that makes this festival experience a genuinely spectacular one.