Review: Could Outside Days become Denver’s own SXSW?

“What a lovely little festival this is, huh?” Ben Gibbard, the lead vocalist and guitarist for Death Cab for Cutie, called out to the audience at Outside Days.

Under a nearly full moon, the seminal indie band was there to close out the first night of the Outside Days’ music festival portion on May 29, and it put on an unforgettable set that included such fan favorites as “Soul Meets Body” and “I Will Follow You Into the Dark,” as well as songs off of its upcoming album.

Outside Days is now in its third year, and its first at the Auraria Campus. But despite the change in venue from Civic Center Park, which is currently under construction, the festival has delivered one of the best indie-rock lineups of the year…and fans showed up and out, completely packing the campus lawn front to back for Death Cab.

If you were showing up to Outside Days just for the music, the massive rows of corporate-sponsor booths reminded you that the festival is actually an industry event, complete with film screenings, summit talks, cold plunges and all things outdoors and wellness. The move to Auraria, which will most likely be permanent, also brought Outside Days a major opportunity for expansion, according to Christopher Jerard, Outside Days chief brand officer.

“Down the road we would love to activate in both spaces,” he says. “Frankly, that would be phenomenal to be able to really expand Outside Days around the city, in particular the downtown area. That is always the way that I [imagined it], from my early visits in Austin going to SXSW, and imagining how to have an event that would activate all of downtown.

“We know we can do it at Auraria, we know we can do it at Civic Center. In between there, you’ve got Sculpture Park, the conference center, 16th Street; you’ve got several other urban parks,” he adds. “There’s really just such a great potential to bring, you know, more people to Denver to enjoy it.”

After making our way onto the sunny grounds to the welcome sounds of Brothers of Brass and getting the most unfortunate, coldest cheeseburger we’d ever had ($20, by the way — at least there were about six cold French fries tossed in the basket), my friend and I made our way to a lounge area where a woman was offering body paint to provide some shade (there isn’t much on the campus). “Are you guys here for the music, the conference or both?” asked a friendly bro named Holden.

We explained we had come for the music lineup, which included Wildermiss, Japanese Breakfast and Goth Babe. Holden explained that he had come for several conference summits. “It’s just cool to have something for the outdoor industry,” he said.

“What was your biggest takeaway?” my friend asked.

Holden gave a long pause. “Ummmmmmmmmmm” — he put his hand under his chin — “I thought it was going to be more tradeshow-y,” he admitted. “But it’s been sick. There was this snowboarder who talked about entrepreneurship, and I learned a lot.”

“Are you sure you don’t want any body paint?” his friend asked with a big smile. It did look cool — she had just finished up a young woman who was working the event. But Wildermiss was about to be on, and that’s a band you don’t want to miss.

Comprising vocalist-synth player Emma Cole, guitarist Joshua Hester and drummer Caleb Thoemke, Wildermiss was born in Denver and now resides in Nashville. After last night’s set, we just might make a petition to have the trio move back so that we can see it more. The band kicked off its set with its latest single, “Kiss The Weeds,” and continued to play new music through the set. And the indie group got heavy with it, too, folding in electronic elements that opened a new well of sonics, almost entering more experimental, Crystal Castles-esque territory that we’d love to see the band explore further.

Japanese Breakfast also stunned with its multifaceted sound, with members switching from synth to violin, keys to sax. Founding member Michelle Zauner has an undeniable stage presence, catapulted by her pristine, soaring vocals and fuzzed-out guitar solos on such hits as “Be Sweet.” And for the song “The Body Is a Blade,” photos of her mother flashed across the backing screen, creating a moment of familiarity between the crowd and the musician as she honored her family. Ahead of performing “Picture in Me,” she took a moment to address the audience, asking who was excited for Death Cab. She said she’s a major fan of the band, which she met in Portland. “I was trying to cozy up for a tour,” she said, adding she told her bandmates not to embarass her, before adding with a laugh, “I was the biggest punisher of all.”

But aside from Death Cab, it’s undeniable that Goth Babe put on the standout set of the evening. Griff Washburn took the stage in an inconspicuous white T, khaki shorts and cap, but there was nothing boring about his performance. He has the formula for catchiness memorized, with a set that had the entire crowd moving in unison. And it wasn’t just the music that kept us engaged throughout: He also brought an air mattress for crowd surfing, choosing a fan named Cooper as its inaugural sailor as the crowd chanted his name. And the mattress stayed up practically for the entire set, which included Griff giving away two prizes to lucky audience members: a blender and a vacuum.

So the buzz was high by the time Death Cab came on at 9:30 p.m. Perhaps one of the biggest indie groups of the early aughts, the band was received with a rush of cheers as it kicked off the set with “Riptides,” off its upcoming album, “I Built You a Tower,” before playing “The New Year,” from its masterpiece 2003 LP “Transatlanticism.” The set oscillated between new, upcoming songs like “Punching the Flower” — “It’s already better live,” one nearby fan commented — and old hits that had the audience singing along in unison.

The band could teach a masterclass in pacing, suspending anticipation through the crowd as it slowly went through the building basslines of “I Will Possess Your Heart.” The members let the audience marinate in the sounds, pulling you in as the momentum mounted to the peaks. As the set ended with “Transatalanticism,” we were all glued to our places — some people who were making their way to the exits stopped, unable to leave without seeing it through.

As Jerard told me, “Time outdoors is essential for human health and happiness, and it needs a soundtrack.”

The lineup at Outside Days provides the perfect one.

Outside Days continues through Sunday, May 31. Tickets are still available at the website.