Earlier this year, the majority of the Pitchfork Media staff was let go in a very impersonal and demeaning way via the head of Condé Nast herself, Anna Wintour. After the publication was bought by the mogul some years ago, many feared the day would come when it would be absorbed into the conglomerate and have its soul liquified in the process. While the staff of Pitchfork may have been gutted, part of its soul has remained and this weekend in Chicago, the music proved it was still the heart of the site and that it still had a dog left in the fight. While the line-up may have been more on the pop and mainstream side of things, it was still one that brought out great performances and made for a wonderful weekend in the Windy City.
On the secondary stage, Yaeji brought her k-pop/techno combo to life with just a microphone on stage and nothing else. From the get go she seemed elated to be there and humbled by the experience. Along with two back-up dancers, she had some fun choreography that kept the crowd vibing along to her positive energy and free-flowing spirit. She also made the best use of an office chair all weekend as she was pushed around the stage by her dancers in the most DIY-fashion that had big pay offs.
Sudan Archives made playing the violin look sexy as hell. She wore a dope body suit and her voice was stunning as she flexed between singing and rapping while using her violin bow equally like a sword and to conduct the crowd through various motions. The serene setting of the smallest stage, which was nestled between some trees, also helped to unify the crowd as she got us all to sing along and declare ourselves to be anything but average.
A year into his live performance phase of his career, Jai Paul still has very little stage presence despite his excellent, yet brief, catalogue of songs. His voice was incredible and the tunes brought awesome, funky, sexy vibes with great bass that made for some sultry dancing. His cover of Jennifer Paige's "Crush" was a real treat and "Jasmine" made the crowd swoon, but it was "Straight Outta Mumbai" that really set things off for an epic finish to the set.
I’ll be the first to admit I don’t really think about Black Pumas all that often despite seeming them earlier in the year. They've always been a solid band that seems primed for late-night appearances or awards shows, but I never think to listen to them. They also were probably the most questionable band that the festival booked for the weekend considering their recent album didn't even get reviewed, but the band pulled out all of the stops you'd expect from a headliner and even though they had one of the smallest crowds of the weekend on the main stage, they were an incredibly tight act and worked the crowd the entire time proving that they'd earned their spot on the bill and could deliver a set worthy of such an occasion.
The legendary De La Soul only had two US shows scheduled this year and after their Friday set was cancelled due to travel issues, their appearance on Saturday was officially their only state-side appearance this year and the group really brought the energy and crushed it. Naturally, the set was boosted with guest spots from the icons Talib Kweli and Pharoah Monch which had the crowd going wild and getting to hear them play “A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays” on a Saturday was dope, but it was "Simon Says" and "Just to Get By" that had the audience going wild.
Disco queen Jessie Ware was a shimmering dream; so smooth and so sparkly. Riding high off of last year's excellent That! Feels Good! she had everyone dancing with electric spirit and glowing rhythm, her voice reaching to the moon and her dazzling jumpsuit providing even more grace and style to her already flourishing sound. While her own tunes were total treasures, it'd be hard to deny her cover of Cher's iconic "Believe" as the show stealing moment.
Carly Rae Jepsen was so great and so fun, but the volume was way too low and I felt like I was singing so much louder than her and was bummed. Even as she delivered the hits and had the crowd roaring to go, it was a really quiet set and hard to feel as excited about the decision to skip the legendary Bratmobile and Unwound reunions in favor of poppy dance pleasure. Still the power of the songs were enough to propel the set forward and dancing even at a low volume is still a joyful time.
Ending the night with Jamie xx was the icing on the cake after a triple-booking of solid dance acts. Deep jungle and rave music was pumping throughout and the crowd cut loose for the entirety of the night. He went hard and really brought the vibes as endless disco sparkles radiated throughout the crowd and it was clear by the sudden end that everyone was ready to keep the party going until dawn. We missed out on some classics from his remarkable debut album, but "Do It Again" really brought the set to its peak and had the entire crowd bumping along to the incredible beats.
MUNA were a little late but immediately made up for it with huge energy that lasted for the entirety of the time they were on stage. The guitarists and bass player were cordless, so they were constantly running around the stage and it was obvious how excited they were to be bringing their power-synth-pop jams to the crowd, pumping them up at every possible moment.
A sunset show for Brittany Howard was so ideal and fitting. Her voice was pristine and in brilliant form, providing endless chills as her soulful rock and roll helped carry the day into the night while her band backed her with great precision, while allowing her to shine in the ways she truly deserved.
Closing out with Alanis Morissette was everything and the perfect end to the weekend. Channelling phenomenal '90s vibes her alt/grunge-pop hit hard as she took the stage to "Hand in Pocket" and proceeded to deliver a set of undeniable hits. Remarks from people in the crowd made callouts like Mariah Carey meets Chris Cornell with the volume of Queens of the Stone Age. She owned the stage, as she spun around in circles and head banged like a true rock star, flipping her hair with ultimate passion. Hearing such massive tracks like "Head Over Feet," "Hands Clean," and "You Learn" were mesmerizing and iconic, but when she invited MUNA out to help deliver the intro to "Ironic," the night reached a new height of awesomeness. "You Outta Know" was the rage-filled performance it needed to be and coming back to start the encore with "Uninvited" was a real moment.
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