Even if it didn’t quite rise to the level of Beatlemania, musician Dominic Fike found he had a large flock of fans willing to see him perform two very different sets over the weekend at Outside Lands.
Making his Golden Gate Park debut by way of Naples, Fla., the 26-year-old’s journey to the festival stage began several years ago.
After uploading his first tracks to Soundcloud while still in high school, Fike self-released an EP in 2017 that quickly attracted the interest of several labels. By 2020, he had an album, “What Could Possibly Go Wrong,” out with Columbia, a guest spot on Halsey’s third record, and a clothing collaboration with designer Marc Jacobs.
Last year, Fike added actor to his list of talents when he was cast in thesecond seasonof HBO’s hit teen drama“Euphoria.”
Put all that together and it’s easy to see why his GastroMagic Culinary Stage event would prove to be a telling precursor for how many people would turn up for his musical set at the main Lands End Stage on Sunday, Aug. 7.
Outside Lands announces 2023 dates and other highlights from the three-day festival
Billed as a cooking demonstration with celebrity chef Roy Choi,Fike’s GastroMagic sloton Saturday, Aug. 6, drew more than 7,000 RSVPs for the event on Outside Lands’ official app.
Making what Choi declared were the“best damn chicken tenders ever”— a nod to the singer’s 2020 track “Chicken Tenders” — it would be the most RSVPS of any event at GastroMagic all weekend, according to the app, topping other notable pairings like “Top Chef” star Tom Colicchio and Bay Area artist Illenium or renowned Mexican chef Daniela Soto-Innes and rapper Pusha T.
多米尼克杞人忧天喂养人的鸡肉side Lands!pic.twitter.com/IOmtejixtC
— Dominic Fike Updates (@fikeupdates)August 7, 2022
Less than 24 hours later, the Fike faithful turned out in force once more when the artist hit the main Lands End Stage at 5 p.m.
A few songs into his performance, Fike paused to acknowledge the act following him: “Technically, I’m opening for Weezer right now,” he said. “That’s a dream.”
Festivalgoers within earshot of Lands End may have thought they were dreaming as well when Fike and his band took on a cover of the Neon Trees’ hit “Everybody Talks.” Like a siren call to dance like it was 2010, it was a masterstroke from Fike — as well as a reminder of what constitutes nostalgia for today’s generation of Soundcloud musicians and bedroom artists.
But good memories are good memories, and that’s just what Fike aimed to provide in a set that stretched 15 songs and wrapped with a triumphant delivery of the artist’s best-known track, “3 Nights.”
One can only assumeWeezer的河流Cuomowas grateful for the warm-up.
Chronicle staff writer Joy Diamond contributed to this story.