140 Character Pitchfork Reflections

This past weekend was the Pitchfork Music Festival at Union Park in Chicago. This week you may see a couple posts in relation to that, as Tim & I were both in attendance. For this first post I'm just going to throw some tweet-length recaps of the bands I saw (either full sets or just brief encounters).

Friday, July 16:

5:30 Liars (c) – Imagine any mid-paced punk band, except the singer has the microphone inside of his mouth the whole time. Ugglllaaahhhhuuuoooohh... #NotGood

6:25 Robyn (a) – I will never understand why people like this. Is it some form of "irony" to listen to bad mainstream girl pop? Bring on Britney Spears!

7:15 Michael Showalter (b) – Caught a bit of this set. I don’t think a comedian has bombed this hard since Rosanne’s National Anthem, 1990. http://is.gd/dzIZp

7:20 Broken Social Scene (c) – Not the biggest fan, but they were surprisingly fantastic. Great crowd control, great sound, overall pleasant experience. Friday's best.

8:30 Modest Mouse (a) – Stayed for 4 songs and I will never get those minutes back. Even when they play old stuff it sounds awful. #GiveUpTheDream

Saturday, July 17:

1:45 Real Estate (c) – Saw the first few minutes; singer was off-key. Left. Perfect example of festival logic: if something’s better elsewhere, go elsewhere.

1:55 Sonny & the Sunsets (b) – Surprise Saturday standout. All songs were much faster than the record. Just great crowd reading.

2:30 Delorean (a) – It was nice to Basque in the pleasant sounds of Delorean. #Puns

3:20 Titus Andronicus (c) – Titus, as expected, crushed it. With all the soft, mellow summer music it was nice to have a shot in the arm.

4:45 Smith Westerns (b) – They sounded like shit (the B stage was plagued with problems all weekend; not their fault) and they played like shit (their own damn fault)

5:15 The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (c) – WOW. People actually listen to this? I hope his faux-leather pants peeled off a layer of skin when removed. He's bad and he should feel bad.

5:45 WHY? (b) – Left the Fail Explosion and found myself at WHY? Wish I would have seen more; they sounded wonderful.

6:15 Wolf Parade (a) – Not the biggest Wolf Parade fan; but they sounded good, put together a good set, and were a truly humble and respectful band. Props.

7:25 Panda Bear (c) – Noah… Come on man. Low-energy drone with no stage presence. It was painful to watch.

8:30 LCD Soundsystem (a) – The unrivaled show of the festival and one of the best I’ve ever seen. Great sound, set, crowd, everything. Perfect.

Sunday, July 18:

2:30 Girls (a) – Of all the slow-paced psychedelic bands playing P4k, Girls seemed to have the best grasp on execution. Good sound, showmanship, wardrobe.

2:50 Washed Out (b) – Saw a bit of the show. Not too shabby. I don’t really dig Washed Out, but I think it’s good for what it is.

3:20 Beach House (c) – Victoria Legrand’s voice is just a beast. It’s a bit mellow for midday at a festival, but they sounded good regardless.

3:45 Local Natives (b) – After a weekend of bands with off-key frontmen, it was a welcome change to see perfect 3&4-part harmonies. Never underestimate vocals, guys.

4:15 Lightning Bolt (a) – AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! Ballsy & Rowdy.

4:45 Surfer Blood (b) – I didn’t see Surfer Blood because the B stage was so crowded. My biggest regret of the festival. They sounded awesome from a distance.

5:45 Here We Go Magic (b) – The stand-out show of Sunday, which is saying something after being bombarded with music for >20 hours. Just overall excellent.

6:15 Major Lazer (a) – Came in on the last song… Chinese dragons, hookers, et al. Was the stage show compensating for the music?

7:25 Big Boi (c) – The highest concentration of black people at the festival was on the stage. And Big Boi just flat-out crushed it.

8:30 Pavement (a) – I saw Pavement because I know later in life they’re going to mean more to me than they do now. That said, solid but flawed set (expected).

-Erik

(image by ret0dd, licensed under Creative Commons)