OutKast

OutKast

For a second there, I considered not seeing OutKast. I saw them last week in California, and there was that issue of them conflicting with Damon Albarn, who’s one of my favorite musicians ever. This, even given those facts, was crazy talk. If you are in a position to see OutKast in 2014, you should do so. The set was identical to my experience last week at BottleRock, but I was still engrossed in just about every second of it. The bonus of having seen them last week was, where everything was surprising and new then, I knew what structure Friday night would take. I got to be excited for the ebb and flow, to know when favorites were creeping up. And, like last week, they delivered over and over — Andre and Big Boi are master showmen and artists, and as it turns out master festival headliners. Honestly, I don’t have much of anything new to say than what I said last week during my BottleRock recaps. Just a reiteration: seeing OutKast headline a festival this year is something you should do. It’s the uncommon thing that’s actually better when experienced in a massive crowd, to witness the sheer sway these guys have over the audience, and to witness the sheer power of a very large number of people dancing, and singing, and rapping along to “B.O.B” or “Ms. Jackson,” or “Roses.” To put it simply: This is life-affirming stuff.