Outside Lands
When: August 22-24, 2008
Where: Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California
Why: Radiohead will be the first band to ever play Golden Gate Park at night...Tom Petty and others will be performing the second (following) night.
Who: Radiohead, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Jack Johnson, Beck, Wilco, Manu Chao, Ben Harper, Widespread Panic, Primus, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Steve Winwood, Broken Social Scene, Devendra Banhart, Cold War Kids, Lyrics Born, Andrew Bird, Steel Pulse, Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, M. Ward, The Cool Kids, Two Gallants, Little Brother, Bon Iver, and many more.
How: Single-day tickets are $85; three-day passes are $225.50. VIP single-day tickets are $249.50; VIP three-day tickets are $695.00. See the event's Web site for details.
If you live in the Bay Area (or plan to be here the weekend of August 22), get ready for the first annual Outside Lands music festival! This Bonnaroo-size event will take place in Golden Gate Park August 22-24, and it's being produced by a variety of people with good taste in music, including Another Planet Entertainment and the San Francisco Recreation & Park Department. It will be comparable in size to The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival, which that takes place every October; however, that three-day event is free to the public, whereas Outside Lands will require you to purchase a ticket to get in...but with a lineup like this, it'll be worth it.
Main Attraction: Radiohead
Thom Yorke himself claims that his Bonnaroo appearance in June of 1996 was one of Radiohead's best shows. Since then, Radiohead has become one of the world's favorite festival bands. And now, with In Rainbows officially in stores physically and digitally, fans are eager to hear the new material live (and in this case, with Golden Gate Park as the backdrop). Maybe Johnny Greenwood will incorporate the There Will Be Blood Soundtrack into the set somehow.
Don't Miss: Wilco
If you're bothered by people blurting out requests during live shows, consider Wilco's new shout-less way of taking requests. Wilco has a form on its Web site that enables fans to make requests before the show. This is just one example of how Wilco creates a unique experience for each show. Disclaimer: There still may be a few drunken hecklers at the show.
Played Out: Widespread Panic
If you're not a fan of this veteran jam band by now, chances are you never will be. But if you are one of many "spread heads," you've probably seen Widespread Panic many--if not dozens--of times, so we recommend you seek a new experience by checking out the other bands at the festival. Don't worry--Widespread will be back on tour soon enough.
