The first thing that WXYC student writer KP notes in their review of Pitchfork Festival last year is that the crowd sucked. We will start here by saying that this year, that remains true. “Act like you paid to be here,” implored Yaya Bey, halfway through her Saturday set. 

In some cases it was perfect: the festival was designed for you to lay on your back with your friends on a picnic blanket in the general center of Union Park, blue sky filling your view and lovely music floating through your periphery. Mellow sets like Youth Lagoon and Nation of Language lent themselves really well to this experience of attending Pitchfork. Sets like Jockstrap and Soul Glo, however, sliced through it like the Monster Energy handed out for free throughout the weekend. There were 20 minutes left in the Florist set when Jockstrap opened at the stage farthest away within the festival grounds: Jockstrap began by blaring the Succession theme song, and from then on not even the Florist band members could hear the remnants of their set anymore. 

It seems true that you can choose the version of Pitchfork that you experience. If you put effort into being close to the stage you will be surrounded by lively and excited music fans, and if you opt to relax farther out you will be surrounded by people that are, frankly, pretty frustrating and disrespectful. The version of Pitchfork that we experienced this weekend revolved around the press pass we were granted by Pitchfork and WXYC, as it came with access to most set’s photography pits. Armed with net zero photography experience and a roommate’s old neglected camera, we spent the weekend running around the festival taking amateur photos of our favorite artists and having a blast. We spent the first 3 songs of every set in the pit taking frantic, underexposed photos and reveling in the proximity to the sound system and the energetic fans, and then sat or stood towards the back of the crowds for the sets’ remaining durations. We ate the pizza they provided for us each day at 5pm, we took water bottles from the packs lining the pit, and we sat in the bar they allocated for us to wait out the 2-hour long cancellation for thunderstorm concerns Saturday afternoon.

Photographic odyssey aside, we got to see some of our favorite bands play, and learn about some new music too. This was magical.

Hayley’s Weekend

Friday

“Prizefighter” by Youth Lagoon from their latest album Heaven Is a Junkyard is probably my favorite new song coming out of the weekend; it’s so lush and beautiful. I found their set a little underwhelming up close, but admit it paired wonderfully with laying in the grass and looking through the photos I had taken that morning. 

Perfume Genius had the best live arrangements, it made his set really fun to listen to as a fan of his music—to be taken by surprise and to hear the anthemic quality of his choruses emphasized in a way optimized for the environment. He also ordered yards and yards of gold tulle as a prop for his set and said on stage that he did not receive the intended color: “it’s pee pee”, he lamented. 

Grace Ives was fun and chaotic, my queen who had fallen off the stage at Sleeping Village the night prior, and who I feel emotionally connected to forever now as she also has an elbow crease tattoo (does she also wish she got it a couple centimeters higher up so it morphs less when she bends her arm?). 

Yaya Bey, who’s Remember the North Star was one of my favorite albums of last year, was effortlessly fun and intentional. She was nonchalantly and breathtakingly articulate as she lamented the conditions of trying to financially exist in society today, her tone swinging from joking to serious and back again. In between her jazzy dance breaks and mellow bars, she earnestly implored everyone to recognize the value of their time, to value their money as the time they spent earning it, and to cherish the things that they then choose to spend it on.

Bon Iver: In the most extreme case of crowd abhorrence, the people directly in front of me at Bon Iver spent the entire (entire) set complaining about how much they didn’t like it and wished they could leave; it was literally the most aggravating thing I’ve experienced in recent memory. Bon Iver was 50 yards away in fluorescent splendor: Justin Vernon locked in, sweatband in place, actively barring his soul and shredding the outro to “Blood Bank”. They were just complaining and giggling. 

Setting that aside, which is difficult, but which I will do, the Bon Iver set felt spiritual and intense just as I’d hoped it would. “Lump Sum”, “Heavenly Father”, and “Blood Bank”—my three favorite Bon Iver songs—were all in the set list, which made my night. I felt myself falling asleep as they played “Skinny Love” into “Holocene”, I imagine because over the past decade I have gradually Pavloved myself to fall asleep to those songs by having them on my bedtime playlist. They closed with “Sh’Diah” and “Naeem”, which meant they closed with Justin Vernon yelling, warped and passionate, into his microphone about his failed relationship in a way that was powerful and resonant. This set clicked into place for me why people spend thousands of dollars—and stand for hours and hours—trying to access the most potent version of spiritual experience that the artform of well-arranged and emotionally-delivered live music can offer. I really hope one day I get the opportunity to see them again with a more respectful crowd. 

Mathangi’s Weekend

My first day at Pitchfork began as I stood at press check-in, hopelessly searching for my wallet that was currently zipping south on the bus I’d just left. I called the transit system & they told me to wait 3 hours. With nowhere else to go, I entered the festival and started off the day with an incredible performance from Alvvays.

Alvvays

The pit was awesome! A song by song breakdown:

“Not My Baby”- The song washed over the crowd and felt surreal to experience.

“After The Earthquake” – I’ve been listening to “After the Earthquake since January and it was so cool to watch them perform from the pit.

“Hey” – Life-changingly fun- Molly Rankin screamed at the top of her lungs, echoed back by the crowd.

“Marry Me, Archie” A great festival tune that commanded the crowd into a bouncy dance.

Day Two

MJ Lenderman

“TV Dinners” – Amazing – Honestly sounds similar to The Nude Party (that fun twangy southern vibe). The crowd immeeeeediately began grooving and fell into it. The crowd screamed in response to Lenderman’s shoutout to Asheville.

“Toontown”- Hadn’t heard it before, and the Disney line (“Did you find my Disney World?”) made me laugh. Super fun & the crowd liked it!

“You Have Bought Yourself a Boat” – Yet another one where the crowd immediately began grooving again.

“How Do You Let the Love Into The Heart” – A mellower tune that the crowd leans into, taking the set to a slower pace.

“Gentleman Jack” -> “Someone Get the Grill Out of the Rain” – Literally the best transition ever… I love both songs now.

“Tastes Just Like It Cost” – The set finishes at a peak and the crowd screams the lyrics until the very end.

Day Three

JPEGMAFIA

JPEGMAFIA had a fantastic stage presence that really got the crowd riled up. “SCARING THE HOES” was a blast.

While we were in the pit, he literally jumped off stage onto the speakers. Obsessed with that. I sat in the grass for a bit after and genuinely really enjoyed his cover of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” (which I assume was improvised due to tech issues) .

Killer Mike

I sat in the grassy outskirts of a fairly large crowd waiting for Killer Mike, settled in for his show with a green smoothie and late lunch. Within minutes of his set, it dawned on me I’d miscalculated my seating choice as a crowd flooded in, drawn by his performance. A large portion of his performance was very gospel-inspired. Mike wore all white & had a shrine to his mother on the side. He spoke frequently to the crowd and we were readily engaged with him

“SLUMMER” – At the end he yelled for everyone to teach men to use a condom, and respect women’s autonomy over their bodies. Very much needed in current times.

“MOTHERLESS” –  Really hit close to home for me. I sat drinking my little green smoothie on the grass, in my mom’s old skirt, wearing her earrings. I really felt a connection to his entire performance & energy… Killer Mike’s set was the highlight of Pitchfork Fest for me.