Perhaps due to the impending System of a Down and Deftones concert next weekend, Outside Lands seemed to trade rock for country this year, but the festival organizers did have one very loud trick up their sleeve: Slowdive. The shoegaze pioneers, known for their pingponging delayed guitars and dense-but-shimmering distortion, closed out Sunday night on the Sutro stage. Between the cinematic harmonies, illuminated forest and hypnotizing visuals, it made for a meditative comedown from an otherwise sugar-coated weekend of pop music. — SFGATE senior culture editor Dan Gentile
