Coming together while remaining apart: Inside Lands is the virtual music festival we needed
A music festival newbie might initially be skeptical about the quality of an event like Outside Lands moving online. Festivals are supposed to be in crowded outdoor venues filled with energetic people singing and dancing along to the music. They are not something you’d think to experience and enjoy from the comfort of your bed and pajamas. But this year’s Inside Lands virtual festival quickly proved us all wrong.
Pulling off a pandemic miracle by mimicking the Golden Gate Park-based festival’s magic, Inside Lands, the online version of San Francisco’s Outside Lands is the newest attempt at recreating the magic of the in-person festival experience through a livestream.
The festival featured shortened pre-recorded sets from some of music’s biggest names such as Elton John and Major Lazer. These performances were nostalgic and fun, transporting the listener back to a pre-pandemic time. On top of these extravagant old sets, the festival featured live performances from rising stars today, proving why they are artists to watch.
From the very first set, Inside Lands did an incredible job showcasing why a digital music festival is worth watching. The festival, hosted by Lyrics Born, a Japanese American rapper, kicked off day one with a strong performance by up-and-coming artist from Toronto, ODIE, whose set kicked off with his hit “North Face,” complete with smooth and rich vocals. This slow R&B song talks about Odie’s infatuation with a customer breaking up his boring day dreams while working at North Face. Odie’s performance is followed up by another up-and-coming artist Evann McIntosh, whose lyrics drip with heartbreak and sadness.
McIntosh debuted her unreleased song “You Don’t Deserve To See Me Cry” and performed a fan favorite “Gorilla in a Skillet.” During “Gorilla in a Skillet,” she sings about “feeling so unfulfilled” and describes love as a “diet” in which she is either “flying the highest or flying without a pilot.” Coming from a 16-year-old, these lyrics are mature but demonstrate why McIntosh is an artist to watch.
One of many talented rising stars who performed during the first day, Madeline Kenney’s sophisticated and elegant delivery of her songs “Cut the Real” and “Picture of You” highlighted her smooth and alluring voice.
Scarypoolparty, who was the runner up on season 17 of “American Idol,” shows why he was a serious contender for the winning title. His rich voice blankets the audience during his songs “Return2Sender” and “Out Loud.” It felt like a personal serenade — even through a livestream.
It would be impossible to finish a discussion of promising new artists from day one without mentioning Bob Moses. The Brooklyn-based Canadian duo has been on the music scene for a while but is slowly building up more recognition, and deservedly so. This virtual festival served as the debut of new music from the duo’s EP “Desire,” which featured its melodic and rich sounds.
Day one also featured pre-recorded performances from previous years from well-established artists such as alt-J, Major Lazer and J. Cole. Alt-J’s performances of “Left Hand Free” and “Matilda” got the crowd jumping and their energy was infectious. Major Lazer’s Walshy Fire and Jillionaire did a fantastic job getting the crowd excited and involved in the performance. As with alt-J, the audience could not help but jump along to the artist’s irresistible hits “Light it Up” and “Lean On.”
The incredible energy from the Major Lazer set was rivaled on night one only by an almost perfect performance from J. Cole. The amount of energy and passion he put into his performance was outstanding. He effortlessly slipped from his mainstream hits like “No Role Modelz” to “Love Yourz,” a song about the “beauty in the struggle” and which proudly proclaims that there is “no such thing as a life that’s better than yours.” These meaningful words are different than those typically found in J. Cole’s songs, but including this song greatly enhanced his set.
As unforgettable as these productions were, the highlight from the first day was a pre-recorded Jack White set from his impromptu 2012 performance. The set did not occur on a large stage, which would be typical for White. Instead, it was performed at a park to whoever happened to be passing by at the time, making for an intimate experience. It came across as a serenade to the park dwellers who were fortunate enough to stumble across his unique venue.
Day one was filled with sensational performances and indeed set up a challenge for day two. How could they possibly be topped?
The second day tries its best with a solid performance from the psychedelic dream pop band Amo Amo, whose set begins with a rocky rendition of its hit “Missed Connection” but quickly picks up with a stellar performance of “Closer to You.” This strong showing from Amo Amo, a rising star, is just one of many from artists to watch.
The consistently excellent showings from new artists are another unique feature of Inside Lands, whose strong points is their ability to find new talent.
“We have a full team of booking in our office,” said Allen Scott when asked about how the festival finds new talent. “We pool concerts year-round … we are always looking for new acts.”
This year’s virtual event increased the size of the audience for these rising stars. Instead of having a small crowd of hundreds to a couple thousand people attend their show, they are now performing to upwards of 30,000 people.
Rising artists such as Amy Allen, with her hauntingly beautiful voice, and Nap Eyes, with the lead singers’ soothing yet powerful vocals, took advantage of this new platform to perform incredible sets.
Night two featured extraordinary pre-recorded sets from well-known EDM and indie artists, Disclosure and Cage the Elephant. The fast tempo and bright timbre of the Disclosure and Cage the Elephant sets are energizing and make you want to get up and dance.
The highlight of night two, however, was Elton John’s set. His performance of his hits “Tiny Dancer” and “I’m Still Standing” was outstanding. His vocal abilities are unparalleled, even at age 68, and his songs take you on an emotional journey of happiness, pain and redemption. Although he was not the closing performance of night two, nothing that went on after him even came close to matching his spectacular set. Elton John was truly the highlight of the Inside Lands festival experience.
Even though it was pre-recorded in front of an audience of thousands of adoring fans in 2015, his set felt intimate and personal. It was a gorgeous serenade from him to all those watching.
The Elton John performance highlighted a major positive component of the virtual festival experience: its intimacy. The viewer gets to have a front-row seat to many vibrant performances, all without the long waits, painfully long standing times or gross sunburns. It is you, on the couch, with the food of your choosing and your laptop. There is no rambunctious crowd energy, a staple of a music festival, but that’s OK. It is a private and special way to experience music.