We came, we saw, we walked (a lot), and ate (even more), but we'll be back next year to do it all over again, Outside Lands. The heavy hitters hit the big stage hard with Metallica, The Who, and Gorillaz all delivering stellar performances. It's also worth noting that there was a very special cameo performance by Bay Area's one and only Karl the Fog.  He actually played almost every set!  

While the greats were great, I want to shine the spotlight on some of the smaller indie bands who made OSL17 complete. In no particular order, because I hate listing my favorites, here's our top 5 indie performances:

1.  The Lemon Twigs – Honestly, I didn't know who these guys were, but their energy was electric. The D'Addario brothers were channeling their inner Freddie Mercury and Alice Cooper vibes. Other than the boring-ish intro, they are definitely worth seeing live. Anyone else catch that a capella song?!

2.  Foxygen – OK I'll say it, I wasn't on this bandwagon initially, but each time I see these guys live, I find myself grooving out. They must be doing something right...unless I was grooving out for no apparent reason.  

3.  SOHN – Unless you haven't seen him before, there's really no surprise here. I fully knew what I was getting into here, and SOHN delivered, drawing one of the bigger crowds to the Panhandle stage.

4.  Frenship – And the award for drawing the largest crowd at the Panhandle stage goes to Frenship. I had only heard one song prior to their performance, and I, unfortunately, identified them as a cookie-cutter electronic pop band. Either way, there is no denying the musical talent with these guys.

5.  Royal Blood – Last but not least, Royal Blood. I really like these guys and their new album, but I hate how I always compare them to Muse. I wish I would cut that out, because they're not Muse. They are Royal Blood; A bloody good UK band!

6.  If you are still reading this, you might have asked yourself, "Why is there 6 things when he said Top 5?" I am reserving this for the big runner up, and that is to all of the amazing food served at this festival. From Monkey Bread Chicken Parm Melts to Porcini Doughnuts with Raclette Cheese to Crab Rolls to Churned-to-Order Ice Cream, I needed a wheel chair between sets.

Catch me Outside Lands.