Category Archives: Entertainment

TV, Movies, etc

March 16, 2016 · 9:43 pm

Finding a New TV Show

I recently started watching Love on Netflix. It’s a new show and I can’t get enough of it. There are only ten episodes in the first season. I’ve gone through eight already. Finding a new TV show is like discovering a new drug. You do as much as you can while you can and then you start fiending for more. You start binging. And you want everyone to know how great it is. You want everyone to feel how great you are feeling. You want to talk about it but you can only talk to people who are down with it too. You have to be somewhat discreet. So you find people that you know have the same vices as you and you tell them to check this shit out. It’s great, you’ll say. It makes you laugh, it makes you cry, it makes you feel everything in between. Get through the first one and it’s like crack. You won’t be able to stop. Ok, but seriously, check out Love on Netflix. It’s a Judd Apatow production. That should be enough endorsement.

Critically Rated at 13/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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February 28, 2016 · 2:12 pm

UNO (game, not the numero)

UNO is a card game similar to Crazy Eights, but you use a specially printed deck of UNO cards instead of using a regular deck of cards, because the creators wouldn’t make money if you played UNO with a regular deck of cards instead of their unique cards. UNO is pretty easy to learn. Everyone gets dealt seven cards and you try to be the first one to get rid of them all. There are a bunch of rules that some people follow and some people ignore, but one thing everyone can agree on is that you have to say “UNO” when you play your second-to-last card so that everyone else knows that you have one card left. I think that’s why they call it UNO but I’m not really sure.

I was inspired to write this post after playing UNO with a couple of friends. One of them had never played before, but we explained him the rules and he was kicking our ass a few games in. He won three or four games in a row. We chalked it up to beginner’s luck. A week later he drunkenly confessed that he cheated. It was completely out of the blue, like he was proud of cheating and wanted us to know. Don’t be that guy. Don’t be the guy who cheats at UNO. Especially not during a friendly game when there are no stakes. That’s not how you make friends. That’s how you lose them.

Critically Rated at 12/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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February 24, 2016 · 1:56 pm

Deadpool (film)

I finally got around to seeing Deadpool a few days ago. Now I’m part of the Cool Kids Club again. Let’s start with some backstory before we start talking about the movie. Deadpool was originally created as a blatant rip-off of DC’s Deathstroke. Marvel has never tried to hide this fact, they talk about it openly. They have similar names, costumes, and both are mercenaries. They have different powers and skillsets, but the biggest difference between the two of them is that Deadpool knows that he’s a character in a comic book. He breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the reader. He knows that he’s not real. It’s all very meta.

My biggest fear about the movie is that it wouldn’t be able to capture the tone of the comics. I felt a great sense of relief as soon as the opening credits started to roll. Ryan Reynolds, director Tim Miller, and writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick were able to bring the Deadpool to life the right way. They made the film as funny, violent, and raunchy as they could. They took a huge gamble by making it Rated R as opposed to PG-13. The gamble paid off. It’s already the highest grossing R-rated film of all time and it’s been out for less than two weeks. What’s more impressive is that it’s also the highest grossing X-Men movie.

The plot of the movie is pretty generic. It’s an origin story about how a regular guy became a superhero and then the bad guy kidnaps his girlfriend and he has to use his powers to get her back. The story structure is a little more advanced. They start in the middle of the action and then they tell the backstory through flashbacks. It’s as much of a comedy as it is a superhero action flick. The humor was witty and fresh and I was laughing hysterically every couple of minutes. There were also a few touching moments that I wasn’t expecting. It made a surreal character seem real, relatable, and likeable.

As strange as it sounds, I think Deadpool is a great date movie. There’s enough violence for the men, there’s enough romance for the ladies, and it’s funny enough to keep everyone entertained. It’s a solid flick all around. That’s hard to do these days. So go and see it if you were on the fence about it. It’s worth it.

Critically Rated at 15/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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February 5, 2016 · 4:58 pm

Air Drums

I was cruising to work on my longboard, weaving in and out of the pedestrians while blasting nineties rock songs on Pandora when I caught myself playing the air drums. I was hitting the imaginary hi-hat with my left hand, rapping the invisible snare with my right, and every once in a while I would play my way through the tom-toms. Air drums mean that I’m feeling the music. Some people jam out by playing the air guitar, some people prefer the air piano/keyboard, and everyone gets down to a sexy air saxophone solo, but I’m all about the air drums. I think they are the most fun to play. As long as there’s a beat you’ve got something to rock out to. Air guitarists sometimes have to wait for the guitar solo to rock out, but you can go crazy on the air drums anytime you want. I can play practically any air instrument, but the air drums had me hooked right away.

Critically Rated at 16/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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February 3, 2016 · 6:29 pm

The First Time I Snuck Into a Movie

I used to be a child actor. My best job was a play at Berkeley Repertory Theatre when I was fourteen. Child labor laws are a bit tricky in the business, so I was double cast with another actor. That means we took turns playing the same role so we weren’t working fulltime and could still go to school and stuff. I was double cast with a kid named Eli Marienthal. He had solid career. He was in a bunch of movies and TV shows. You might not know his name, but you’ve seen him before. Anyway, we had a couple weeks of rehearsals together and one time we got out early and had the whole afternoon to spend in Berkeley before our moms came to pick us up. We decided to go to the movies and so we did.

There’s no good way of setting up this story so I will just say what fucking happened. We bought tickets to The Iron Giant because it was Rated PG and snuck into American Pie because it was Rated R and we wanted to see it. We were teenagers and teenagers are supposed to rebel. That was the first time I snuck into a movie. I felt like a badass. It wasn’t until a few years later that I realized how cool that situation actually was. I bought a ticket to a movie so I could sneak into another movie with a friend who was in both movies. Yessiree, Eli Marienthal was the voice of Hogarth Hughes, the animated protagonist in The Iron Giant, and he also played Stifler’s little brother in American Pie. It’s not as exciting as seeing Jim Carrey movies with Jim Carrey, but it’s still pretty cool. I’ll take it. It’s also kind of funny that people used to sneak into movies. Now we just download them.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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February 2, 2016 · 5:22 pm

Music Visualizer

Every now and then, if I really like a band, I will buy an album of theirs on iTunes. I like iTunes because I have access to anything I purchase from there will be available on my iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Pro. My favorite way to listen to an album for the first time is to play it on my laptop with a nice set of headphones plugged in. I always make it a point to turn on the visualizer. A music visualizer is a feature that makes music visual, in case you couldn’t figure that out for yourself. The next time you catch yourself listening to music through a media player, check to see if there is a visualizer option. That shit takes it to another level. The notes of a song become swirls of smoke, or dots and dashes, or bolts of electricity. Colors shift and patterns change and you’ll go on a journey through time and space if you only give in and let yourself go. Smoke a bowl and enjoy the light show.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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January 31, 2016 · 6:02 pm

Marvel’s Jessica Jones

I’m a little late to the game, but I finally finished the first season of Jessica Jones on Netflix. Jessica Jones is one of the minor superheroes in the Marvel Universe. She’s appeared in a bunch of comics but she’s never been as mainstream as Spider-Man, Hulk, Iron Man, etc. But now she has her own show, so Girl Power! and all that. Krysten Ritter stars as the titular character. She’s a washed-up superhero that currently works as a private detective. She ends up taking a case that becomes personal and her traumatic past comes back to haunt her. That sounds like a stereotypical film noir plot, but remember this is the Marvel Universe and crazy shit happens.

If you liked Daredevil, you should watch Jessica Jones. They take place in the same timeline, alongside the future Netflix shows Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Eventually all four heroes will team up in The Defenders, the Netflix equivalent of The Avengers. It’s going to be epic. Luke Cage is a character in Jessica Jones and he’s a badass. I can’t wait to see what his own show will be like.

Jessica Jones is slower paced than Daredevil. It kind of creeps along and I had to force myself to get past the first three episodes. There’s a lot of character development and not as much action as hoped. Then the plot kicks in and you start to see what they are trying to do. I think it’s more aimed towards women. I’m not trying to give much away, but the main villain stalks, torments, manipulates, and controls Jessica Jones. She has to fight for her right to be her own person. It’s about abusive relationships as much as it’s about fighting evil with superpowers.

The supporting cast is pretty solid, but David Tennant deserves the most praise for his portrayal of Kilgrave, the main antagonist. I really don’t want to spoil anything here, but I am so don’t read what I’m about to say if you plan on watching the show. Ok, ready? Here it is! SPOILER: he can control minds. He can make people do whatever he wants so he can do a lot of damage. David Tennant can make you sympathize with him, and make you believe that he’s not really evil. It seems like an oxymoron, but he’s a good villain, and you can’t have a good superhero without a good villain.

Marvel’s Jessica Jones isn’t my favorite show. But I would recommend it. That’s what I’m doing now. You would probably like it if you like superhero detective stories and strong female characters. It’s dark and gritty and realistic despite characters with superpowers. It’s worth binge watching.

Critically Rated at 13/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed By Brendan H. Young

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January 28, 2016 · 8:28 pm

Comebacks

I am a dude and dudes have a tendency to communicate with insults and putdowns. We try to belittle and embarrass each other in order to impress each other. It’s not bullying, it’s bonding. When somebody makes fun of you, that’s an open window for you to make fun of them back. It’s important to have a couple of comebacks in your arsenal. If someone talks shit about your shoes, you should say that it was all their mom could afford. If they make fun of your hairstyle, you should say that it’s how their mom likes it. Those are witty comebacks. And remember, you can always replace their mom with another family member. Mixing it up keeps your comebacks fresh.

Lazy comebacks are the worst. Those are when you repeat back their insult with a slight twist. You’re not going to impress anyone if they say that you’re stupid and you say that they’re dumb. The point of a comeback is to regain the respect your opponent just stole from you. If you can’t say anything clever, than shut the fuck up and accept defeat. It’s better in the long run.

Sometimes comebacks don’t even have to be targeted at the other person. You can a self-deprecating comeback. Insulting yourself more than they insulted you can be just as effective as insulting them. If they call you ugly, tell them you’re aware of the situation and that’s why you don’t take selfies. You’ll get a bigger laugh than they did and they won’t have a good response. They will be lazy if they continue to call you ugly and they can’t switch to a different insult. The self-deprecating comeback is a great defense, but you have to be cautious when insulting yourself. Don’t say that you wet the bed or anything like that.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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January 26, 2016 · 8:55 pm

Live Photos

So I recently upgraded to the iPhone 6s from an iPhone 4 and I’m still finding out some of the amazing things my phone can do. One of the coolest features on the new iPhone is Live Photos. Each picture is like a little movie. When you take a picture, it also records the moments before and after you took it. When you press down on the photo, it comes to life. It’s fricking rad, like some Harry Potter shit. It’s magic. You’ll see you and your friend settling into the perfect pose for a selfie. You’ll see dogs wagging their tails and running around. You’ll see babies laughing and drunk friends stumbling. You’ll see waterfalls falling and waves crashing and birds moving across the sky. There’s sound and everything. It’s like you’re right back there experiencing it again. Technology. It blows my mind sometimes.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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January 25, 2016 · 1:25 pm

Secret Talent

It’s funny how you can know a person for years and think you know everything about them. And then one day they reveal a secret talent that you never knew they had. It’s kind of like finding out that you were friends with a superhero the whole time. A lot of people have a talent or skill that they don’t really talk about. Maybe they are modest, maybe they are a little embarrassed about it, maybe they chose a career instead of chasing a dream, but I feel like most people have a secret talent. I have one friend who doesn’t have a car, but he can take an engine apart and put it back together again. I had no idea he was such an accomplished mechanic. Every now and then I discover that a friend is good at drawing, or painting, or writing poetry, or photography, or has a knack for playing an instrument. It always boggles my mind. If you have talent, you should flaunt it. It shouldn’t be a secret. You should be proud of what you can do. Just don’t be an asshole about it.

Critically Rated at 15/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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January 15, 2016 · 7:49 pm

Discovering a New Band

I’m thirty years old now and I’m set in my ways. I know what I like and I like what I know. So I end up listening to a lot of the bands and artists that I liked in high school and college. But hearing the same things over and over again eventually gets stale and I feel compelled to branch out, to experience new sounds. Discovering a new band you like is a great feeling (new to you, not necessarily a recently formed band). I have a friend who doubles as my concert buddy. It’s a pretty awesome arrangement. She is young and hip and loves music. She finds bands that she thinks I will like, tells me to listen to them, gets me addicted to them, and then tells me that they are playing a show nearby because she knows that I will want to see them live and she has someone to go to the concert with. Diabolical, I know. Discovering a new band is like making a new friend. You instantly like them, feel a connection, and forge a bond. It’s not something you should take for granted. Good things don’t happen all the time, ya know.

Critically Rated at 16/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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January 12, 2016 · 7:19 pm

Netflix Music

Yo, Netflix! Where the music at? You have a bunch of movies, documentaries, television shows, and original content. You even have your own version of the Yule Log and New Year’s Eve Countdowns. I think that it’s time you step your game up and start streaming music videos or concert footage. You guys changed the way the world watches TV. It wouldn’t be much too hard for you to change the way we experience music. You could have your own concert series. Hell, you could have your own record label if you wanted to. I think you should. I think it’s a great idea. I’m happy to take credit for it. Just make a check out to me when you guys get on board. Oh, and you’re welcome.

Critically Rated at 15/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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December 23, 2015 · 9:20 pm

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS!!)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the seventh installment of the Star Wars franchise. It’s the first film of the newest trilogy, and the first truly great Star Wars film since The Empire Strikes Back (Return of the Jedi was a glorified toy commercial and a bit of a letdown. It’s still better than the prequel trilogy though). J.J. Abrams takes over the director’s chair and breaths fresh life into the series. There are new characters, new planets, new aliens, but with enough nostalgia to bring a smile to the most cynical of Star Wars fans. If you don’t like this film, you don’t like Star Wars and I feel bad for you. You have no sense of fun or adventure and you bring everyone down around you.

I didn’t have the chance to see The Force Awakens on opening night. I finally got to see it yesterday. It was worth the wait. I almost teared up as the introductory text crawl appeared onscreen. It’s been a long time since we visited Luke Skywalker and friends. To find out he was missing was surprising. Instantly you wonder what lies ahead. The first action sequence was overwhelming and you knew that you got your money’s worth right away.

I don’t want to talk too much about the plot. I don’t think the plot is all that important. Star Wars was always more about the characters. If you don’t care about the characters, you won’t care about what happens to them. John Boyega plays Finn, a stormtrooper that quickly finds his conscious and joins the resistance. You can see his reluctance to kill before you ever see his face. Daisy Ridley play Rey, a fierce and tough scavenger who is thrust into an adventure she never planned for but is completely capable of handling. The most important new character is arguably BB-8, the droid that dominated the Christmas toy market. He is a robot that beeps and boops like R2-D2 and seems like a mechanical puppy a lot of the time. If you don’t buy him, you won’t like the film. He’s like Wall-E. He’s a mechanical object that has more emotions than a fourteen-year-old girl.

The new characters aren’t all good guys either. You have to have some bad guys for them to fight against. The Force Awakens has bad guys in spades. There’s Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, a masked villain who inevitably reminds you of Darth Vader, yet is still relatable. It helps that he takes his mask off and you find out his backstory in this film as opposed to waiting a few years for the sequel to discover who he is. He reminds me of Tom Hiddleston as Loki in the Marvel cinematic universe. Andy Serkis portrays Supreme Leader Snoke, the mysterious master of the dark side who is pulling the strings behind the scenes. We have a lot more to learn about him. Domhnall Gleeson plays General Hux, the Grand Moff Tarkin of the new trilogy. He’s a bad guy, but he’s a bureaucrat as opposed to an evil Jedi.

I haven’t even started talking about the returning characters. Harrison Ford and Peter Mayhew returning as Han Solo and Chewbacca was worth the price of admission alone. They had a much bigger part than I thought they would. I was expecting a glorified cameo. It was anything but. They drove the plot forward. Carrie Fisher returned as Leia Organa. She’s a general as opposed to a princess now. Anthony Daniels returns as C-3PO, although he’s almost unrecognizable with his new red arm. You also see a lot of former background characters reappear. I won’t lie, it was awesome seeing Admiral Ackbar and Nien Nunb again. I didn’t know that I missed them. I did.

The best thing about The Force Awakens is that it feels like a new Star Wars film. You get to catch up with old characters but the focus is on the new characters and nothing feels forced about it (enjoy that pun). There’s a passing of the torch. It’s not about Luke, Leia, and Han anymore. That’s a good thing. You don’t want to live in the past. Well, maybe you do but you shouldn’t.

You need to see this movie and it’s best to see it with other Star Wars nerds. It’s much more enjoyable to share a look and a comment with a friend when you both catch an obscure reference. It’s not a perfect movie, but no movies are. It’s still exciting and it hooks you in and leaves you breathless until the end. There are only a few characters and scenes that seem out of place but it all seems like is building up to something in the sequels. I will testify that we sat in the theater when the film ended and talked about everything we witnessed as the credits rolled. It’s not often that you want to immediately go back and watch what you just saw. That’s a testament to how satisfying The Force Awakens was. I could write a lot more about this movie. I’m going to drink a beer instead.

Critically Rated at 16/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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December 15, 2015 · 12:40 pm

Chasing Tyson

Chasing Tyson is an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary about Evander Holyfield’s quest for glory and respect, and more importantly, to escape being stuck in Mike Tyson’s shadow. Holyfield was one of the greatest boxers of all time. He clawed his way up the boxing ranks and gradually became the only four-time heavyweight champion of the world, but he’s still best remembered for being the guy that Mike Tyson bit.

The documentary follows the two boxers as their careers unfold. Mike Tyson was a superstar, knocking people out quickly and brutally. He was crazy and dangerous and the media loved him for it. He transcended boxing. Evander Holyfield was the exact opposite. He was quiet, calm, and unassuming. He didn’t have explosive knockout power, but he had heart and the skill necessary to beat Tyson yet nobody believed that he stood a chance against him.

Holyfield did everything he could to prove himself as worthy opponent to Tyson. He beat everyone that Tyson beat, and that still wasn’t enough. The only way to prove that he was better than Tyson was to beat Tyson. Their long awaited fight was delayed for years while Mike Tyson served time in prison, and the two fighters were well past their prime when they finally met in the ring.

Mike Tyson will always be one of the most remembered and discussed boxers in history. Holyfield will be remembered as well, but mostly because he was linked to Tyson. Holyfield worked longer, harder, and deserves more recognition and respect. He’s never going to get it. Life’s not fair. Just ask Evander Holyfield.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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December 14, 2015 · 3:00 pm

Not So Silent Night 2015

Last Friday night I went to Not So Silent Night. It’s a concert thrown by LIVE 105, a popular Bay Area alternative rock radio station. They throw it every year but this year’s lineup was too good to miss, so I jumped at the chance when my friend asked if I wanted to go. The tickets weren’t too pricey. We got ours for fifty bucks apiece and sat in the front row of the second level. We had an unobstructed view of the stage and people below, plus easy access to the bathrooms. It was a good spot.

We got to the concert a little late. We missed out on X Ambassadors completely. I don’t really know them though, so no harm, no foul. We got there just as Foals came out. They played for about twenty minutes or so. They were alright. Nothing too spectacular. CHVRCHES were next. I’ve been looking forward to seeing them for a while. Now I can cross that off the bucket list. Their set was only about thirty minutes. Halsey was after that. I’m not too familiar with her music and I’m still not. She was good though, just not my style.

Silversun Pickups played after that. I first saw Silversun Pickups at Outside Lands in 2009 and they instantly became one of my favorite bands. They were the main reason I wanted to go to Not So Silent Night. They have such a great sound and vibe. They played for about forty minutes, which wasn’t nearly enough time for them to play everything I wanted to hear. Bastille was after Silversun Pickups. I don’t know Bastille too well. I only know “Pompeii” and they played that. It’s much better live.

Death Cab for Cutie was next. They played around an hour and ten minutes and were able to cram a lot of their hits in. Ben Gibbard has one of the best voices in the music industry today and it was awesome to see him perform live for the first time in my life. I would definitely go see them again.

Weezer was the headliner and they deserved to be. They’ve been around for a long time and they are still coming out with great songs. They played for an hour and twenty minutes. Not too long, but long enough. They played some new stuff, but they also played almost everything I wanted to hear… “Undone – The Sweater Song,” “Say It Ain’t So,” “Hash Pipe,” “Beverly Hills,” “Perfect Situation,” and “Buddy Holly” to name a few. The whole crowd was singing along to every song. A few people even raised lighters over their heads. Real lighters, not cellphones. It was a sight to see.

That was my first Not So Silent Night and it probably won’t be my last. They crammed in a lot of solid bands, and there was only a ten-minute delay between sets. It was nonstop entertainment. I don’t like paying a lot of money to only see one or two bands. I saw seven bands (it could have been eight) in one night. That’s a lot of bang for my buck. Totally worth it.

Critically Rated at 15/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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December 11, 2015 · 1:58 pm

Liberian Girl

“Liberian Girl” is a single from Michael Jackson’s album Bad. It’s an alright song, some would describe it as filler material, but it’s catchy and has a cool, sexy vibe to it. He made a music video for it because of course he did. The video’s premise is kind of meta. It’s about a bunch of eighties celebrities meeting on a soundstage to film the music video for “Liberian Girl.” It’s a virtual Who’s Who of eighties entertainment. It’s kind of funny to watch it now and try to name all the celebrities. Some of them are still famous and some of them are pretty obscure. Are they still famous if nobody remembers them? Anyway, so all the celebrities are talking amongst each other while wondering where Michael is and what the video is going to be about, all the while the song is playing in the background almost unnoticed. You keep waiting for the music video to actually start, and then Michael Jackson is revealed to have been filming them all along, and that’s how the music video ends. It’s one of his most unique videos. He’s not really in it, there’s no dance choreography, and the song is not really the main focus. I included the video below. Watch it. Try to guess all the celebrities. Turn it into a drinking game.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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December 7, 2015 · 9:51 pm

Bands I’ve Seen at Outside Lands

I’m too lazy think of something to write about right now so I figured I would just make a list of all the bands I’ve seen at Outside Lands. In case you don’t know, Outside Lands is a three-day music and arts festival held annually in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. I live two blocks away from Golden Gate Park. I’m pretty much required to go and so I do. It’s a three-day festival in my backyard. How can I not go?

The first Outside Lands was in 2008. That was a long time ago so I can’t remember all the bands that I saw, but I remember seeing Beck, Dredg, Matt Nathanson, Steve Winwood, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Wilco, and all three main headliners: Radiohead, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and Jack Johnson.

In 2009 I saw Incubus, Tom Jones, Silversun Pickups, the National, Black Eyed Peas, The Mars Volta, M.I.A., Modest Mouse, Matt & Kim, Atmosphere, Ween, and the three main headliners again: Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, and Tenacious D. The Beastie Boys were supposed to be Sunday’s headliner but MCA got cancer and they were replaced by Tenacious D. Jack Black and K.G. put on a hell of a show, but that was my only chance to ever see the Beastie Boys.

Ok, so I might have lied earlier when I said that I’ve been to every Outside Lands because I didn’t buy tickets the third year because of various reasons. I was supposed to work that entire weekend but somehow got Sunday off. I celebrated by going to Golden Gate Park with some friends that night and listened to Kings of Leon’s set. We were on the wrong side of the fence, but I kinda sorta consider that as going to Outside Lands. Anyway, I learned from my mistake and vowed to never do that again.

In 2011 I saw Phantogram, Foster the People, MGMT, Phish, OK Go, Arctic Monkeys, the Black Keys, and Muse. I didn’t like Sunday’s lineup so I sold the ticket to a friend. I kind of regret it.

I kept my 2012 guide so I know exactly who I saw and when I saw them. 8/10/2012 was a Friday and I started the day by watching Tanlines, then Fitz and the Tantrums, Beck (again), Foo Fighters, and ended the night with Neil Young & Crazy Horse. Saturday began with Geographer, followed by Alabama Shakes, Big Boi, Passion Pit, and finished with Metallica. Sunday’s first set was Allen Stone, then fun., Franz Ferdinand, Regina Spektor, Santigold, Bloc Party, and it concluded with Stevie Wonder.

2013’s OSL rolled around and I saw Band of Horses, the National, Zedd, and Paul McCartney on Friday. I saw Social Studies, Atlas Genius, Young the Giant, Jurassic 5, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, a little bit of Nine Inch Nails, and then Phoenix on Saturday. On Sunday I saw Foals, Daryl Hall & John Oates (and yes, they did play “Maneater”), A-Trak, Matt & Kim (again), and closed the weekend with Red Hot Chili Peppers.

I misplaced my 2014 guide, but I know that I saw Aer, Bleachers, Holy Ghost! Chromeo, Disclosure, The Kooks, Local Natives, Haim, Death Cab for Cutie, Imelda May, Flume, Spoon, and Kanye West, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (again), and The Killers.

Don’t worry though, I have my 2015 guide so I can tell you that on Friday, 8/7/2015 I saw the Family Crest, Lake Street Dive, Lindsey Sterling, Glass Animals, RL Grime, Chet Faker, Porter Robinson, and Mumford & Sons. On Saturday I saw Misterwives, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Cold War Kids, Toro y Moi, Tame Impala, Classixx, and Kendrick Lamar. On Sunday I saw Shakey Graves, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, DJ Mustard, Odesza, Sam Smith, Caribou, and Elton John.

Outside Lands is a big part of my life. I look forward to it every year. I will blindly buy a ticket before they announce the lineup. It doesn’t matter who is playing. I love discovering bands that I haven’t heard before. I love finding out how popular bands sound live. I love seeing living legends like Paul McCartney and Elton John take the stage. I love forming temporary friendships with the random festival-goers around me, passing joints and sharing booze while killing time before the next set starts. I’m all about living life and Outside Lands is one of those places where I feel truly alive.

Critically Rated at 16/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

2014-08-05-vintagewoodenwindmillsatOutsideLandsJeffKravitzFilmMagic

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