Pitchfork Music Festival 2018: Hear the Lineup

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. With the music for festing and everyone telling you have a cold beer. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Yes friends, it’s time once again for Christmas in July, aka the start of music festival season in Chicago. I’m thrilled to once again to spend the week providing wall-to-wall coverage of this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival. The next seven (or so) days will be jam packed with previews, reviews, highlights, and music direct from Chicago’s Union Park. The 2018 Pitchfork Music Festival officially begins this Friday, July 20th, and runs all weekend with 40+ performances from a diverse set of artists and bands from the (figurative) past, present, and future. So whether you’re already planning to attend, are thinking about attending, or are simply wishing that you could go, my hope is there’s something for everybody with this extensive guide to one of the best and most unique music festivals on the planet.

Before attending a smaller, more boutique festival like the Pitchfork Music Festival, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the lineup. Pitchfork historically has one of the most well-rounded lineups every year, and often includes smaller, up-and-coming artists you’ll be hearing much more about in the coming years. Not every band is a household name, so if you’re not up on, say, Irreversible Entanglements, you might want to know what they sound like before choosing to include them as you plan out your schedule for the weekend. This is where a playlist comes in handy. Below you’ll find a variety of ways to learn a bit more about the artists performing at this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival, including tracks to stream on YouTube and Soundcloud. If Spotify is your preferred streaming service, I’ve also assembled a playlist (ordered by day and set time) at the very bottom of this post featuring two songs from just about everyone on the lineup. Click around, explore a bit, listen to some tracks, and get your bearings before this weekend!

If you’re thinking about attending this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival but don’t have your passes yet, here’s where you can go to find out more information and purchase tickets. The official preview guide starts tomorrow, with an hour-by-hour breakdown of the best acts to see on Friday. Join me, won’t you?

Alex Cameron [Website]
Runnin’ Outta Luck
Stranger’s Kiss (ft. Angel Olsen)

berhana [Website]
Grey Luh
Whole Wide World

Big Thief [Website]
Shark Smile
Mythological Beauty

Blood Orange [Website]
Better Than Me
Christopher & 6th

Chaka Khan [Website]
I’m Every Woman
Like Sugar

Circuit des Yeux [Website]
Brainshift
Fantasize the Scene

Courtney Barnett [Website]
Pedestrian at Best
Avant Gardener

The Curls [Website]
Tidal Wave
Underneath

DRAM [Website]
BROCCOLI (ft. Lil Yachty)
I Have A Dream

Fleet Foxes [Website]
Fool’s Errand
Helplessness Blues

Girlpool [Website]
123
Powerplant

Irreversible Entanglements [More Info]
Fireworks
Chicago to Texas