Best Moments & Events From the 2015 Outside Lands Festival

Outside Lands is one of the hottest celebrations of music, wine, beer, food, comedy, and art. The festival takes place at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Last year, this impressive festival offered concert-goers great music, good food, and wonderful guest comics. 

Although the music line-up for Outside Lands hasn’t been released for 2016, the festival brings some of the biggest acts in the world to San Francisco. In 2015, Kendrick Lamar and Elton John were among the stars that performed. 

If you are thinking about going to this event this year, check out some of the best moments from last year’s festivities to get an idea of what you might be in store for at this year’s event. 

Kendrick Lamar's Fan Dedication

The hip-hop artist performed one of his songs to a fan that was crowd-surfing in a wheelchair. He asked the audience to carry the fan to the front so that he could dedicate a performance of his hit song "Alright" to the fan.

The GastoMagic Stage

The GastroMagic stage was not a music stage, but rather a food stage. This stage featured world-famous chefs, dancers, musicians, and comedians for live cooking demonstrations. The stage showcased the great food offerings available in San Francisco. It also offered some of the most interesting performances at the festival. French Soul Food restaurateurs rewarded audience members who twerked with beignets. Local butchers performed their duties among break dancers. A discussion about mezcal was paired with mambo dancers. 

Billy Idol Rocking Out

Rock and roll icon Billy Idol delivered a high-energy performance that delighted fans at last year’s festival. He performed a number of his signature punk-rock hits, including “Dancing With Myself”. Billy Idol and his band rocked tight leather and cool hairstyles. 

Elton John’s Performance

Elton John closed out the festival in style last year. Fans were delightfully shocked to see Elton John perform his biggest hits. He performed "Tiny Dancer" among other hits. 

For 2016, Outside Lands will run from August 5th through August 7th. Last year, the festival sold out in less than one hour, so you will need to act very quickly if you want tickets for Outside Lands for this year. 

Which Seats Are Actually the Best Seats in the House?

Front row center has the reputation of being the best place to sit at any event in a theater, but it isn’t always that simple. Some people avoid the front row, especially at movies, and would rather be a few rows back. Figuring out which seats are the best for you depends on your personal preference, the type of even you’re attending, and the theater itself. If you’re planning to attend an event at a venue you’ve never been to before, doing a little research before you buy tickets can help you to find seats that won’t disappoint.

You can often find seating charts for venues online at either the venue’s own website or a ticket seller’s website. The seating chart will give you an idea of how large the theater is, and how close the first row is to the stage. If shows have seats available in the pit, that means that the first row is farther back. Seats in the pit are usually the most expensive and as close as you can get to the action on stage. 

Balcony seats are usually the cheapest seats, and for good reason. If the theater has a mezzanine and a balcony, the balcony is even higher and farther from the stage than the mezzanine. Sometimes balcony seats are similarly priced to mezzanine seats, and the lower mezzanine may be a better deal. If the theater doesn’t have both, even if it calls its upper level the mezzanine, remember that this is basically a balcony.

One of the best ways to find out where the good seats are in an unfamiliar theater is to go to the website of the theater and read reviews or message board comments. You can also find reviews and comments about specific theaters on event or entertainment ratings sites. If there is a message board for the specific theater, you can simply ask questions like, “What are the best seats here?” or, “What seats should be avoided?” You may be surprised at the helpful replies you receive from people who are familiar with the theater, and this kind of direct information can help you figure out where you want to sit at a certain show.