Outside Lands Saturday, August 11th 2012 Line Up Preview

Start off the day by picking a few of the handful of great indie bands playing on the Lands End and Panhandle Stages. Zola Jesus (Lands End, 12:30-1:20), Animal Kingdom (Panhandle, 1:25-2:05), Tame Impala (Lands End, 1:50-2:40), and the incredible Fleet Foxes side-project Father John Misty (Panhandle, 2:55-3:35). The walk between the festival’s biggest and smallest stages should not be too bad, especially since you will be doing it before the park will be too crowded.

The obvious next choice would be to see Explosions in the Sky (Lands End, 4:40-5:40), but because of their early time slot, their spectacular live show will not be at full potential. Instead, I recommend opting for White Stripes-soundalikes and Jack White’s favorite new band, Alabama Shakes (Sutro, 3:50-4:40).

From there, head to Twin Peaks where you might want to spend the rest of your night. Big Boi (Twin Peaks, 5:15-6:05) missed his set last year and had to be replaced last minute by comedian Dave Chappelle. This year, he is the festival’s best bet for hip-hop fans. Passion Pit (Twin Peaks, 6:50-7:50), will be playing synthy, sugary songs off their incredible new album Gossamer, as well as hits like Sleepyhead and the Reeling. Finally, decide between running to the main stage to catch Metallica (Lands End, 7:55-9-55) or having a more calming end to your night and waiting for Iceland’s own Sigur Ros (Twin Peaks, 8:40-9:55).

Must See Set: Passion Pit

Biggest Conflict: Metallica vs. Sigur Ros