Hundreds of thousands of people gather at a music festival in a 1,000 acre park to explore another planet together.

Earth looks like this:

Planet Outside Lands looks like this:

Earth like this:

Another Planet like this:

Planet OSL harbors an odd sense of community amongst the array of freaks, fashionistas, bros, hippies, grandparents, goths, ravers, toddlers, medieval knights and artists. Wear whatever the hell you want and be whoever the hell you want to be!

Dilated peoples wander around hundreds of yards of graffiti-tagged walls while sounds emanate from every direction. "Turn Left, and you will see Kendrick Lamar captivating seas of people," your internal voice beckons, "or make a U-Turn and within twenty seconds you will be hearing The Black Keys wail to thousands...and don't forget, Elton John's playing too."

I did not go into Friday with any great expectations for Mumford & Sons. Instead I spent the day listening to Leon Bridges and Glass Animals in an entirely too-packed Sutro stage (which was the most poorly chosen location for almost every single artist that played there as the sound was not capable for such large crowds), and then St. Vincent, First Aid Kid, and Wilco (they ended with my favorite Wilco song, "Impossible Germany!") tore up the main stage before Mumford came on.

Surprisingly, I was more impressed with Mumford & Sons' performance than any other act all weekend. I still think their new album mostly falls flat, but the good/great songs are REALLY good live, specifically "The Wolf," "Believe," "Tompkins Square Park," and "Ditmas." Their recent album may be looked back on as a bit disappointing, but if it leads to three or four songs that they can continually play at concerts until they're as old as Elton John, I say that's a success.

Saturday's highlight was Kendrick Lamar. I'd seen him back at Austin City Limits two years ago and was not overly impressed. But after two years of touring and being anointed one of rap's saviors, the man has learned to command the stage. Lamar relied heavily on his classic album, good kid, m.A.A.d. City, but for good reason. The crowd went nuts for "Backseat Freestyle," "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe," and "Swimming Pools (Drank)," singing along to every chorus.

Tame Impala - the band I was most excited to see - drew a huge crowd and gave a performance that was a bit spotty. The band had sound problems in the beginning of the set that clearly took away from "Let It Happen," and Kevin Parker's vocals were a bit too low and pitchy for his ethereal incantations to float fully through the crowd. Nonetheless, it was great to hear their new tracks (Let It Happen, The Moment, Eventually, and The Less I Know The Better) and "Elephant" has become a track this will forever pump the crowd into a frenzy.

Sunday ended as any great festival should end - Elton John in a sequined blue sparkling onesie. The guy opened with "The Bitch Is Back," need I say more!? He played all of his hits, "Tiny Dancer" and "Rocket Man" were a perfect backdrop to the end of a three day festival. People of all ages gathered around and sung at the top of their lungs as Sir Elton slammed away on the keys. It's amazing that the guy still has the dexterity in his fingers to play such intricate solos on the piano. I'm so glad that I got to see him (and arguably the best part of his act: after each song, he would rise from his bench and implore the crowd to make more noise and applaud him! When the crowd obliged, he would put his fists together like a boxer and and do one big thrust towards the crowd - hilarious)!

At points during the festival, I felt like I was aging out of these three day romps, but then I would feel the energy of the crowds and the music, the goodwill of the people, and the overall community that festivals bring to the forefront. All of our Earth's duties and dailies disappeared in the shade of Golden Gate Park while the wind swept through the clouds of smoke and laughter. We were fenced in, all of our insecurities secure in this weird world, our love of music trumpeting through the fields.

And I think...maybe one more year.