My afternoon departure was greeted with some welcome SF sunshine & warm temps as I walked towards the bus stop. By the time the bus made it down to Golden Gate Park, all signs of that lovely weather were gone. No bother. I had my gloves, scarf, hat, and blanket, ready to withstand anything the day had to bring. I found myself over in Lindley Meadow, up on an embankment that ran along the edge of the area. I spread out my blanket, pulled out my successfully smuggled snacks, and had a private picnic for one with the sounds of Devendra Banhart streaming from the stage ahead of me. As his show came to an end, I watched the mass of people move away from the stage, slow & steady like a glacier. I sat waiting patiently to see just how many people would clear out. It turned out, most of them. I meandered down the hill, closing in on the stage. I found a lovely spot on a slope at stage right already dotted with others planning to enjoy the show from the comfort of their blankets. I made camp and in seemingly no time, the gaps around me slowly filled. I was just high enough to see over those standing in front of me but close enough to feel part of the show that was about to begin.

M. Ward quietly took the stage and breathed a “hello, San Francisco” to the crowd that had gathered. They began with Poison Cup and proceeded to play Post-War in its entirety, closing with a drawn out jam of Afterword/Rag. It was simple and lovely. He’s very well-suited to an outdoor venue. Sure, I would have enjoyed hearing some older tracks, but playing the album set did make for a seamless show. The guitar solos were outstanding. I’ve never seen anyone bent over his guitar, playing so intensely. Even the other musicians on stage seemed to be in awe at his picking. Post-War melted my heart and Chinese Translation made me sway and when I closed my eyes, I was transported to another time. The sound was perfect, and looking over the crowd, you might have confused the show with a small town street festival. It was entirely opposite of a typical “rock” show. People weren’t just rocking out, they were happily dancing like it was a party.

I had an hour to pass before The Walkmen took the stage, so I caught the latter part of Nellie McKay’s show. Two songs in, and I was pretty confused by her entire act. I knew nothing about this lady, and I couldn’t determine if she was drunk/high, mentally challenged, or just a bit strange. She made some amusing remarks, but really, I did not enjoy her performance all that much, though the several people around me who kept repeating, “Man, I love her.” begged to differ. She gets points for being a strange character and addressing some good topics in her songs & in-between soap boxes, I suppose.

I sat my blanket down directly in front of the stage. I’ve been wanting to see The Walkmen for at least 4 years, but they’ve never played anywhere close to me. Well, I cannot say they are as well-suited to the outdoor setup. In fact, it seemed a bit weird seeing them in plain dress, but it did not lessen the impact of the music. Though they played several tracks off their upcoming release, You & Me, they did pull out several Bows+Arrows tracks, including two of my favorites, No Christmas While I’m Talking and Thinking of a Dream I Had. The intensity of the latter made me think it was the show closer. I was rocking out as much as I had room to and singing along. They killed it. Vocals were stretched to the max. I thought he might explode. It was so great. I really, really hope I can catch them at another venue. I had always feared they would be one of those bands that are less good live, but I was completely mistaken. It was a fantastic performance, and I got to take it in front & center. Even one of the security guys said to some of us after the show, “I’d never heard of these guys, but they’re pretty awesome.” More unexpected when I tell you he was a really large hispanic man with a shaved head and wrap-around shades. Stereotypes are just so hard to break. I would have loved to hear We’ve Been Had or Hang on, Shioban but I heard enough of B+A to leave completely satisfied.

I ventured back to the same spot on the hill where I had started the day to sample some Cake. I wasn’t close enough to see much, but they sounded great. It was near 7pm by then, and it was pretty cold. I was wrapped in my blanket too tightly to consider clapping, but the thousands of others had it under control. They seemed to talk more than they played, but did play through the classics Wheels, Sheep Go To Heaven, and Never There, the show closer. Show moment to highlight was the giving away of a tree. He literally surveyed the crowd for a person who could name the type of tree he had on stage. Well, a guy not only knew it was an oak but new it was a “live oak.” So this guy walks up to the edge of the stage and the lead singer hands the man a tree and asks only that he send them photos of him with the tree as it grows up. I thought that was really cool. “Hey, look honey, Cake gave me a tree.”

About half the Cake audience dispersed mid-set to venture over to the polo fields in preparation for Tom Petty, which was set to kick off 10 minutes after Cake wrapped up. I walked in to the polo fields and looked upon the 3/4 full grounds. After some debate, I forged on toward the stage, discovering a railing along the side which provided a clear view of one of the screens and 1/4 of the stage. I took it. I enjoy a lot of Tom Petty songs, but I’d be lying if I said I was really anxious to see the show. I had pretty much decided I wouldn’t be sticking around the whole time. I enjoyed Free Fallin’ and Last Dance with Mary Jane from my close spot, before venturing away from the stage to take in the ambiance of the evening lighting. After finding I’d taken pictures of just about everything, Petty announced Steve Winwood would join them on stage, so I stuck around to see that since I had passed on his solo set earlier. I actually didn’t realize who he was at the time. I don’t know many Traffic songs either, though.

By this time, I was 3/4 back in the polo field, well behind the mass of people and very much standing by myself in the dark with the glow of a stage far out ahead of me. It was a surreal moment, being near thousands of people and yet feeling as if I had the place all to myself. I thought ahead to years from now. I thought about younger generations getting to my age and possibly getting in to bands that I had enjoyed at their age who by that time have long since been broken up or buried. I pictured them looking on me with the same envy that I do with people years older than me now who got to see the likes of Hendrix and The Doors. I want them to be overcome by the power of OK Computer, and I can tell them of the night I saw Radiohead in Golden Gate Park and heard thousands of people sing along to Karma Police. And after this festival, that story will translate to so many other great bands. I was still by myself all day today, but I’m making some amazing memories and completely comfortable doing it alone.

As you may have guessed by now, I left about half-way through the Petty show. It was freezing, and I knew I could get home a bit faster if I left before the masses. Sure enough, I was home in only an hour tonight. I had time between bus transfers to stop in for a chai at Starbucks (free, thanks to Ashley’s gift card). It was so good. In fact, I just finished it. When I got off the bus, it was strange that the Marina felt warmer than where I’d been. I can’t say for sure whether it really was warmer, or if it were just the effects of the chai or just that warm feeling you get when you’ve been away from home for awhile and you’re almost back. Either way, as I sipped on my chai and walked the few remaining blocks to my place, I was greeted by Karma Police on my ipod. I smiled and rediscovered my Radiohead happy place all over again as I sang along.

See all festival photos. I love my Powershot. Sure, digital zoom is a bad idea in general, but it helped me see things I couldn’t and the quality wasn’t nearly as bad as expected. My back is thankful not to have the extra weight of the DSLR, too.

Tomorrow marks the last day of the festival. It has a lot of awesome to live up to.