Photo: Jeff Kravitz
2010 Outside LandsIt's amazing what you can accomplish in three years. Just ask the organizers of Outside Lands, the music / food / art / wine festival which just wrapped up its third annual fiesta in San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Park. It can be likened to SF's version of a more scenic but less crowded Coachella. Although notable changes were made to the festival landscape, the 2010 Outside Lands campaign featured dance-happy DJ sets, amazing local food & wine and a wide range of music every festivalgoer could appreciate.

Traditionally a three-day festival, the 2010 Outside Lands campaign was shortened to two jam-packed yet diversified days of tunes. Nearly 40 acts took to one of the four festival stages over the weekend. Headliners like The Strokes and Furthur championed Saturday's lineup and then Sunday, August 15th happened. Here are some highlights, lowlights and videos from the day.

Photo: Danny Spyra
Dougy Mandagi of The Temper Trap
The Temper Trap: An alternative band from Melbourne, Australia, The Temper Trap was among the day's highlights. Known for their atmospheric sound, The Temper Trap played all the jams from their 2009 debut album Conditions, including "Love Lost" and chart-burning "Sweet Disposition." Frontman Dougy Mandagi wowed with his vocal range and even hopped on the drums for an extended intro of "Science of Fear." A betting man would say we'll be hearing from this band for years to come.

Photo: Jeff Kravitz
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros performing
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros: No matter who you seemed to talk to, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros were high on everyone's to-see list. And for good reason. Talk about a fun, feel good act. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros have slowly been climbing the charts since releasing their debut album Up From Below in July 2009. Since then, the group has built a solid touring reputation based on performing with passion. On Sunday, the stage looked like a blur of 13 people with frontman Alex Ebert leading the parade in a linen suit. The psychadelic posse took the crowd off its feat during its rendition of "Home." Here's video of the E-Sharp song, "Janglin."

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Photo: Jeff Kravitz
Janelle Monae breaks it down
Slightly Stoopid: To be honest, we sacrificed the SD group's homegrown roots-reggae songs to catch our breath in the Chase Freedom Lounge. One of the better decisions of our life. We missed Janelle Monae earlier in the day, but were able to see the singer / songwriter / funktress play a set for the Chase Lounge. She put on a splendid performance, which included a soulful version of "Cold War." In the Chase Lounge, the beer, wine and food flowed, while the accommodations (namely nice couches & restrooms) were lovely. Great touch Chase.

Photo: Jeff Kravitz
P-Thugg and Dave 1 of Chromeo on the ones and twos
Chromeo: The self-described "electrofunk" duo from Montreal made their Outside Lands debut Sunday and it was a solid performance. Comprised of P-Thugg and Dave 1, Chromeo went through favorites like "Needy Girl" and "Fancy Footwork," before playing new track "Night by Night." BNQT caught up with Chromeo to get their thoughts on playing the 2010 Outside Lands and you can see the interview below. Chromeo has a new album dropping September 14th, get pumped.

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Photo: Jeff Kravitz
Phoenix stole the show
Phoenix: You know those bands who sound the same live as they do on albums? Well Phoenix is one of them. The French quartet simply stunned on Sunday. Taking over the main stage (Lands End), Phoenix put on an amazing 1-hour performance that left the crowd wanting more. The set included the likes of "Lasso," "Armistice" and "Lisztomania" before the group ended with crowd-favorite "1901." During 1901, frontman Thomas Mars surfed the crowd for about a minute, althewhile keeping his cool and lyrics in tact. Bravo.

Nas & Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley: Not going to sugarcoat anything here. I was pretty pumped to see Nastradamus do his thing in SF, but I was super disappointed with his performance. He seemed to just go through the motions, while probably thinking how his appearance alone will help pay his alimony settlement to ex-wifey Kelis. Damian Marley and crew kept their cool and showcased their roots-reggae vibe. However, overall it wasn't a very memorable set.

Photo: Jeff Kravitz
Emperor Luke Steele of Empire of the Sun along with
a Swordfish dancer
Empire of the Sun: It's a good thing festival organizers let Aussie duo Empire of the Sun close the Twin Peaks stage on Sunday night. The group's performance just wouldn't have had the same effect if they performed during the day. Led by Luke Steele and his seemingly Gaga-inspired outfit, Empire of the Sun KILLED it song and song again. The set was like a beat parade to a light show spectacular. Steele and counterpart Nick Littlemore even brought their four famous Swordfish girls to dance throughout the hour-long spectacle. The girls changed costumes for nearly every song, of course including a swordfish outfit for "Swordfish Hotkiss Night." The beats, outfits and stage presence were spot on for Empire of the Sun to make their Bay Area debut (and 3rd North American show). Check the vid below.

The 2010 Outside Lands Music Festival was insane. Just being in the city of San Francisco is amazing by itself but adding an epic music festival on top of that tops any person's cake.

- Danny Spyra over and out for BNQT.com.

Go to BNQT.com for more videos.