Outside Lands

Paul McCartney fans at the Outside Lands festival were given a real treat on Friday evening (August 9, 2013) with the Beatles legend performing with the string virtuosos, the Kronos Quartet. The quartet are perhaps best known for their work with Tom Waits, David Bowie, Bjork and even the poet Allen Ginsberg, but the strings perfectly complimented McCartney's hit Yesterday - a track usually backed only by the musician's idiosyncratic guitar work, though rarely played live.

Though the former Beatle continues to sell out shows around the globe, he has on occasions been guilty of failing to change up his set - something that he's rectified in the past year or so. At Outside Festival, he played the more obscure Fab Four tracks Lovely Rita and Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite, as well as Yesterday, according to Rolling Stone magazine. 

The addition of strings wasn't a total surprise, given the Quartet's San Francisco base and the fact that they performed with New York rockers The National - who had played the slot before McCartney - however, it was a perfect addition to the rock heavyweight's set.

Watch Paul McCartney and the Kronos Quartet at Outside Lands Festival:

Elsewhere at the festival - held in the beautiful surroundings of Golden Gate Park - Willie Nelson charmed the crowds on the Sutro Stage on Sunday, though should probably have played the main stage given the crowd he pulled. It was the Red Hot Chili Peppers who closed that stage, playing after indie-rockers Vampire Weekend had rattled through an impressive set, much of which came from their latest effort Modern Vampires of the City.

Though the lights went down on Outside Lands for another year, there was an exciting footnote at the nearby nightclub The Independent. Hosted by Dumpstaphunk, a loose jam session featuring the likes of John Oates, Nicki Bluhm, Trombone Shorty and John Clearly got into full swing. Actors John Stamos and Craig Robinson were in attendance to introduce the evening.

Paul McCartneyPaul McCartney Performing at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers Closed Out Outside Lands Festival

Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson Could Have Played The Main Stage At Outside Lands Festival