{"id":429100,"date":"2026-08-10T20:44:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T20:44:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/429100\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T20:44:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T20:44:12","slug":"outside-lands-review-rufus-du-sol-empire-of-the-sun-perform-on-day-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/429100\/","title":{"rendered":"Outside Lands review: Rufus du Sol, Empire of the Sun perform on Day 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

Electronic music is king at Outside Lands<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s been true for ages, but it absolutely manifested itself during this year\u2019s three-day festival<\/a> as electronic music continued to outdraw all other genres.<\/p>\n

Sure, there were some exceptions \u2014 most notably, the Day 1 sets by rock buzz bands Geese and Turnstile that brought out massive crowds at the festival at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco<\/a>. Yet, for the most part, it was EDM\/electronic-pop acts that absolutely dominated over hip-hop, indie-pop, alt-rock and the many other genres represented at the 2026 Outside Lands<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That was especially true for the final day (Sunday, Aug. 9), which was topped by two of Australia\u2019s biggest electronic music exports \u2014 R\u00fcf\u00fcs du Sol and Empire of the Sun \u2014 as well as massively popular DJ\/producer Disco Lines and other notables from the genre.<\/p>\n

\"FireFire shoots up from the stage as Disco Lines plays the Lands End stage during Outside Lands on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026. (Chris Riley\/Times-Herald)\u00a0<\/p>\n

The best of the bunch was main-stage headliner R\u00fcf\u00fcs du Sol, which drew way more than its fair share \u2014 maybe 80 percent? \u2014 of the 75,000 music fans who filled Outside Lands<\/a> to capacity on Sunday. (The rest of the attendees could be found watching either Death Cab for Cutie or Baby Keem on the festival\u2019s two other big stages.)<\/p>\n

Vocalist-keyboardist Tyrone Lindqvist looked out at the tens of thousands of people in front of him and reflected back upon the first time his Grammy-winning EDM trio out of Sydney performed at Outside Lands. That was 10 years ago, when Lindqvist and crew set up shop at one of the festival\u2019s smaller stages.<\/p>\n

And, wow, how times have changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be back here headlining is a dream,\u201d Lindqvist remarked. \u2018It\u2019s surreal.\u201d<\/p>\n

From our side of the equation \u2014 being out in the crowd and watching the band perform in 2026 \u2014 it didn\u2019t seem surreal at all. Indeed, the group showcased all the reasons why it\u2019s continued to skyrocket in popularity over the last decade as it crafted a wonderfully atmospheric and moving mix of electronic music styles that continually pulsed toward emotionally resonant peaks.<\/p>\n

R\u00fcf\u00fcs du Sol was the last of three EDM acts who drew massive crowds \u2014 or, more likely, the same crowd that just stuck around for all three sets \u2014 at the biggie Lands Ends Stage.<\/p>\n

\"DiscoDisco Lines plays a song about disco and tequila as he holds up his drink at the Lands End stage during Outside Lands on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026. (Chris Riley\/Times-Herald)\u00a0<\/p>\n

The first up was Disco Lines (aka Thadeus Labuszewski), the Boulder, Colorado,-raised DJ\/producer who first caught the listening public\u2019s attention when his remix of Taylor Swift\u2019s \u201cLove Story\u201d went viral on TikTok in 2020.<\/p>\n

The name, however, is a bit misleading \u2014 and I won\u2019t get into the frat-party origins of the moniker. But there\u2019s no real disco to be found in Labuszewski\u2019s musical mix, or really even much of a retro vibe, but rather just a high-energy modern EDM sound that solidly connected with fans at Outside Lands.<\/p>\n

\"LukeLuke Steele plays with Empire of the Sun on the Lands End stage during Outside Lands in San Francisco on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026. (Chris Riley\/Times-Herald)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Empire of the Sun, the other top Aussie act in the mix, followed Disco Lines with its usual\/unusual brand of futuristic, culturally convoluted and yet entirely well-received (at least by the Outside Lands fans) mix of themes and sounds. The costumes and props were as big as the beats and grooves as the band powered through what was no doubt the most over-the-top theatrical event of the 2026 Outside Lands.<\/p>\n

The only non-EDM act who really made an impression on Sunday was Kingfishr, the Irish indie-folk band that is barely known on this side of the Atlantic yet is able to play major arenas back on the Emerald Isle. The group is the real deal \u2014 strong musicianship, solid songs, great stage presence \u2014 and came across like a vastly more interesting version of Mumford & Sons.<\/p>\n

Thus closes the chapter on another Outside Lands. Yet, fans can already start looking forward to the next one \u2014 which, organizers have just announced, will take place Aug. 6-8, 2027.<\/p>\n

\"EddieEddie Keogh sings with Kingfishr on the Sutro Stage during Outside Lands on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026. (Chris Riley\/Times-Herald)\u00a0
\n\"JADEJADE performs on the Lands End stage during Outside Lands on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026. (Chris Riley\/Times-Herald)\u00a0<\/p>\n

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