Jack Johnson capped the inaugural three-day Outside Lands Music Festival with a light, breezy, guest-filled set, a gentle finale to a flurry of genres, festival goers and music.
While Johnson has his appeal, we were far from packt like sardines in a crushd tin box like we were Friday for Radiohead. He treated fans to a midset take on his 2002 hit, "Flake," complete with ALO's Dan Lebowitz on slide guitar. Later, J-Deuce took the first single from hit latest album, Sleep Through the Static, into a brief rendition of "Time is on My Side."
Though a band backed him during the main set, Johnson worked (mostly) alone in the encore, firing an opening volley of "All at Once." Zach Rogue from Oakland outfit Rogue Wave took up lead vox and guitar on a duet of Cat Stevens' "Where Do the Children Play?" Closing the festival was his own "Better Together," a parting sentiment that was touching, but bittersweet after three great days of music.
The Twin Peaks Stage in Speedway Meadows was the hot spot Sunday, as Andrew Bird and Wilco dished out delicious sets. Wilco overran its allotted time by 10 minutes to crank out a few more to the throng of thousands packing the narrow meadow. "This is San Francisco, home of the greatest concertgoers on the planet, so even if you don't like Wilco, you can keep time like a beast," joked Wilco lead singer Jeff Tweedy during an effort to get the audience to clap along to the epic "Spiders (Kidsmoke)." While "Spiders" was a highlight, the showstopper was "Impossible Germany," on which Nels Cline unleashed a beaut' of a solo.
Back on the main stage, finishing up as Wilco started, was the mesmerizing Rodrigo y Gabriela, an acoustic guitar duo from Mexico City by way of Dublin, Ireland. Tantalizing, complex, dexterous and simply mindboggling, the pair played off of each other, moving relentlessly through the first 20 minutes of its set. It was as though they were still trying to rope in listeners while busking on Dublin streets. When they finally paused, it was Gabriela, in broken English, who said they were happy to be there. It wouldn't matter if she had diction to put Paul Harvey to shame — these two can flat-out play. Minutes before, she turned the guitar into a drum, smacking and attacking the base of the instrument with her knuckles and nails as Rodrigo soloed. There was a take on Metallica's "Orion" in there, as well as a quick tease of Metallica's latest single, "The Day That Never Comes," which was issued to radio stations on Friday. Original material or covers, it all had Rod and Gab's distinct metal flamenco guitar virtuoso flavor.
I left Broken Social Scene early to ensure I caught as much Rod & Gab as I could. The Canadian outfit — which has 19 members — was good enough, but struggled to find a foothold. When you get more than seven or eight people on a stage, it becomes a numbers game about fighting for a piece of the listening space. Talent can't be denied, and "Fire-Eyed Boy" sounded fine enough, but BSS left me wanting more.
I only caught a few minutes of The Cool Kids, a hip hop duo from the Midwest, on the nearby Panhandle Stage (which I'm told ran on solar energy). The pair sounded fine and pulled some familiar rap tricks out of the bag — "When I say, 'Cool,' you say, 'Kids,'" — although MC Chuck Inglish set the tone for a playful set by announcing immediately upon hitting the stage that he and his out-of-view manager did not plan to wear the exact same shirt.
The Cool Kids also had the misfortune of following Andrew Bird in Speedway Meadow, who was one of the finer moments of the festival. Though his stage gimmicks — looping violins and a pair of phonograph speakers on a lazy susan — precede his reputation as a live act, he left no doubt he's a bonafide monster. The songs were crisp, dense and inspired, a lethal combination that's tough to top. With the multi-talented Bird leading the charge, no frontier seemed unconquerable.
The aforementioned Nels Cline was spotted in the crowd for Bon Iver, another welcome Outside Lands surprise. Though their debut, For Emma, Forever Ago, is one of the finest albums of 2008 so far, the group's ability to render the lilting falsettos and show increased dynamic range in the live setting deserves applause. Vocalist and songwriter Justin Vernon led the crowd in a singalong to "The Wolves (Act I and II)," reaching deep for the closing screams of agony over "what might've been lost." The band also turned loose a new song, "Blood Bank," which features Vernon on organ and relies on a driving beat. Because Vernon is so associated with Bon Iver, it was noteworthy that no one in the group stood at center stage, with the band's four members sitting in a horseshoe around its perimeters.
The Bay Area's The Mother Hips showed why they're such a well-respected live act with a funky, rockin' set with found them brewing up a variety of influences simultaneously. "Magazine" melded blues and uptempo rock while "Honeydew" could've passed for a Sublime tune.
Because I arrived late, missing The Mighty Underdogs, which includes Gift of Gab from Davis' Blackalicious, the first act I saw Sunday was Nicole Atkins and the Sea, which started a little shaky, but relaxed and slowly proved itself. Though Jersey girl Atkins is the focal point of the group, it was guitarist Dave Hollinghurst who showed his chops, especially on "Cool Enough." Atkins later led the fans in a fist-pumpking singalong to "Brooklyn's on Fire!," remarking that "you guys win the fist-pump contest for sure." They closed with a white hot take on Patti Smith's "Pissing in a River" that would've done the writer proud, Atkins wailing and howling through the piece.
Come back Tuesday morning to read a few notes about Dave Matthews Band's performance Monday in Sacramento, one of the first since the passing of saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Update, 9:47 a.m. Monday:
Tonight's scheduled Dave Matthews Band show at Raley Field in Sacramento is postponed. Visit the band's official site for confirmation.
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