ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY CHRISPHER ALVAREZ
The 14th annual Pitchfork Music Festival brought a dynamic wave to Union Park, whether it was in the artists performing or the weather that came with it. Searing temperatures and unforgiving humidity hindered attendees for the first half of the weekend, which then gave way to an out of nowhere storm that prompted an evacuation of the festival grounds and canceled some scheduled performances outright. Once the clouds cleared and the sun was out, the music kicked right back into high gear. New to the festival this year was Pitchfork Radio broadcasting the entire weekend at the festival grounds.
Interviews, artist-curated DJ sets, and live performances were served up and any festival attendee could partake with a set of wireless headphones provided to any prospective listener. Also at the Blue Stage, Young Chicago Authors brought a group of poets from their ’’Louder Than A Bomb’’ series to read their works in between sets all weekend. It was a welcoming respite and reality to hear the impassioned words from the young minds of the city. Here are some highlights from the weekend.
Ric Wilson:
For an artist that claims this was their first festival performance, Chicago native
Ric Wilson made sure he threw everything including the kitchen sink into it. From hand puppets and a marching band, to a guest appearance from Kweku Collins and an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for biggest ’’Soul Train’’ dance line. ( no word on if it happened or not ) Wilson brought his high energy mix of rap and r&b throughout his entire set and showed that he has the awareness for the moments when the spotlight is on him to truly shine.
JPEGMAFIA:
Describing
JPEGMAFIA performance on the Red Stage as ‘’electric’’ would almost be a disservice to the artist. The one-man show the Baltimore based producer puts on is a relentless sonic assault to himself and to the audience. Within minutes of the first beat dropping, JPEG jumps into the crowd to convey his music more intensely and they respond in kind. Mosh pits, crowd surfing and chants of ‘’Peggy! Peggy! Peggy!’’ filled the atmosphere at the Red Stage for almost an hour. At the end of his set, he gave his gratitude to the audience for giving everything they had, just as he had given.
Black Midi:
London math-rock heroes
Black Midi seemed to be on a mission early on Sunday afternoon. Their bombastic guitars, dynamic drumming, and primal vocals were a perfect formula to get the audience going at the Green Stage. Playing tracks from their acclaimed debut album ‘’Schalgenheim’’, Black Midi encompassed what Pitchfork Festival is all about. Experimental, head-turning, loud and most of all, fun.
Stereolab:
Perhaps the most vital performance of the weekend goes to
Stereolab. The anticipation for their set was palpable, and even more so following the storm evacuation and reopening of the festival. They delivered on all fronts despite a shortened set, and came away as conquerors, while leaving the audience wanting more and the biggest ‘’what if?’’ to go along with it.
Parquet Courts:
New York quartet
Parquet Courts took no prisoners during their mosh and dance-filled performance. Leaning early on tracks from their debut album ’’Light Up Gold’’ and then segueing into newer selections from last years ‘’Wide Awake’’, Parquet Courts showed their depth and progression from an expansive discography. Arguably what was on pace to be the set of the weekend was cut short by the storm evacuation.
Comments