San Francisco’s independent festival drew a stacked lineup, but the weekend’s most compelling moments came from surprise collaborations and Charli XCX’s second full show of her Music, Fashion, Film era.
Outside Lands returned to Golden Gate Park in 2026 with a bill topped by Charli XCX, the Strokes, PinkPantheress, and Turnstile, but the festival’s ongoing strength lies in its curated collisions. On Friday, Charli XCX delivered only the second full show of her Music, Fashion, Film tour, a set that balanced the hyperpop abrasion of “Pink Diamond” and “Track 10” with the baroque turns of recent material. The standout, “Camera,” pushed the bass to the edge while the singer and her dancers blocked out a tableau that ended with a David Cronenberg voiceover: “No one lasts forever.”
Lucy Dacus’s afternoon set offered a warmer counterweight, with her band in matching letterman jackets moving through dreamy cuts before closing with “Night Shift.” The moment sharpened when Julien Baker joined her for “Bullseye,” trading glances and turning the main stage into something close to an intimate club.
Smaller cross-pollinations threaded through the weekend: Charli appearing with the Strokes, Audrey Hobert sitting in with her brother Malcolm Todd, and Leon Bridges and Tycho playing unannounced in the woodsy Duboce Triangle. Even under hazy skies, the crowd’s physical response—moshing, dancing, heat—suggested the festival still generates a charge beyond its lineup.
Join the Club
Like this story? You’ll love our monthly newsletter.
Thank you for subscribing to the newsletter.
Oops. Something went wrong. Please try again later.
ROMBO Editorial Staff
The collective voice behind ROMBO Magazine’s news, reviews, features, and cultural coverage.
