In the decade or so since destination festivals have become in vogue, the massive, multi-day events have essentially been split into two concurrent trends: a huge, megaband undertaking many miles from any metropolis, creating an air of can-do survivilism and how-do-you-do camping (see: Bonnaroo, Coachella), and its closely related cousin, which occurs mid-city, creating a temporary artsy oasis in the midst of skyscrapers and commerce (Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits). Leave it to San Francisco to bridge the gap, though: At the third edition of the Outside Lands festival this past weekend in Golden Gate Park, both urban and urbane seemed the words of the day, thanks to a gorgeous setting that appeared to be a clearing mid-forest, though it was actually a mere mile or so walk inland from the city's rolling hills.
Downsizing to two days and dropping two stages ended up being a blessing for the fest--gone were gripes of midday bottlenecks and massive traffic jams, replaced by scheduling
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