SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Outside Lands is the largest independently owned and operated music festival in the U.S. And thousands of fans filed into Golden Gate Park Saturday for the second day of the hugely popular event.
“I think it just shows you that the bay has something to say to, you know what I mean,” said Kugo, from Vallejo.
Kugo’s here to watch his friend and fellow Vallejo native LaRussell take the stage.
“I’m really excited I’ve been able to see him grow from doing stuff in his the backyard of his and his garage, and now we’re at Outside Lands one of the biggest festivals.”
“I’m a Bay Area kid,” LaRussell said to the crowd in between songs. “I haven’t witnessed too many people be from here and make it on the stage.”
Dressed in a red jersey ensemble and a cow-print beanie with ears, LaRussell instilled a positive vibe through endless dancing and encouraging crowd participation. At one point, LaRussell walked into the crowd to party side-by-side with attendees, spreading infectious joy.
LaRussell was followed by rapper Ludacris, who played throwback after throwback to the delight of thousands of attendees.
Ludacris, who rose to prominence in the 2000’s, captivated the crowd with a long list of nostalgic tunes. In addition to his own songs like “Move Bitch” and “My Chick Bad,” attendees jumped with excitement to hear hit records that Ludacris is featured on such as “Baby” by Justin Bieber and “Yeah” by Usher.
“What I think is the most interesting is all the different types of people that can come together and just enjoy music. In a time where we’re so divided, like music can really bring people together. And I love that,” said Cassie Belcagr, a San Francisco resident.
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Outside Lands — the largest independently owned and operated music festival in the U.S. — is now underway.
The three-day festival drew more than 200,000 people each year to the city, a boom for some local businesses.
“Noticing that it’s a lot busier, way longer lines coming from Hook Fish and from Blackbird. And we’re getting all of that runoff coming into here,” said Calvin Trezise, shop assistant at The Last Straw.
MORE: SF leaders call Dead and Company concert weekend a big win; Outside Lands to bring more
The Dead and Company concerts gave a boost to hotels and businesses, and San Francisco is already looking ahead to the next weekend of music.
The Last Straw is located on Irving Street just a block away from Golden Gate Park.
“I would say like 1 p.m. suddenly it was just like a surge of people in line. You know, I wouldn’t say down the block, but like, halfway up to the block, and just kind of blocking this entire store, but then people trickling in as a result of that,” Trezise said.
But just a five-minute drive to the Outer Sunset, the festival hits a different note.
“From a pure retail perspective, it has never done much for us as a business. It’s what we found over the years is that, people tend to stay away from the outer sunset, due to the fears of traffic,” said Ben Wintroub, owner of Tunnel Records.
“Occasionally will get a bump before the festival or directly after it, but, generally, it’s, it’s up at best, neutral, or, you know, likely a slight negative,” said Wintroub.
And while his business may not be getting a boost, he says there is a flip side.
“I have a lot of customers who it provides a lot of benefit to, not fiscally, but in terms of enjoyment. So I think it’s important, but I wish I could monetize it. I have to figure that out yet,” he said.
Bay City News contributed to this report
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