Live Report: Outside Lands 2025
- karansinghjour
- Aug 11
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 22
This article was originally published on Clash
Unlike most cities, San Francisco is in fact far more stunning than its photographs: quaint, vibrant and just as grey as it is colourful. Its surreal grandeur is a work of art unto itself, which is precisely why the metropolis has been conducive to creative expression for generations.
Privy to this, musicians from all over the globe congregate in the Golden State’s nucleus every August to soundtrack its one-of-a-kind charm. Since its inauguration in 2008, Outside Lands has cultivated a reputation for hosting the biggest acts across countless genres, making it one of the United States’ most popular festivals.
Unfortunately, the gathering turned out to be quite a disappointment last year. After Tyler, the Creator pulled out of his headlining slot scheduled for Saturday, Sabrina Carpenter took his place and joined The Killers and Sturgill Simpson to make up the festival’s Big Three. Underwhelming and one-dimensional, 2024 ended up blemishing a concert series with an otherwise rich history.
That is precisely what makes its redemption so much more gratifying.
This past weekend, Outside Lands returned to Golden Gate Park for the seventeenth time. Engulfed in mist through the majority of its runtime, the event featured a lineup with a lot more personality and character this time around.
Hip-hop and R&B dominated on all three days, with the crowds gobbling up what they were being served from the starters all the way up to the main course. Rappers like Ludacris and BigXthaPlug stirred up some of the most notable crowd reactions of the weekend, warming up the audiences at the Lands End and Twin Peaks stages respectively. Whereas Doechii arguably put on the most memorable performance of OSL ’25 on Friday, Doja Cat made sure to keep things interesting right after by playing with a live band instead of running back the meticulously choreographed stage act she is now known for. Likewise, Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals closed out the event with an explosive, instrument-heavy set that showcased the allure of recreating music from scratch rather than lazily attempting to pass off digital copies as live.
The most polarizing show was without question the main event by Tyler, the Creator, who was back in the Bay to honour his commitment from last year. The Los Angeles native’s career has a clear-cut before and after, and he seems far, far, far more focused on the after at this point in his life. In other words, the 34-year-old MC and producer simply doesn’t seem to care much for his old material, which left most of his day-one fans wearing Odd Future merch noticeably frustrated. With the majority of his performance comprising cuts from ‘Chromakopia’ and the recently released ‘DON’T TAP THE GLASS’, he only played fragments of two songs from the pre-‘Flower Boy’ era. Even though people in their late 20s and early 30s were upset at this, the kids in the crowd seemed elated. After all, the two-time Grammy winner is among a handful of artists today with cross-generational impact. Ultimately, what the kids enjoy is what shapes the culture, and they simply don’t attach much value to the ‘Loiter Squad’ version of Tyler.
Right up there with the most spectacular sets of Outside Lands 2025 was the final performance of Beck’s orchestral tour at the Sutro Stage. For an artist as versatile, flexible and weird as him, it’s tough to have any specific expectation from the section of the bill that reads “Beck with Symphony.” Sure enough, he put together an all-encompassing mix with a healthy dose of curveballs, ranging from ‘The Golden Age’ to ‘Tropicalia’ to ‘Where It’s At’. During the final minutes of his time on stage, he even squeezed in two of his biggest hits — ‘Devil’s Haircut’ and ‘Loser’ — in their original format. All in all, this turned out to be the most unique production of the festival.
Acts such as Hozier, Gracie Abrams, Glass Animals, Jorj Smith and The Bleachers put on damn-near flawless shows, showing up to do their jobs by the book. Oversanitized and uncontroversial, these gigs were also nothing to write home about. Some of their lesser-known counterparts, on the other hand, proved to have a greater presence despite playing to relatively smaller audiences. For that reason, Mannequin Pussy, Wunderhorse, Royel Otis, Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso and Arcy Drive deserve a loud round of applause.
Finally, there’s something to be said about artists making multiple appearances over the weekend. Rebecca Black and Anderson .Paak playing DJ sets in addition to their primary sets, Big Freedia collaborating with three separate artists at three separate shows and artists such as Baalti and Nourished by Time playing more than once all added muscle to this year’s itinerary. Hence, Vampire Weekend’s decision to play the earliest slot of the day on Saturday before headlining that same stage later at night was a remarkable move solely for the love of music.
Year after year, San Francisco proves why it is the ideal location for a three-day festival. Unbelievably beautiful from head to toe, the city is at its absolute best with tunes echoing across Golden Gate Park. With Pride flags and keffiyehs amalgamating with the power of music and art, Outside Lands encapsulates the compassion, love and unyielding spirit that makes this part of the world such a distinct entity. You may find hints and traces of it elsewhere, but the Bay Area remains inimitable.
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