“I’m having too much fun!” declared Black Pumas frontman Eric Burton on stage Friday night, in the shadow of United Center on Chicago’s near west side as the Pitchfork Music Festival got underway in Union Park. “Chicago!”
Few major festivals take as many chances in their bookings as Pitchfork, with the festival offering up a rewarding slate of eclectic early performances set against the picturesque Chicago skyline as well as headlining sets by artists like soul outfit Black Pumas, a rare U.S. DJ set by Jamie xx and 90s alternative stalwart Alanis Morissette.
At many music festivals, sets buried as early in the day as 1 PM local time tend to roll by sparsely attended. But Pitchfork’s single most endearing quality since 2006 remains in their meticulous curation, offering serious music fans the opportunity to catch incredible sounds before they begin gurgling beneath the mainstream radar.
Featuring members of Eleventh Dream Day and Tortoise, Black Duck functions as something of a local supergroup and their ethereal, instrumental sounds were resplendent early on day one at Pitchfork 2024, giving way to powerful local rap duo Angry Blackmen, who took the stage in support of their latest studio album The Legend of ABM while offering up a lesson in classic hip-hop call-and-response over the course of 40 minutes on the Red Stage.
“You all a little stiff, Chicago,” joked rapper Quentin Branch of the early, day one festival crowd, making his way back to the stage after mixing it up with fans situated along the front guardrail. “But we’ll get there.”
Festival covers are always fun to track and Friday in Chicago, Zimbabwean-born singer and rapper Tkay Maidza, who grew up in Australia, put a stamp upon the Pixies, offering up a dreamy take on “Where is my Mind?” the weekend’s first cover.
But Black Pumas stole night one, touching upon “More Than a Love Song,” the first single from their second album Chronicles of a Diamond, midway through their headlining performance on night one at Pitchfork.
Organ took the Chicago faithful to church while an almost Funkadelic-feel informed “Black Moon Rising” later.
Elsewhere, backing vocalists shined throughout “Tomorrow,” with a lovely guitar intro giving way to much bluesier sounds as Black Pumas rose to the occasion in the home of the electrified blues.
“Rock and Roll” kicked things up a notch further while the group headed for close via audience sing-along, wrapping up with their biggest hit in “Colors.”
Following a set by Chicago indie rockers Lifeguard, who opened up Saturday’s festival slate over the course of 40 minutes on the Green Stage, experimental New York artist L’Rain put forth ornate and delicate sounds, repetitive and beautiful in the early afternoon sun.
Following a tumultuous period of severe weather in Chicago, Pitchfork 2024 went off unabated, with temperatures hovering near 80 degrees over the course of three sunny days and nary a sign of rain to be seen.
Pittsburgh indie rockers feeble little horse rocked out early Saturday on the Red Stage, with the screamed vocal of singer Lydia Slocum ringing out over Union Park amidst waves of feedback. “Go see Wednesday next!” shouted the singer. “I think you can still catch them!”
It was a solid suggestion. Five minutes later, Asheville rock quintet Wednesday got going on the nearby Green Stage.
“We’re Wednesday. And we’re from North Carolina!” said singer Karly Hartzman, slowly counting in “Got Shocked” on stage at Pitchfork, with the early slow churn of “Fate Is…” picking up shortly thereafter.
Elsewhere, lilting pedal steel helped the group switched gears entirely, with cuts like “Chosen to Deserve,” one which featured the catchy combination of power chords behind that pedal steel, taking on a more rocking country tone, with the group soon taking on the Drive-By Truckers’ “Women Without Whiskey.”
Later Saturday, English artist Jessie Ware revisited Cher’s “Believe” during a one hour set evening set on the Green Stage.
Sunday closed out the Pitchfork Music Festival with arguably the weekend’s most diverse live performance lineup, with local Chicago artist, composer and producer Akenya opening up day three on the Green Stage just one hour ahead of Belgian-born harp player Nala Sinephro, who performed for the first time in America over the course of 45 minutes on the Blue Stage, with the pair cementing a jazzy Sunday opening in the Windy City.
But the occasionally angsty alternative sounds of singer songwriter Alanis Morissette closed out Pitchfork in impressive fashion, assembling without question the weekend’s single largest viewing audience.
“Hands Clean” was an early highlight with “Head Over Feet” equally as effective midway through a set that launched with “Hand in my Pocket.”
Joined by indie pop trio MUNA, Morissette ran through “Ironic,” later adding live harmonica to the first moments of “All I Really Want,” before cruising toward encore as the audience drowned out everyone on stage during “You Oughta Know,” as Pitchfork 2024 entered its final on stage moments.
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