Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers became the first act to headline the Outside Lands Music Festival twice with a set that showed any doubters why they were invited back.
Petty was the consummate performer, wowing the crowd with a pantheon of hits and favorites spanning four decades. The band was far less theatrical fare than day one headliner Kanye West, who wore masks throughout the performance and used a lighting palette that highlighted contrast.
Capping a day that was overcast, cool and misty, even material from the group’s latest effort, July’s Hypnotic Eye, played nice with the familiar work. “Shadow People” came late, but served as a rocking, spooky counterbalance to “Learning to Fly.”
Petty dropped his Bay Area knowledge on the crowd, too, paying tribute to the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia, who died 19 years ago Saturday, with a cover of “Friend of the Devil.” He also recalled playing his night-closing “American Girl” for the first time at the since-demolished Keystone in Palo Alto in 1976.
Petty and the Heartbreakers had none of the issues with the sound system that forced an impromptu set break during their appearance at Outside Lands’ first installment in 2008.
One of the largest crowds in Sutro Stage history saw Minnesota hip-hop duo Atmosphere turn in a dynamic, day-ending set. With a crowd to rival those for Beck (2008), Foster the People (2011) and Alabama Shakes (2012) in the Lindley Meadow, Slug and Ant did not disappoint, giving a poignant yet danceable set that included such fan favorites as “Sunshine” and When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That S*** Gold's “Yesterday.” Slug peppered his patter and rhymes with references to San Francisco and the festival, drawing strong reactions from a cold, weary crowd.
Atmosphere took the stage seconds after Death Cab for Cutie wrapped on the main stage. The Washingtonian indie pop rockers delivered a set that matched the weather, a dreary outing that favored the band’s most recent efforts, Codes and Keys and Narrow Stairs, over its classic material, although “Soul Meets Body” closed the set and “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” popped up in the final half hour.
One of the day’s best sets came from Haim (right), Los Angeles’ trio of rocking sisters and drummer Dash Hutton. While Danielle Haim held court on the opening “Falling,” the girls showed their knowledge of rock history with “Oh Well,” a Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac cover. The sisters captured concertgoers both with their chops and their energetic stage presence.
Silver Lake’s Local Natives were one of Saturday’s biggest surprises. The sleepy indie folk rockers have not found the right formula in the studio yet, but their commitment to pouring energy into their show is respectable. On the day’s closing number, singer Ryan Hahn dove into the crowd as the band ratcheted up its intensity. However, Local Natives’ set didn’t stand out for its theatrics, but its passionate execution. The band also unveiled material from a forthcoming third album.
Australia’s John Butler Trio brought its roots rock to the Sutro Stage for a late afternoon performance. Lead by its charismatic, proud left wing namesake, the band cruised through new and familiar material, including its biggest hit to date, “Better Than.”
British power pop rock quartet The Kooks were an early afternoon performer on the main stage. Like Local Natives, the band used it as an opportunity to unveil new material, but closed with its biggest single to date, “Naive.”
Oakland indie rockers Tumbleweed Wanderers started the day on the Sutro Stage with a strong set. Of particular note was the bluesy “Roll With the Times,” which surged to a barnstorming finish. Singer/guitarist Jeremy Lyon recalled busking outside the festival years earlier, but played to a small crowd that largely stayed put for this performance.
Also early in the day on the Sutro Stage was Valerie June (left), a dreadlocked acoustic singer from Tennessee. While June was running on “Tennessee Time,” she also ate into the first few minutes of her set tuning her various instruments – one of which was a gas can turned into a guitar.
Rhode Island folk rockers Deer Tick played the Sutro Stage, but also played a mini-set during Death Cab’s performance in the Soundwave Tent. For the latter, a disco ball hung overhead and the band turned a 15-minute stop into a half-hour performance.
Day three recap should include The Killers, The Flaming Lips and Spoon …
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers setlist
01. So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star
02. Mary Jane’s Last Dance
03. American Dream Plan B
04. Into the Great Wide Open
05. Forgotten Man
06. I Won’t Back Down
07. Free Fallin’
08. Spike
09. Tweeter and the Monkey Man
10. U Get Me High
11. Rebels
12. Friend of the Devil
13. Learning to Fly
14. Shadow People
15. I Should Have Known It
16. Refugee
17. Runnin’ Down a Dream
18. You Wreck Me
Encore
19. American Girl
Death Cab for Cutie setlist
01. I Will Possess Your Heart
02. Crooked Teeth
03. We Laugh Indoors
04. Title and Registration
05. Doors Unlocked and Open
06. Long Division
07. Grapevine Fires
08. Codes and Keys
09. I Will Follow You Into the Dark
10. You Are a Tourist
11. The New Year
12. Cath …
13. Soul Meets Body
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