If the main stage of Outside Lands Day 1 paid homage to hip-hop, then Day 2 was time for rock and folk to shine. On Saturday, acts like Alvvays, Father John Misty, and Maggie Rogers kept the energy up through the early evening on the Lands End Stage. The day culminated in another massive crowd gathering for Foo Fighters’ headlining set. Here are four sets that stood out from Day 2:
Alvvays
“We’re going to rip through them – very little banter!” Alvvays singer Molly Rankin declared to the crowd about the band’s setlist songs early in the show. And rip they did – the Canadian rockers delivered a set filled with satisfying riffs, ranging from the jangly “Adult Diversion” to the driving “Easy on Your Own?”. Rankin’s vocals also shined bright, both in the low-key spots (“Pharmacist”) and spirited moments (“Archie, Marry Me”), the latter of which got the crowd bouncing and singing along.
Father John Misty
Father John Misty showcased some of the most impressive vocal chops heard at the festival so far. Singer Josh Tillman’s sonorous voice soared on cuts like “Strange Encounter” and “Nancy From Now On,” earning big cheers from the crowd. The impressive backing band brought to life a wide sonic palette, from the twangy “Goodbye Mr. Blue” to the droning “Mr. Tillman”. Tillman’s dynamic presence thrilled the audience as well, as he twirled the mic stand on “I Love You, Honeybear” and performed the set closer “The Ideal Husband” from the barricade.
Maggie Rogers
There’s one word that comes to mind from Maggie Rogers’ set: joyous. The singer captured the crowd’s attention from the get-go, holding a powerful sustained note on opener “Overdrive” and kicking off the dance party with the bouncy “Want Want.”
“I got to play this festival in 2017, and it’s still one of the top five shows I’ve ever played,” Rogers told the crowd, soliciting a big cheer from the fans. Six years later, she kept the good vibes flowing with a jubilant cover of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” and getting the crowd to eagerly clap and sing along to her hit “Light On.”
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters delivered a master class in festival headlining, with a set that was both approachable for newcomers with plenty of their biggest hits and rocking covers, while also satisfying with deeper cuts for longtime fans. Dave Grohl and co. got the crowd bouncing from the start, ripping into the crunching riff of “All My Life” and the pounding drum beat of “The Pretender.”
The latter track showed that, with panache that would make a seasoned jam band proud, the Foos weren’t afraid to break their live renditions down to open up more time for crushing riffs and massive drum hits. For instance, “No Son of Mine” leaned into riffs from Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” and Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid.” The section where Grohl introduced the band also featured energetic snippets of Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” and Devo’s “Whip It.” That track was used to help introduce the band’s current live drummer, Josh Freese, who’s performed with Devo in the past.
But in one of the most unexpected moments of the set, Grohl mentioned that Freese’s wide-ranging career also included drumming for Michael Bublé. Lo and behold, the camera panned to someone in the crowd holding a “I Heart Bublé” sign, so Grohl beckoned this person to join the band onstage to sing.
Plot twist: It actually was Michael Bublé in the flesh, and the singer delivered a bubbly rendition of “Haven’t Met You Yet”! “This badass motherfucker flew in from Argentina to sing that song to you guys,” Grohl said. “’Cause there’s no such thing as taking a joke too far.”
But going back to Freese – who’s taking the spot behind the kit after the passing of Foo Fighters legend Taylor Hawkins – the drummer dazzled, delivering rapid-fire drum hits and pummeling two kick drums on cuts like “Breakout” and “Best of You.”
Elsewhere in the set, Grohl was a maestro in leading the crowd, orchestrating a rousing singalong of “My Hero.” He also had one more special guest: his daughter, Violet. Together, the two shared vocals in some of the quieter moments of the set, on tracks like “Shame Shame” and “Show Me How.”
The set finished on an emotional note, before ramping up the energy one last time. Foo Fighters dedicated their penultimate track, “Aurora,” to Hawkins. “There’s one song I swore we would do every night for the rest of our lives,” Grohl said, “because it was Taylor Hawkins’ favorite song.” The track started softly, but exploded with energy at the song’s coda, which the band carried through to set closer “Everlong.” The crowd jumped from the opening riff, boisterously singing and clapping along for one last rocking moment of the night.
