The first concert for the three-day weekend known as Outside Lands didn’t start until noon on Friday, but the weekend began for Grace and her Marin friends at 2 p.m. Thursday when they staked out the front of the line at the South entrance of Golden Gate park. They pitched tents, slept there overnight and cleaned up at a nearby donut shop at 4 a.m.
“I needed to go because I cannot deal with FOMO,” said Grace. “I would genuinely die. I would literally wither away if I missed Charli bumpin’ dat on me.”
That put them at the front of the stage for the headliner and British popstar Charli XCX concert on the main stage Friday night. By 10 a.m. a few hundred had joined them
including “Wizard” Jane and their friend Alex.
The two friends from Wyoming, traveled separately for over 24 hours to get to San Francisco. “I took three flights to get here, two got delayed and I still made it for mother Charli,” Wizard Jane said. “No hotel for us either, we’re sleeping at the broke-tel motel.”
“I drove 36 hours, barely slept, and lined up early to be in her presence,” Alex said. “Charli is the voice of our generation.”
Despite sticking out in a line of mostly 14 to 21 year olds, Ron, 66 and Cherise, 55 were no strangers to the Outside Lands campers. It’s their ninth time at Outside Lands and they don’t feel old.
“We feel young and energetic, just as much as they do,” Ron said. “We have a lot in common with them, we all listen to the same music. This festival is all inclusive to everyone.”
Even Outside Lands’ youngest attendees lined up early for their favorites. Christine, 15, and her sister Adelaide, 10, lined up with their dad at 9 a.m. “My dad letting me experience this, means a lot,” Adelaide said. “I feel so lucky.”
Despite Outside Lands being an all ages festival, many youth feel like teenagers are the ones that bring all the energy to the festival.
“I know a lot of adults want to make it 21+, and say us teenagers make it hell, but I go and I only see people 25 and younger,” Grayden, 16, said. “The teens run this. We bring the energy. What 40 year old is gonna camp out here for 10 hours?”
“If you live anywhere in California and you’re not here, what are you doing?,” Grace said. “You’re a bum, get a job.”
Outside lands = shitty bands