The Strokes, Djo, Audrey Hobert, and More Bring Sparkling Performances to Outside Lands 2026 Day Two

The Beatles’ “Here Comes The Sun” gently echoed over the festival speakers on day two of Outside Lands in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, signaling eager fans that Polo Field was officially open. An early crowd raced to the barricades at the Lands End stage, where artists such as Audrey Hobert, Ethel Cain, The Strokes, and more favorites would be performing throughout the day. Karl the Fog didn’t deter dedicated fans from clinging to the barricades, claiming their spot for the next several hours, and dressing up for their favorite artists. An Audrey Hobert fan donned a white tank top hand-decorated with sparkling gemstones that spelled out “Sue Me,” a reference to Hobert’s hit song from her debut album Who’s the Clown?, while a Djo fan dressed in a royal blue Djo baseball jersey handed out handmade cards with photos of Joe Keery and his bandmates, Wesley Toledo, Dalton Allison, Jake Hirshland, Javi Reyes, and more.

Bandalos Chinos opened the festival on Saturday at Lands End with a groovy and contagious set packed with dance breaks. The band’s frontman, Goyo Degano ignited passionate singing from the crowd and greeted fans by climbing atop the front barricade. Balancing with the help of a crowd member holding his hand, he belted out the bridge and chorus to “Te Amo,” his vocals cathartic and dripping with a heartfelt joy and gratitude. The band’s palpable camaraderie was evident as they concluded their high-energy set, leaving an eager crowd desperate for more.

More festival attendees joined the crowd at Lands End and pushed closer to the barricades as the stage was prepared for Haute and Freddy’s set. Cheers grew loud as Lance Shipp (Freddy) made a brief appearance for a quick sound check before disappearing again into the misty stage wings. Several audience members and fans of Haute and Freddy had gone all out and dressed in bright, frilly, circus-inspired outfits complete with face paint. Loud cheers welcomed the duo to the stage as a quirky and bubbly instrumental track transported the crowd to a vibrant circus. During their performance of “Sophie,” Michelle Buzz (Haute) encouraged a call and response from the audience as they taught everyone the song’s chorus: “Sophie, call me/Baby, won't you please/Be mine.” Throughout their set, they not only performed some of their most dance-worthy tracks such as “Freaks,” “Scantily Clad,” and “I Like My People Weird,” but took the chance in-between songs to deliver theatrical bits, with Shipp pausing to juggle while Buzz fixed a larger than life royal wig to her fire orange hair. They closed out their set with “Shy Girl,” starting the song together at the piano before breaking out into dance.

A palpable energy and excitement was in the air as Audrey Hobert was set to perform next. As her set began, Hobert walked on to the Lands End stage holding up her long trench coat, greeted by giddy whoops and hollers. She stood atop a chair, letting her trench coat fall to the floor so that it looked as if she were over seven feet tall, as she was handed her guitar and funny glasses complete with bushy eyebrows. The crowd sang along as she opened with “I like to touch people” before stepping down to the stage, revealing her fun, party girl black mini skirt ensemble and performing “Drive.” To introduce her hit song “Wet Hair,” she monologued about how her self-esteem has evolved throughout her life. Her words were refreshing and inspirational as she explained that her experiences, the good and bad, have led her to writing music she loves and finding her passion. Picking up her acoustic guitar later in the set, Hobert delivered an emotional and tender performance of “Phoebe,” a racing ballad about impostor syndrome and finding confidence. She closed out her set with not one, but two performances of “Sue me,” urging fans on the second round to put away their phones, live in the moment, and dance like no one was watching. The crowd danced wildly and with sweet jubilee as Hobert bounced on a trampoline, nearly flipping over in excitement.

Lucy Dacus took the stage next with her band, dressed casually in black slacks and a matching letterman jacket adorned with her initials. She led an emotional set, performing “Hot & Heavy,” “Planting Tomatoes,” and “True Blue,” charming the audience with a simple and polite “thank you” in-between songs. As a couch was pulled on to the stage and Dacus relaxed with her guitar, excited whispers pulsed through the crowd as speculation grew that a special guest would be joining her. The crowd erupted in cheers and emotional cries as Dacus introduced Julien Baker to the stage. Baker humbly sat next to Dacus, smiling and admitting that she was a bit nervous. They performed “Bullseye” together, Baker taking the second verse, singing with a gentle timbre and beautiful presence that garnered the crowd’s full attention. “Night Shift” brought Dacus’ set to a rowdy and passionate conclusion as she invited the crowd to let loose while she performed an additional chorus.

Even before Ethel Cain took the stage, her set design was already garnering attention. An elaborate set, complete with plumes of grass surrounding each instrument, was rolled onto the stage, transforming Lands End into an abandoned field. The field grew haunted as stage smoke billowed through the grass, spilling into the audience. When Ethel Cain made her entrance with her band, dressed in baggy jeans and a classic, black Adidas track jacket embroidered with her name, the crowd bellowed out praise, with one audience member in tears. Cain opened her set with ethereal and haunted vocals, setting the scene before she settled into an intimate performance of “Thoroughfare.” She sat at the front of the stage, her vocals raw and sweetly weathered. The crowd cheered lightly as Cain pulled a harmonica from her pocket and began to play. A more upbeat performance of “Crush” saw Cain skipping across the stage while the crowd passionately sang along. She closed her set with “American Teenager,” the audience not hesitating to scream the lyrics back.

Photo courtesy of Priscilla Rodriguez

As the stage was set for the next highly anticipated performance, the Lands End big screens displayed the title “Djoutside Lands” in flashing colors. Djo made his entrance alongside his bandmates (and longtime best friends and creative collaborators) who all received equal shouts of excitement. Djo peered over his sunglasses to admire the sea of people packed on to Polo Field, jumping and waving his arms to get the audience to cheer even louder. “Awake” kicked off his set, teasing the audience with its dark introduction before dropping into an aggressive and cathartic clash of drums, electric guitar, and buzzing synths. Djo moved into some of his classic tracks such as “Basic Being Basic,” which inspired enthusiastic singing and dancing from the audience, and “Charlie’s Garden,” where Djo took a seat at the piano and Charli XCX called in for the song’s charming voicemail break. “Potion” was a pleasant surprise as Djo’s tender vocals sang over his gentle acoustic guitar. Djo sat at the edge of the stage for an intimate performance of “Lonesome Is A State of Mind,” pointing his microphone at the audience for us to sing the lyrics with him. He picked up the energy again with “Roddy,” “Delete Ya,” “Fool,” “Link,” and “Gap Tooth Smile.” This energetic run saw Djo jump down to the barricades and greet fans with high-fives as he sprinted through the crowd before leaping back on stage. “End of Beginning” brought his set to an emotional conclusion as the crowd sang passionately. While one of his most beloved anthems, Djo’s humble yet energetic presence was undeniable as he connected with the audience over a deeply personal song that so many people all over the world have embraced.

The Strokes took the Lands End stage as the final act of the night, and they did so in an electric fashion. Flashing neon lights pierced through the veil of cool evening fog that had quickly set in between sets. The Strokes walked on to an eery, thumping instrumental, stage smoke bathing the band in mystery while passionate fans screamed. They opened with “Ize of the World,” instruments clashing as the crowd jumped and pulsed with a frenzied energy. The Strokes delivered high-energy performances of their greatest hits, joking at one point during their set that it had come time for the audience to pressure them into singing “Last Nite.” A racing performance of “The Adults Are Talking” evoked more upbeat dancing and singing from the crowd. Having just released their new album Reality Awaits, The Strokes frontman, Julian Casablancas, began to joke about having a feud with Charli XCX (who released an album on the same day) before inviting her to the stage to perform an aggressive duet of “Take It Or Leave It.” The surprise left the crowd in awe as their racing performance saw both Casablancas and XCX deliver impressive belting vocals as they thrashed and jokingly fought each other on stage.

Photos: Djo courtesy of Priscilla Rodriguez, all other photos courtesy of ALIVE.