Outdoors Lands returned this previous weekend for its “Candy 16,” and at the same time as the encircling metropolis of San Francisco modifications yearly, Golden Gate Park stays a protected haven for some unimaginable music.

Trying round on the park’s breathtaking environment and otherworldly magnificence, it’s exhausting to not really feel such as you’ve entered a unique universe when arriving at Outdoors Lands — in spite of everything, the park has its personal local weather in comparison with town at massive (this was my sixth Outdoors Lands and I nonetheless don’t have any fucking concept easy methods to costume for it). The surreal environment pairs completely annually with the music, and 2024 was no completely different.

This yr’s version featured headlining reveals from The Killers, Sabrina Carpenter (who stuffed in for Tyler, the Creator after the rapper backed out of the fest in June), and Sturgill Simpson, plus a particular Sunday evening nation set from Submit Malone. It was, after all, Chappell Roan who actually headlined this pageant, as many attendees and Amazon livestream viewers can attest — however extra on that later.

As with every pageant, annually has a barely completely different really feel. The draw of the headliners and marquee acts is mirrored within the pageant’s crowds and general density; final yr felt on common extra crowded every day, whereas this yr, Sunday (Chappell’s day) was one of the vital highly-attended pageant days I’ve ever seen, interval. There have been some new options and experiences and a few slight modifications to the components, however for essentially the most half, Outdoors Lands is a pageant that simply retains on delivering. Right here’s what we noticed at Golden Gate Park final weekend.

Buying and selling the Rave for the Rodeo

Even with the arrival of Goldenvoice’s new electronic-centric Portola pageant to the Bay Space, Outdoors Lands has spent the final a number of editions embracing digital music as a core tenet of their identification. ODESZA headlined final yr to an infinite crowd, Illenium carried out a significant sub-headlining set the yr prior, and a model new SOMA stage was launched to supply an all-electronic vacation spot.

For 2024, they may have cashed in as soon as once more on San Francisco’s devoted digital viewers and supplied one other headlining flip from a DJ — Skrillex simply curated a complete stage at Lollapalooza, and Fred once more.. simply headlined the guy Superfly-produced fest Bonnaroo. However this yr, digital music felt extra within the periphery as a brand new style grew to become an unavoidable focus: nation music.