Today is the last day of the little but mighty Treasure Island Music Festival. Let's take a look back at what went down during its first beautiful (and sunny!) day.
Most notable performance: Ana Tijoux. I really misjudged the performance energy of this French-Chilean bad ass. She started her set off loud and funky and everyone around me was won over by her sick raps en español.
Jungle earns an honorable mention for sounding great and wearing a Giants jersey.
Strangest fashion accessory (spotted on multiple people): Light up scarves, shoes, and backpacks. They were sometimes cool, sometimes hokey.
Best thing eaten all day: Free Kettle chips, mainly because they were free. Friends of mine brought in Bi-Rite sandwiches, which looked better than most of what I saw for sale at the food vendors, except for Chairman Bao and one or two other familiar trucks.
Best band we saw before 3 p.m.: Even though MØ did not sing her cover of the Spice Girl's "Say You'll Be There" like I'd hoped, this set was super fun. Trivia: Her real name is Karen Marie Ørsted.
Show with the best fans: People seemed to truly let it all hang out during Outkast. It might be because they're so loved, and because they're big weirdos (in a good way), or it could be all the day drinking kicked in, but the crowd really came together during this set. Shout out to Jerry and Jason on the horns — their dance moves were on point. Sleepy Brown dancing with Big Boi was almost as good. Their little side steps during "The Way You Move" charmed my pants off.
Can we also talk about André 3000 and Big Boi's fashion? André wore a jumpsuit that said "Have you stopped growing?" and a huge red price tag. I was wondering if it was in reference to selling out? Big Boi wore a loud as fuck matching jacket and shorts, and their backup singers looked fine as hell. I think one was wearing black wings.
What I learned about modern festivals today: Couples costumes are a thing. I saw one couple dressed as a monkey and a banana and another dressed like a space woman and a galaxy. Props to them on their planning.
I also learned that not everyone is a dick at music festivals. The tallest dude I have ever seen (6'7"? Is that possible?) was standing in the very, very back row, being a totally good guy and not blocking anyone's view. Thank you, freakishly tall guy.
Today’s WTF: Janelle Monae's mic didn't work for her first one and a half songs. Understandably, people were losing their shit. It was incredibly frustrating to watch her belting her heart out but not be able to hear her. When the sound got working, she really got working too. The band still sounded kind of weird for a while, but her voice sounded flawless and she knows how to put on a show.
MØ wore an eye patch. Before you judge, she explained herself and said she knew it was kind of silly but that she actually had an eye infection, so she had to wear it.
Overheard at Treasure Island Music Fest: "Tomorrow's lineup is so much better." I'm more down for Saturday's artists myself, but it seemed like most people were especially excited to see TV on the Radio today. Have fun and stay safe!
If you need a ride home from the festival tonight, we have a boat with a bar, food, and a DJ. Get tickets here.