In a crowded landscape of summer music festivals, it takes a lot to stand out. Some festivals focus more on electronic music, others more on what’s hot in rock right now, but inevitably a lot of them will have similar lineups as bands hit the summer circuit. There will be food, there will be booze, and realistically a lot of young people looking to have a good time. What one doesn't always feel at festivals, most often due to size, is a conscious effort to construct a fest designed to maximize an attendee’s chance to appreciate all of the music being presented. That being said, Pitchfork Music Festival, which took over Chicago's Grant Park July 20 to 22, knocks this out of the park. (Read our preview here).
At Pitchfork, one can catch at least half of almost every artists’ set with a short stroll between its three stages. Sitting in the main field, a concert goer could stay on their blanket and catch all the acts on the two main stages without even moving, as artists take turns performing on the Green and Red stages.
The atmosphere at this Chicago fest is laid back. There’s plenty of great food and drink available, but it’s not jammed into every corner. Happily missing at this festival are the roving drunk crowds moving between stages, more interested in yukking it up with friends instead of watching the artists perform. With that difference, there’s also a lot less of the security theatre we are getting used to seeing at events these days, which is just a lot more comfortable. Union Park is a pleasant surprise, with plenty of trees for shade, even scattered in front of the smaller Blue Stage, which makes for a fairly picturesque viewing experience assuming you’re not standing directly behind one.
With the focus on artists and their music (which we’re getting to, promise) Pitchfork also does a commendable job at supporting local artists that may not be the type you see on stage. The festival boasts a sizable area for local record labels, record stores, printmakers, craftspeople to offer their art and products for sale. Next to those you’ll find booths set up help attendees register to vote and learn about other important social causes. This year Pitchfork had a tent set up for RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) to educate and to provide an on-site resource for any related concerns that guests might have related to those subjects. This festival just seems to hit all the right notes and at the end of the day, it feels genuine.
The music at Pitchfork Music Festival -- what we all come for -- is commendably diverse. Pitchfork has a lot to choose from when pulling from the artists they cover for their publication; often, unique bands that wouldn’t always land on commercial radio and equally often, bands and performers that will be huge on commercial radio in a few years (or next month). A lot of those artists are local to Chicago and the greater Illinois area and were in many cases highlights of the festival. Friday's Day 1 openers, The Curls, had a sizable crowd with their brand of slightly weird, poppy protest rock to start off the fest, which is always great to see. Mixed in with these acts are others that have rode the Pitchfork wave already, finding success across the globe. Tame Impala closed out Day 1 with a dazzling light show, with lasers darting out across the crowd, cutting through the mist and drizzle that was a common occurrence this past weekend.
Another young Chicago performer, Ravyn Lenae, delivered a powerhouse performance and got the crowd hyped heading into the homestretch of the festival’s final day. It was only fitting that an up and coming local R&B singer set the tone for Chicago legend Chaka Khan’s performance on Sunday. Inclusions like this pay homage to where current music has come from, with a handful of artists performing that likely have never had their career featured on the pages of pitchfork.com. It doesn’t hurt that Chaka Khan, at 65, still kicks ass.
Raphael Saadiq, another veteran of soul, funk, R&B, gave a nice window into the music between those two artists and frankly left us very excited for his new album, which he doesn’t put out too often these days. Music of all types was represented (rock, pop, electronic, soul, rap, R&B, folk, etc.) and the crowd showed that, with your typical festival crowd buffered on both sides by older folks and young couples with babies in tow -- all backgrounds being strongly represented. It is a truly enjoyable and memorable experience for all.
The festival’s closer was Ms. Lauryn Hill, a performer as famous now for her solo work and her work with The Fugees as she is for showing up late to shows or not at all -- the Axl Rose of soul if you will. Skepticism was abound on Sunday midday when the gates opened an hour late to accommodate Hill’s extensive soundcheck. However, when it came time for her show, she was on time and hit all the notes. Maybe all of that extra time and attention is just an artist being picky and only wanting to present their best self to their fans -- or maybe it’s something else, but that day it didn’t matter. Everyone seemed relieved and excited to get the show that they did to close out a great all around weekend.
Below is an extended look around the festival grounds, combining photos of the performers with attendees and the overall vibe of Pitchfork Music Festival 2018.
