Outside Lands came to a close last night and it went out in style. The Who was the final performer and gave a performance for the ages. It was a history lesson of sorts for the younger fans in the audience that must have heard of the band from their parents who also seemed to be present.
This was the band’s first San Francisco concert since its appearance at the Winterland Ballroom in 1976, so the anticipation was high for their fans who stood in the misty San Francisco fog for close to two hours to pay homage to their legendary heroes.
With only two remaining members from the original lineup, singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend, they performed classic rock hits like “I Can’t Explain,” “Who Are You” and “My Generation.”
New Zealand sensation Lorde warmed up the audience beforehand with her brand of gothic pop. Always a fascinating artist to see live, she’s improved in her stage presence and now moves around a lot more than before when she used to stand behind a mic with just a wind machine blowing in her face. She’s introduced an element of dancing to her performance as well, which really elevated the entertainment factor to new heights.
The highlight of her set came midway when her friend and co-songwriter on Melodrama walked onstage with an acoustic guitar and the two performed an acoustic duet together. They coupled that with an introduction about how they first met and came up with the songs from her latest release sitting in some park somewhere, never for a moment realizing that they’d reach MTV and the top of the charts the way that they have today.
Check out some of our favorite photos from Outside Lands Day Three below.
Photos courtesy of Louis Raphael
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