Outside Lands Festival

This past weekend was the third annual Outside Lands Festival in Golden Gate park. Its a big, multi-day, multi-stage music event with a focus on local eateries, local vineyards, and living green. We have wanted to go the past two years but the first year T was very pregnant (not to mention on bed rest) and it was very hot outside which would not have been a good combo, the next year we couldn't afford the tickets and couldn't imagine going with a two year old and a 10 month old. So this is our year! We decided it would be easiest on the kids (and the pocket book) to only go one day, and Sunday was that day.

(B took this photo)

Unfortunately it wasn't exactly clear where in the park the show was and after we parked we walked for a long time... in the wrong direction. We ended up walking the entire circumference of Golden Gate park before we finally arrived at the show, too late to see Al Green but plenty early to see the rest of the bands we wanted to hear. Since we have already seen Al Green when he was in Portland, if we had to miss someone that was the least upsetting.After waiting in line for the "bathroom" for ages, and then being traumatized by those "bathrooms" (thank the sweet Lord above that B never had to use the facilities, she surely would have refused and then we would have had a real problem -- and mess-- on our hands) we were ready to stroll through the many, many booths and see the three stages. Except that we had had our fill of walking and the kids had had their fill of being toted around. When we realized that we could get some food and set up our blanket more or less between the two main stages, we staked our claim and stayed put.
There were so many food options, but not so many that the kids would eat or that had vegetarian options, and the lines were looooong. So we settled for the largest slices of pizza known to mankind. While we were in line Phoenix started their show and we had to skeedattle (how do you spell that word?) to be able to see the big screens. This was the show that T wanted to see, and she loved them.



When Social Distortion played we couldn't actually see the stage, but we could hear fine from our spot and since most people had rushed over to that stage is gave the kids a bit more freedom to run laps around the blanket without worrying us too much. The kids and J enjoyed a giant ice cream sandwich, T declined as it was freezing cold outside and she thought they were crazy for getting ice cream.



The final show was Kings of Leon and J was stoked. C fell asleep almost immediately in the front pack and B was in a giddy good mood. At one point J said something to her about going up to the stage and talking to the lead singer; she said "Silly daddy! They aren't really there!" Which is when we realized that she thought we had just been standing around in a crowd to watch a televised music event! It does make sense since she couldn't actually see the stage, but what must she think of us for dragging them there to watch tv?



We didn't stay for the entire set (they played for a long time, guess that's the benefit of being the last band of the day) because everyone was pretty worn out and we had no idea how far we were from our car (not so far as it turned out, about a mile). We were able to hear the band play for most of our walk though, so we didn't completely miss out.We got home about 10 and the kids decided what they needed most was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (in fact B talked about it on the way home -- until she fell asleep -- no crust or green stuff, which is avocado that T tries to sneak into their cheese sandwiches).
Next year we probably won't take the kids, get a sitter instead. But it was really fun to share the experience of good live music as a family. The next day B told T that she wants to be a famous piano player when she grows up and play all over the world.