The 11 best things we saw at day two of Outside Lands

The ninth annual Outside Lands festival is taking place in Golden Gate Park this weekend, with music, food, drink, art and a bounty of other entertainment options for a sold-out crowd of 210,000. Here are the best things we saw on the second day, Saturday. Aug. 6.

Best Buzz Killers: Radiohead

Playing under a thick layer of fog on the Lands End stage on the Polo Field, Radiohead closed out the second day of the festival with a moody set that saw the British group highlighting songs from its latest release, the downbeat “A Moon Shaped Pool,” while reaching into the deep pockets of its back catalog for long neglected gems like “Climbing Up the Walls” and “Let Down.” The band’s set was part of a mini-tour of seven North American cities and kind of a special occasion - Radiohead was the first band to ever play in Golden Gate Park after dark, at the very first Outside Lands in 2008. Singer Thom Yorke did his best to hide his enthusiasm.

He couldn’t exactly pull the crowds away from the booming EDM stages or corporate branded phone charging stations, but for a good hour Sufjan Stevens’ early evening set on the Sutro Stage in Lindley Meadow was the only place to be. With angel wings, used car lot sky dancers and a backing band adorned in neon, the 41-year-old songwriter led a raucous party onstage, bounding his way through emotionally charged psychedelic pop songs like “Impossible Soul” and “Chicago.” He also offered his fans indispensable wisdom: “Death in inevitable but we are alive right now, so let's make the most of it.” Too bad the guys in Radiohead weren’t paying attention.

Best Mid-Day Break: Air

Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel, the dour French electronic pop duo who make up the band Air, made one of their only two U.S. live appearances this year at Outside Lands. The group offered concert-goers a timely reprieve from the general chaos and noise of the festival, as they coolly played down-tempo classics like “Cherry Blossom Girl” and “Playground Love.” Lest anyone get too relaxed - including the band members, who pretty much looked ready to curl up and take a nap -- they closed their set with a jolt of feedback.

Best Reason to Buy a Laptop: Jauz

Within a year or two, electronic dance music will replace rock on the main stages. Witness the massive, adoring crowd that turned out to watch 21-year-old Sam Vogel, who produces music and DJs under the name Jauz, clap his hands, push a few buttons and clumsily mix machine gun beats with huge chunks of football stadium anthems like the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” and Queen’s “We Will Rock You” on the Twin Peaks stage in Hellman Hollow.

Best Homecoming: Big Grams

The members of electro-pop duo Phantogram first met OutKast rapper Big Boi at Outside Lands in 2011, where they expressed their mutual admiration for each other. This year they came back as collaborators on the Lands End stage, performing songs from their self-titled EP as Big Grams, along with reworked tunes from their regular gigs, including an incredible medley of “The Way You Move” and “Don’t Move.” Bringing the project full circle, they also announced it would be their last show together for the time being.

Best Pop Up Set: E-40

Like Big Boi on Friday, the Bay Area rapper E-40 appeared seemingly out of nowhere to play an announced set outside of the dance music tent on the Polo Field. His hyphy set was short but stacked, drawing thousands of people with guest appearances by Nef the Pharaoh and Warren G.

Best Future Rap Star: Vince Staples

Rap continues to be a genre that resonates more and more with every new Outside Lands crowd. Vince Staples, performing with more precision than he did at Noise Pop earlier this year, proved he could hang on a big stage during his afternoon set on the Twin Peaks stage in Hellman Hollow, playing with much more gusto and even calling out the police before 'hands up.'

Best Orchestral Folk Pop Hero: Lord Huron

Lord Huron took full advantage of Lindley Meadow’s bowl shape, during his set on the Sutro Stage, drawing out the orchestral sound of his genre-bending folk pop.

Best Brunch Companion: Big Freedia

The crowd was just waking up Saturday afternoon at the Beignets and Bounce Brunch, a GastroMagic stage tradition in its third year at Outside Lands. But the energy of its star performer, Big Freedia, was infectious. The New Orleans bounce artist and her band led an energetic set, running through songs ranging from its “N.O. Bounce,” from 2014’s “Just Be Free,” to Beyoncé’s 2016 hit “Formation,” on which Freedia is sampled. About halfway through, the real mission of the show was announced: Audience members were encouraged to come onstage and “bounce for beignets” prepared by San Brenda’s French Soul Food.

Best Damn Cheeseburger: 4505 Meat’s “Best Damn Cheeseburger”

Outside Lands has no shortage of complicated burgers, with Instagram-ready accoutrements like buns made from doughnuts or ramen noodles, and patties made from pork belly. But the simplest versions remain one of the festival’s best: 4505 Meat’s “Best Damn Cheeseburger,” which has been refueling hungry Outside Lands crowds for the past seven years. You can get a single or double grass-fed beef patty, seared medium-rare and garnished with Gruyere cheese, secret sauce, crisp lettuce and pickles on a griddled sesame seed bun. The result is a classic burger, full of the flavors of childhood fast food trips but made with quality local ingredients.

Best Reason to Use Public Transportation: Wine Lands, Cocktail Magic, etc.

The food and drink offerings were stronger than ever at Outside Lands, with Wine Lands featuring 42 different producers, each pouring three wines. Cocktail Magic had some of the city’s best bartenders - from 15 Romolo, Trick Dog, Prizefighter, Forgery and Elixir - shaking drinks like a mescal mango mojito. This year, a mini golf course featured wine pairings with each hole: $15 got your six ounces of wine and 10 minutes of golf.

Outside Lands continues through Sunday, Aug. 7, with a headlining set by Lionel Richie.

Chronicle staff writers Sarah Fritsche, Mariecar Mendoza, Alyssa Pereira, Esther Mobley and Anna Roth contributed to this story.