Two days down, one left to go. While I’m always impressed with the general lineup and flow of the schedule for just about any day of the Pitchfork Music Festival on any given year, there was something about Saturday this year that stood out. I had a strange sense of uncertainty about how some of the performances would go, and about how the crowds would react to them. Sometimes you’re expecting a rousing success and instead it turns out to be a tepid mess that nobody likes. Other times you watch an artist pouring his or her heart out while a bunch of people chat instead of paying attention to what’s happening on stage. The music festival world can be a complex and fickle beast. So on a day where it felt like there were more question marks about artists than usual, I’m pleased to report that the entire day went tremendously well. So much so that it handily bested Friday and I can’t imagine Sunday improving upon it. But we’ll just have to wait and see! In the meantime, please join me after the jump for a lengthy summary of every performance I witnessed on Saturday. They’re all sorted by paragraph, with the artist name bolded for easier navigation. I’ll be sharing a full photo set from Saturday at some point in the coming days, so keep an eye out for that!
Tag: the feelies
One of the things I admire most about the Pitchfork Music Festival every year is the dedication to crafting a lineup that’s diverse in style, background and gender. While that is always showcased throughout the entire weekend, it feels particularly prominent on Saturday this year. You can gravitate from rock to folk to funk to pop to R&B to hip hop all in the course of a few hours, and at least half of those artists and bands prominently feature female members. A third have persons of color, though that’s actually the lowest amount of all three days. The point being, other festivals should take note, and make more of an effort to be inclusive. I feel like it creates a better sense of community among the attendees too. The strangers I encounter at Pitchfork Fest every year are among the nicest and coolest people you could ever meet, so don’t be afraid to say hello to me or anyone else.
Okay, let’s get into this preview of Day 2. After dancing yourself clean with LCD Soundsystem the night before, I can understand that it might be hard to get out of bed and be ready to hit it hard first thing the next day, but there are rewards to those willing to show up early. Join me after the jump and I’ll explain why.
In case you missed it:
Pitchfork Music Festival 2017 Lineup Playlist
Friday Preview Guide
Sunday Preview Guide
Welcome to the beginning of Pitchfork Music Festival Week 2017! It’s become tradition here on Faronheit in the last few years to spend a full seven days celebrating the three day blissful orgy of music that descends upon Chicago every July in the form of the Pitchfork Music Festival. In my opinion, you won’t find a better curated or more diverse festival lineup anywhere other than Pitchfork. They put their brand and reputation on the line to celebrate great and innovative artists across backgrounds and genres. If you’re unaware or ignorant of the festival, perhaps a glance at some past coverage will provide an accurate impression of how things go each year. We couldn’t be more excited to bring you a complete festival guide all week long on Faronheit, which includes day-by-day previews, day-by-day recaps, plus a whole bunch of photos and other media along the way. Whether you’re headed to Union Park this weekend and are unsure about what bands to see, or are interested in the lineup and are looking to vicariously experience the festival without actually going, the hope is you’ll make this site one of your stops for key information and on-the-ground reporting. It’s a pleasure to put this guide together every year, and I hope it’s reflected in the content posted.
Let’s get started by providing a proper introduction to all of the artists set to perform at Pitchfork Music Festival 2017. After the jump you’ll find a Spotify playlist featuring two songs from every single artist on the linup, along with individual links to websites, music videos and more. The Spotify playlist is ordered by day and set time, while everything else is sorted alphabetically. There are plenty of ways to get to know these artists, but obviously listening to their music is the most important of all. So click some links, stream some songs, and begin your education!
More Pitchfork Music Festival 2017 coverage:
Friday Preview Guide
Saturday Preview Guide
Sunday Preview Guide
This week’s Live Friday is a simple one, but also pretty classic. Depending on how deep into music history you go, there’s a chance you may have heard of The Feelies. They’re a band from New Jersey that was making music from about 1976 to 1992 when they broke up. With their lengthy musical career, they influenced a countless number of bands, though perhaps most notably R.E.M.. There’s a distinctive punk sound to many of their songs, along with Afrobeat as well. You might say that Vampire Weekend wouldn’t exist today were it not for The Feelies. Anyways, the band has gotten back together for a small number of shows in the past couple years, still as vital and exciting as ever even though they’re all aged and have families now. Last summer, they played Chicago for the first time in 15 years, and at the crowned jewel Millennium Park too…for free. I was there and it was nothing short of impressive. If you’ve not heard The Feelies’ debut album “Crazy Rhythms”, put it on your list of things to check out as it is a classic.
That said, The Feelies have played a few 2010 dates, and most notably played a few songs in studio for WXPN last week. If you’ve never heard The Feelies perform live before, or even haven’t seen them since they’ve gotten back together, this session is a good indicator of where the band is at currently. Unlike many of the sessions featured on Live Friday, this one doesn’t have an interview attached to it, either because the band was hesitant to do one, or they simply didn’t have the time. Either way, these songs satisfy, and I hope you’ll give them a try if even if you’ve never heard of The Feelies before. They were essential listening back in the 90s, and they remain essential listening today.
The Feelies, Live on WXPN 5-27-10:
The Feelies – Crazy Rhythm (Live on WXPN)
The Feelies – Higher Ground (Live on WXPN)
The Feelies – Let’s Go (Live on WXPN)
