Charli XCX, Wet Leg, NEZZA, and more highlights from Outside Lands 2026 Day One
Photo courtesy of ALIVE
Bathed in a bright, misty, grey fog, Golden Gate Park in San Francisco welcomed enthusiastic crowds to the long-awaited first day of Outside Lands on Friday, August 7th. In classic Bay Area fashion, Karl the Fog rolled into the park in the early morning and remained low in the sky throughout the day and into the evening as the day’s impressive artist lineup performed at the festival’s variety of stages. Spread throughout the park, in-between winding, forested pathways, are the main stages of Outside Lands: Lands End, Sutro, Twin Peaks, Panhandle, Soma, and Dolores’. Tucked away in the enchanted-like forest clearing of McLaren Pass, fit with colorful, floating iridescent orbs and larger than life mushroom statues, just behind Polo Field is Duboce Triangle, a small and intimate stage where artists performed additional sets throughout the weekend. Duboce Triangle also hosted a handful of surprise musical guests, quickly becoming a favorite stage among festival attendees and artists alike.
Faouzia opened the festival at Lands End, bringing an angelic and ethereal ambiance with her smooth, cinematic pop ballads and romantic vocals. Dressed in a black and deep purple lace ensemble complete with a matching veil, Faouzia pranced gracefully along the stage and down the center catwalk as she delivered intense and captivating performances of some of her most emotional songs such as “WEIRDO,” “UNETHICAL,” “PEACE & VIOLENCE,” and “ICE.” With every ballad, Faouzia boasted powerful vocals, never letting up even as she smiled at the audience, waving and winking with sparkles in her eyes.
From the Bay Area, NEZZA got the crowd dancing over in Hellman Hollow at the Twin Peaks stage for her festival debut. Complete with bold and upbeat dance breaks and playful crowd work, NEZZA performed a few of her more well-known hits such as “SWEAT” and “La La La” before teasing not one, not two, but three new songs from her forthcoming album Sweat to be released on September 18th. Nezza delivered another high-energy set at Duboce Triangle later that afternoon, turning the intimate stage into a dance floor and inviting her parents dancing in the crowd to join her at the front.
Chezile transformed the Panhandle stage into an intimate and personal set as his relaxed beats and soulful vocals captivated the crowd. His presence was endearing and genuine as he expressed his gratitude in-between songs. A cathartic performance of his viral hit “Beanie” ushered in cheers as he urged the crowd to gather closer and live in the moment. Dressed casually in brown trousers and a light blue plaid hoodie, Chezile encouraged the crowd to relax into his groovy and cinematic tunes. Chezile settled into an intimate set at Duboce Triangle later in the day, his atmospheric, dream-pop music washing over the crowd, through the foggy forest. Swirling guitar instrumentals and vocals in his performance of “Blue” were hypnotizing, letting you fully ease into the music.
Back at the Panhandle stage, Sawyer Hill greeted a passionate crowd with pounding drums and unapologetic guitar instrumentals. He welcomed the crowd to cheer even louder as he rocked with his guitar alongside his energetic band. Hill’s performance evoked the nostalgic essence of 70s rock and roll stars while his deep, grungy vocals belted across the stage, echoing throughout the surrounding hollow. His vocals are charming, grounded and distinct with a southern twang, and his electric energy was contagious as he commanded the stage for performances of some of his most loved tracks such as “Firestarters,” “Jimmy’s Gone Numb,” and “For The Hell Of It.” The highlight of his set came with the live debut of his latest release “Bad Lovers” and a racing performance of “High On My Lows,” which saw him dancing atop a pedestal, rocking out with his guitar as the crowd cheered.
Polo Field was amassing a large crowd as eager fans awaited Wet Leg to take the Lands End stage. When they did, the crowd wasn’t shy to welcome them with shouts and guttural screams as Wet Leg performed “catch these fists.” Wet Leg front woman Rhian Teasdale flexed her biceps, the crowd cheering her on. Wet Leg raced through an electric set packed with fan favorite hits such as “Wet Dream,” “Chaise Longue,”“davina mccall,” and “CPR.” Dancing around in torn up grey sweatpants, Teasdale’s signature hot pink hair blowing in the wind, Wet Leg delivered a fiery performance of “pillow talk.” Their Outside Lands set only further cements the band as a must-see rock and roll act. Wet Leg brings an addictive high energy to every song and boasts an impressive and joyous camaraderie.
As a cooler early evening breeze set in, fans gathered at Sutro stage, with some people having waited hours on the surrounding hills and bleachers for New York City favorite, Geese. The band took the stage casually as the audience cheered loudly, a video mashup of their live performances cut with clips of the New York Knicks winning the NBA championship game playing on the screen behind them. A group of fans at the very front waved a gaggle of inflatable geese throughout the band’s set as the audience rocked out to the band’s clashing and cathartic tunes. Lead singer Cameron Winter's distinct, heartbreaking timbre floated gently throughout Lindley Meadow, the audience swaying along, fully enthralled by the band’s classic rock sound.
Over at Polo Field, Labrinth commanded the Lands End stage with hits such as “Mount Everest,” “Still Don’t Know My Name,” “Never Felt So Alone,” and “Genius.” Labrinth slowed things down with a peaceful and heartbreaking performance of “Jealous” at the piano, the audience quickly becoming captivated by his smooth vocals, and genuine presence. He effortlessly transitioned into “All For Us,” bringing back an intense energy that left the field buzzing long after he concluded his set.
Polo Field, now packed and alive with anticipation, could hardly wait for Charli XCX to take the stage. A group of friends in the crowd played several rounds of Heads Up to pass the time while people attempted to weave through the audience to find the best view.
Just as darkness fell over Golden Gate Park, the dense fog threatening to rain, Charli XCX lit up the stage with her cool pop persona, and literally as several torches surrounding the stage blasted hot flames you could feel from several meters back. Wearing a black leather ensemble and her now iconic black sunglasses, she opened with “Rock Music” before bringing back classics such as “Apple” and “Club classics.” She ran through several releases from her latest album Music, Fashion, Film such as “2007,” “Camera,” and “Wink Wink.” An ensemble of chic fashion models all dressed in black and white joined XCX for “Card Declined” and supported energetic performances of “Girl, so confusing” and “Guess,” the latter of which saw confetti of underwear decorate the sky. XCX encouraged the enthralled audience to dance and sing without apology as she turned the stage into her personal dance floor, and invited the audience to join in on the fun. The audience pulsed with an electric energy as XCX delivered hit after hit. “party 4 u” inspired a collective scream from the audience as blazing lights flickered in every direction, building a palpable hype for the beat drop in the song’s bridge. To close out her set, XCX performed a powerful rendition of “No One Lasts Forever.” As she stood atop a tiered stage and was joined by her fierce group of models, she left the audience with the repeating message that “Oblivion is freedom.”
Photos: Chelize courtesy of Priscilla Rodriguez, Charli xcx courtesy of Deanie Chen, header photo courtesy of Josh Withers, all other photos courtesy of ALIVE.
