Chicago came ready to represent on Day 2 of Pitchfork Music Fest. Though the skies were a bit overcast, by 1 p.m., the crowd at Union Park was several times the size of Friday’s modest gathering, with many huddled close by the Green Stage, clearly getting the memo on catching local up-and-comers Lifeguard.
Fashion choices also showed off a hearty dose of Chicago pride. Some in the crowd were carrying tote bags from area record stores like Rolling Stone Records or Shuga (likely picked up with a stop at the onsite Chirp Record Fair). At least two people were also wearing Shellac T-shirts, an homage to the late, great Steve Albini, who passed away just over two months ago.
It was a small part of what could’ve been a better tribute at the festival, with a good number of artists on the lineup having logged time at Albini’s Electrical Audio over the years.
Across the park, other hints of Chicago-grown brands have been evident, from Revolution Brewing’s large presence to bites from Café Tola and Beat Kitchen, a much-needed taste of home to contrast to an influx of national sponsors like Nespresso and the city of Austin, Texas, of all places.
“Visit Austin, come relax with the live music capital of the world,” read multiple banners, oddly condescending in light of Chicago’s own thriving scene, which has been more evident than ever this weekend
Here are reviews of some of Saturday’s acts on Day 2 of Pitchfork:
Carly Rae Jepsen
Check back this evening for a full review of Carly Rae Jepsen’s set on the Red Stage at 7:25 p.m.
Jamie xx
Check back this evening for a full review of Jamie xx’s set on the Green Stage at 8:30 p.m.
Pitchfork in photos
Lifeguard
A little injury was not going to sink Lifeguard’s Pitchfork debut on Saturday. Guitarist-vocalist Kai Slater (his right foot visibly in a boot) may have had to sit in a folding chair for the duration of the quick 38-minute set. But nothing about him was still as he frenetically wielded his instrument — sometimes even playing with one of his crutches — to help produce the unmistakable noise that brands the fuzzy punk trio, completed by bassist Asher Case and drummer Isaac Lowenstein.
“This is a dream come true for us — it means a lot you guys came,” Slater shared mid-set before giving a shoutout to fellow locals Horsegirl, with whom Lifeguard is closely associated. Both are signed to indie tastemaker label Matador and both bands have members of the same family.
That sense of community and camaraderie has been a big part of the recent uprising of the Chicago rock-punk-indie scene — of which Lifeguard is a huge focal point — and it was paid back handsomely by the adoring crowd, who hollered with every song, including two brand-new tracks.
“You can’t record this one with your phone though,” Slater half-jokingly warned; of course, that only led a good handful to do so.
There is both a musical and aesthetic sense that is wise beyond the young years of Lifeguard — formed in 2019, with one LP and a double composite EP, “Crowd Can Talk / Dressed in Trenches,” to its name. While the bandmates might have looked like they just robbed a thrift shop, still picking out the best options available, it’s symbolic of how they craft their music, carving it out from a deep appreciation and knowledge of a deep catalog while making it fresh and all their own.
What results is a wide palette of carefully structured songs that are at one moment ferocious and fueled by feedback and the next, rhythmic and balanced. “Now that’s an opener,” one guy nearby perfectly remarked.
— Selena Fragassi
L’Rain
From a MUNA license plate spotted in a nearby parking lot to a girl with a Carly Rae Jepsen tattoo on her arm and several wearing Jessie Ware t-shirts, there was no shortage of visible excitement at midday Saturday for the acts playing later.
Yet, one of the undercard acts that now will surely enter that worship league is L’Rain. It’s the nom de plume of Taja Cheek, a Brooklyn native who cut her teeth in that borough’s bustling DIY scene and also become immersed in the art world as the much-respected curator of performance and sound for Whitney Biennial.
L’Rain’s music is a superlative-earning combination of both, a collage of ad hoc loops coloring a palette of sounds from jazz to ambient to drone to shoegaze and orchestral pop that’s nothing but pure art. Even when the wrong loop, mired in funk, interrupted a more passive instrumental piece, it was hard to question the progression. That could’ve just been L’Rain’s genius again.
So focused was she that she had no time for pointless banter between songs and even her guitarist had to remove L’Rain’s sunglasses in a pinch so as not to interrupt her flow. Accented by four incredible musicians, the set could be best described like a healing sound bath, rooted in both new age and ancient soundscapes. The true miracle was that the ensemble could make the noises they did in such a finicky open-air environment — again the work of total pros.
The performance today was a sort of repeat of last year’s Re:Set Festival, where L’Rain was on the lineup with Jamie xx (another Saturday Pitchfork act) though she was rained out at that event. And it’s hopefully not the last we see of the talent as she continues promoting her boldly named 2023 album, “I Killed Your Dog.” But just in case, go see her after show with Model/Actriz at Empty Bottle tonight. “I promise I’ll talk more at my show later,” she vowed.
—Selena Fragassi
Kara Jackson
“I wrote this song around the time that I was 17,” said poet, singer songwriter and guitarist Kara Jackson during her Saturday performance on the Green Stage. “Which is also the age I dreamed about playing Pitchfork.”
Jackson, now 25, was born in Oak Park, about seven miles west of Pitchfork’s Union Park home. With a spoken-word background as a published poet, serving as U.S. National Youth Poet Laureate five years ago, Jackson displayed an appreciation for storytelling and prose over the course of her 45 minutes on stage.
Taking on dynamic vocals and acoustic guitar, Jackson was backed by a terrific four-piece band, featuring an array of instrumentation ranging anywhere from violin to brass.
Bass and delicately fingerpicked acoustic guitar provided a sparse backing early as Jackson opened up with “Right, Wrong or Ready,” with incisive live violin soon cutting through all of it.
“Every person that I’ve dated / Tells me I’m intimidating / Like a snake that’s busy preying,” sang the poet on stage at Pitchfork. Songs don’t get more introspective than “No Party,” and that line brought a large early crowd to its feet Saturday afternoon. “No Party” is a track where bass doesn’t rumble as much as it gurgles beneath, setting a foreboding tone that lent the standout track a cinematic feel.
At times, Jackson’s vocal was reminiscent of Roberta Flack or Billie Holiday. Nowhere was that more clear than on “Crush” and “Rat,” both of which Jackson performed solo, always a bold choice in the festival setting.
From her 2023 debut full-length “Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?” Jackson sent “Free” out to her mother, pausing for a moment to soak in the applause before diving into “Lily.”
While the Pitchfork set was at times haunting and beautiful despite the outdoor expanse, tonight’s intimate Schubas aftershow should prove to be an even more moving concert experience.
“Thank you so much for having me, Pitchfork,” said Jackson to the rapturous applause of the hometown crowd. “I’m honored to be here.”
— Jim Ryan
Wednesday
“It’s suspicious you all are here instead of at Water From Your Eyes,” singer-guitarist Karly Hartzman said to start the set by her group called Wednesday, rebuking the crowd for not taking in the art pop-indie rock band concurrently across the way at the Blue Stage.
Yet, judging by the huge swarms of people who showed up for Hartzman and her crew, it’s hard to believe there was anyone left anywhere else in Union Park. Saturday’s large turnout was a substantial increase from Day 1, with Pitchfork Fest fans showing up for more rock bands and guitars.
Of the weekend on a whole, Saturday was the day full of heavy amplified outliers, starting off with punk heroes Lifeguard and then continuing with the North Carolina alt rock/Southern rock hybrid act Wednesday, who were a great lead up to reunited riot grrl act Bratmobile and noisemakers Unwound to come later in the night.
Hartzman, along with guitarist Jake Lenderman, lap steel player Xandy Chelmis, drummer Alan Miller and bassist Ethan Baechtold, filled their time well with a seamlessly stitched set of originals and a take on Drive-By Truckers’ “Women Without Whiskey,” featured on the former’s 2022 covers album, “Mowing the Leaves Instead of Piling ‘em Up.”
When Wednesday wasn’t espousing the merit of fellow Pitchfork Fest acts, the band zeroed in on Drive-By Truckers, an admitted huge songwriting influence. The narrative lyrics are definitely a match between the two (and the lap steel too), but stylistically Wednesday further branches out into frenzied riffing and imperfectly perfect vocals, often punctured by raw screaming.
“I want to set an intention, and channel it towards all the anger we’ve been feeling and all the frustration of what our tax dollars are funding,” Hartzman shared to introduce the song “Bull Believer,” one of the surprisingly few political statements so far this weekend. “I’m sure a lot of you have anger and sadness you want to let out right now and I will too; we can do it together.”
— Selena Fragassi
De La Soul
Iconic New York rappers De La Soul have long avoided hip-hop stereotypes, putting their unique spin upon the art form since aligning in 1988 while doubling as one of the most critical components of the early ‘90s alternative hip-hop movement.
Last year brought mixed emotions for the group, with De La Soul finally regaining ownership of its music after a lengthy, noteworthy battle, and clearing samples that allowed their rich catalog to reach streaming platforms for the first time in March 2023 — less than one month after the death of co-founding member Trugoy the Dove, 54, who’d battled congestive heart failure.
“We’re celebrating 40 years of friendship and brotherhood!” declared Maceo from his onstage DJ stand Saturday afternoon. “We’re also celebrating Trugoy the Dove.”
Few live rap acts are as energetic on stage as De La Soul, who offered up an hour full of goodwill at Pitchfork, delivering a poignant look back — with a few famous friends.
“Party people, how ya feelin’ today? What is that middle section? Is that VIP?” rapper Posdnuous asked from the stage, seemingly as confused by new massive viewing stands dedicated to VIP concertgoers as the general admission patrons whose line of sight has been continually impacted by the new additions all weekend.
“No, don’t boo them!” said Posdnuous, laughing, acknowledging the crowd reaction to the hulking VIP structure. “I just wanted to know!”
“Oooh” was an early highlight, with both Maceo and Posdnuous engaging the audience in classic hip-hop call and response while revisiting their 1989 debut via “Potholes in My Lawn.”
Rapper Talib Kweli, clad in a black White Sox hat, was a pleasant Pitchfork surprise, joining the duo midway through for “Stakes Is High.”
In one of the afternoon’s most impressive moments, Posdnuous and Kweli delivered “The Bizness,” both handling the chorus in predominantly a cappella fashion late.
Swelling from three, De La Soul functioned late Saturday as a quartet, with Queens legend Pharoahe Monch joining as the group put its spin upon his “Simon Says,” cruising toward the finish with “Me Myself and I” in resplendent fashion.
“Pitchfork … a lot will come up here, collect that check and give you a half-assed show. But not De La Soul!” asserted Posdnuous accurately. “Thank you for having us.”
— Jim Ryan
Bratmobile
Playing the Blue Stage at 6:30 p.m., check back for a review.
Allison Wolfe, Molly Neuman get ready to reissue early albums but say new music is ‘not a plan right now.’
Unwound
Playing the Blue Stage at 7:45 p.m., check back for a review.