The 2014 Outside Lands lineup was released Tuesday, and the musical diversity that the festival thrived on last year has returned in full force.

The selection of headliners was a homerun, with big names appearing in a variety of genres.  For rap, the festival secured Kanye West.  Although West has been known for his public controversies in recent years, he is still one of the biggest names in rap, and appeals to both casual and hardcore festival goers.

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, who took home the Album of the Year award at the Grammys this year, are scheduled to perform.  Again, this selection appeals to a wide variety of fans, especially those with less knowledge of niche music that some festivals require.  Macklemore is also known for putting on high energy live performances, something that was lacking with headliners such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers last year.

Outside Lands traditionally has a headliner who has survived the test of time as well, including Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney in past years.  This year, the festival came up big again, securing Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Another facet of the festival that is an improvement over last year’s lineup is the signing of the international electronic artist Tiesto.  Last year, I was disappointed by Pretty Lights, who was signed on as the electronic headliner.  They lacked the energy and presence that is required to entertain the crowd in Golden Gate Park.

Outside Lands went a little overboard in the Indie artist department, with the average festival goer being able to recognize less than half of the line up.  Lesser known names like Jagwar Ma and SBTRKT are commonplace in the lineup.  This is a deterrent to casual concert goers and makes attending the festival all day seem a lot less attractive.

Three day passes for the festival went on sale Thursday, and single day passes will go on sale during an unknown future date.