Let's be honest, we've been anticipating for live music to return for a good long while. And after what will have been more than 2 years, the Pitchfork Music Festival will be returning to Union Park in Chicago next month from September 10 - 12th with indie queen Phoebe Bridgers, art rocker St. Vincent and neo soul virtuoso Erykah Badu at the top of this year’s lineup. The festival having three females at the top should come to nobody's surprise as Pitchfork has gone above and beyond many of their other festival contemporaries to curate a line up with at least a 50/50 gender split. They are joined by strong group of Pitchfork Fest alumni including the likes of Animal Collective, Danny Brown, Waxahatchee, Flying Lotus, Angel Olsen, and Cat Power. As always, there is a prominent contingent of Chicago based artists on the bill such as indie trio Dehd, R&B songstress Jamila Woods, singer-songwriter KeiyaA and step producer DJ Nate who bolster a deep undercard. And to top it off, following a decade long hiatus, indie pop stalwarts The Fiery Furnaces reunite to play an (almost) hometown Chicago show.
Here are four must see artists for the weekend. Tickets are on sale now. Please read the festival’s COVID-19 policy regarding entry.
The schedule has also been released so you can make plans on seeing your favorite artists throughout the weekend.
Sunday - Red Stage 1:45 - 2:25pm
Special Interest have a take no prisoners attitude in their music and live shows from cutting their teeth in their hometown music scene of New Orleans. Their latest album The Passion Of seemingly came out at the perfect time to serve as a cyberpunk soundtrack in a post COVID-19 world. With lead singer Alli Logout’s visceral vocals complimented by unrelenting techno beats, Special Interest is primed to make an impression to all who come to watch them at Union Park.
Friday - Red Stage 1:45 - 2:25pm
Michigan natives Dogleg have the ultimate balance between classic hook laden warped tour anthems and adrenaline injected technical prowess which cannot be denied that is sought out by their contemporaries. Their debut album Melee is quite literally that over the course of 35 minutes. With song titles such as ‘’Cannonball and ‘’Headfirst’’ one would expect nothing less. Their performance should leave a swath of people covered in sweat and bruises just hoping for one more song to scream their lungs out to.
Saturday - Red Stage 1:45 - 2:25pm
Washington D.C. based Bartees Strange strives to be genreless when it comes to the music he creates. Daftly mixing post punk, folk, hip hop and atmospheric electronic sounds on his debut album ‘Live Forever’, Strange excels at keeping a listener earnestly guessing at what will follow. This should hold true when it comes to his live show as he is backed by a 4 piece band that can bend Stranges’ song to his liking.
Friday - Green Stage 8:30 - 9:50pm
What could arguably be the most anticipated set of the weekend is Friday headliner Phoebe Bridgers. It has been a busy year after having released one of the best albums of 2020 in Punisher which received wide critical acclaim, garnered 4 Grammy nominations, and a completely sold out tour surrounding her Pitchfork Festival appearance. Bridgers also started her own record label, Saddest Factory. This will be her first festival headline performance so hopefully there are a few surprises in store. Will Phoebe smash another guitar or just everyone’s heart? Either way, we’re here for it.
Three-day passes are on sale now via See Tickets for $195 each plus service fees. There also are three-day Pitchfork Plus VIP passes for $385 each plus service fees, and single-day tickets are $90 each plus service fees. Check out our review of the 2019 edition of the festival, and click below to attend the 15th edition of Pitchfork Music Festival!
BUY PASSES: September 10th - 12th: Pitchfork Music Festival 2021 at Union Park (CHICAGO, IL)
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