The Flaming Lips
In the last few years, summer music festivals have erupted in popularity and there are now hundreds of locations to experience live outdoor music on a big scale. In my book, there is none better than Pitchfork Music Festival, which takes place every summer at Union Park in Chicago. Pitchfork prides itself on being the most fan-friendly festival out there and is geared whole-heartedly towards the hardcore music fan. While the fest may not book as many artists familiar to the world-at-large like Lollapalooza or Bonnaroo, it has an uncanny ability to get artists just before they hit it big. It’s no accident that many of the bands that played Pitchfork early on, such as Spoon, Band of Horses, The Decemberists, Girl Talk, Of Montreal, and Fleet Foxes, have gone on to achieve a widespread audience and play much bigger festivals.
This year Pitchfork has really booked some awesome bands, and not all of them are unknowns. The Flaming Lips, Grammy-winning psychedelic rockers that have been long known as one of the greatest live bands touring today, are headlining the fest and are sure to bring along the giant space ball and copious amounts of balloons and confetti that have long decorated their live show. They, as well as a number of other bands like Built To Spill and Yo La Tengo, are allowing the fans to choose the setlist. Other artists appearing this year include The National, Beirut, Grizzly Bear, M83, The Walkmen, MF Doom, Blitzen Trapper, Matt and Kim, and The Thermals.
The incredible line-up, though, is just a small part of what makes Pitchfork an amazing experience. While most festivals you have to walk a quarter mile between stages, both of the fest’s main stages are viewable from the center of the park (there’s also a side stage that features smaller, niche artists) and with bands alternating stages there’s no noise spillover and no waiting for bands to set up.
Affordability is another big factor that makes Pitchfork Fest so appealing. While you’ll drop a couple hundred dollars easy on most festival tickets, Pitchfork is 25 bucks a day (with a three-day pass) and they sell food for 1950s prices (where else can you get $1 water bottles?). If you want to take a break from live music for a while, there’s an awesome concert poster fair called Flatstock and a tent where you can buy cheap used vinyls.
Maybe the most amusing part of Pitchfork Festival though is something I like to call “Hipster watching”. Books can be written about the ridiculous fashions and ironic facial hair you’ll see around Union Park over the weekend (hipsters live in a world where there is no shame). Really in the end, however entertaining watching dudes wearing neon pink American Apparel hot pants, it’s all about the music. In short, Pitchfork Music Festival is a music lover’s paradise and one of the best times of the year.
