We came, we saw, we sweated. San Francisco Outside Lands attendees were gifted with a heat wave, sans rash, for the first day of the weekend-long festival, and never before have we seen people more confused (the natives knew this was an oddity). Also, all the indie boys who decided to take off their shirts only upped the hotness factor, considering their torsos served as a light deflector and blinded everyone in sight. Holy whiteness, Batman.

With seven stages situated on two meadows and the main polo field in Golden Gate Park, we have to say that this year’s experience toppled last year’s (you know, where I cried a bunch and then scraped my elbow), with a million tents set up for food, photobooths, prizes, massages, wine tastings, free hugs, trampolines, and even a phone charging station. And while the smaller stages boasted a very impressive knit of indie, electronica, and even hip-hop acts, the main stage line-up felt slightly too 90’s. I do own Pearl Jam’s “Ten” on cassette tape though, so maybe I’m not one to judge.

Highlights include:
- the choice people watching we were afforded as we wandered around the site
- Silversun Pickups and Los Campesinos! slaying their sets
- running around San Francisco at night with no jacket on
- remembering how much we were in love with Incubus’s Brandon Boyd in 11th grade
- Throwing blue lacey underwear at Tom Jones

Day one, you ain’t so bad.

Autolux

Akron/Family

Los Campesinos!

The Dodos

Silversun Pickups

Tom Jones

After announcing the initial line-up and dates for next year’s All Tommorow’s Parties New York fest just a few weeks ago, the ATP organizers must be overcome with the spirit of giving — they announced today that The Flaming Lips will curate the final day of ATP NY 2009.

As curators, the band will perform and select around 15 bands and artists to play on their hand-crafted day, Sunday, Sept. 13. ATP is sticking to the 2008 format, with Don’t Look Back sets on Friday as well as comedy, an ATP-curated day of bands on Saturday and of course, The Lips’ bands of choice on Sunday. The ATP curators also announced today that Autolux and Black Dice have been added to Saturday’s line-up.

Tickets and rooms at Kutshers (and another nearby hotel) are now on sale. Weekend passes will run you $235 each in addition to a booking fee. Rooms cost $150 per person.

The full details currently available for the weekend are as follows:
Friday (09.11.09) Don’t Look Back and Comedy:
Dirty Three performing Ocean Songs
Suicide performing their first LP
Comedy curated by David Cross