Outside Lands 2022: Dominic Fike shows off cooking skills, Rina Sawayama

Outside Lands 2022 is well under way at Golden Gate Park, marking a return to not only its traditional summer spot on the Bay Area summer calendar but also its freewheeling pre-pandemic spirit.

The 14th annual festival is expected to draw 220,000 people over its three-day run at the park, with Bay Area pop-punk icons Green Day set to make their festival debut as one of the three main stage headliners, along with rapper Post Malone and R&B singer SZA. There are more than 90 artists on six stages, plus the largest local food and wine lineup the festival has ever featured. There are also plenty of interactive experiences and activations — including its unique cannabis-centric Grass Lands — to keep fans entertained through the weekend.

Here are some of the most memorable things The Chronicle saw at the festival, which runs through Sunday, Aug. 7.

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SATURDAY, AUG. 6

Dominic Fike steals the show at GastroMagic

Fans who just couldn’t wait to see musician Dominic Fike perform on Sunday caught an early dose of the “Euphoria” actor at the GastroMagic Culinary Stage, where he made chicken tenders with celebrity chef Roy Choi.

The pair’s cooking event received more than 7,000 RSVPs on Outside Lands’ official app, beating out all but one musical act — Local Natives on the main Lands End stage — in anticipated turnout. The massive crowd filled the east end of Lindley Meadow and loudly cheered for Fike as he put his chicken in the frying pan and cut fruit.

“He gets that for just cutting an orange?” Choi jokingly asked.

HUGE crowd gathered to watch @dominicfike make “the best damn chicken tenders ever” with @ChefRoyChoi at #outsidelands GastroMagic stage! pic.twitter.com/eJRIfiI3fm

— Joy Diamond (@itsjoydiamond) August 6, 2022

Choi and Fike later took turns throwing oranges into the sea of outstretched arms before hopping into the photo pit and handing out samples of their chicken tenders to festivalgoers in the front row.

— Joy Diamond

Rina Sawayama performs unreleased song off forthcoming album

“Are you ready to dance? Are you ready to slay?” Rina Sawayama asked the crowd before the Twin Peaks stage.

The Japanese-British singer-songwriter certainly was. But after electrifying performances of her biggest songs, Sawayama was ready to step a little out of her comfort zone, too.

“I’m a little nervous, because I had this idea of playing (a) song that I haven’t played before,” she said. “San Francisco, do you want to hear a new song from the album?”

Receiving affirmative cheers in response, the singer continued with a lighthearted disclaimer: “Don’t judge me. This is my first time performing it, OK. I might get the words wrong.”

Proving she’s a pro, Sawayama slayed the song, titled “Hurricanes,” without missing a beat. (“Hurricanes” is on her new album, “Hold the Girl,” which is slated for release on Sept. 16.)

Another sweet treat: Sawayama led a chorus of over 5,000 fans in singing “Happy Birthday” to her drummer Simone Odaranile.

— Joy Diamond

Bay Area’s Thuy brings special guest P-Lo on stage

Bay Area-bred R&B singer Thuy made it known that while she now lives in Los Angeles, San Francisco is where her heart is.

“I f—ing love you, San Francisco!” she told the crowd during her homecoming performance at the Panhandle stage.

Doubling down on the local love, the Vietnamese American artist, who has been a vocal advocate for the Asian American Pacific Islander communities, brought out Filipino American East Bay rapper P-Lo. The fellow AAPI musicians hyped one another up as they performed their song, “inhibitions.”

But P-Lo’s appearance was not the only surprise Thuy had in store for her fans.

“I gotta do something special for you,” she said, before giving the Outside Lands crowd an exclusive performance of an unreleased track titled “Playing Tricks.”

— Joy Diamond

Salem Ilese sings out anger at abortion ruling

Salem Ilese’s changed the lyrics to her hit song, “Mad at Disney,” to take a powerful stance on abortion rights at the Panhandle stage during the second day of the festival.

“I’m mad at SCOTUS, SCOTUS,” the 22-year-old Mill…