Pitchfork Music Festival Chicago

Pitchfork Music Festival Chicago has quickly become one of the most popular music festivals in the city. With a diverse range of genres on offer, it’s hard not to enjoy the weekend.

Aside from being well organized, the festival also offers a variety of fairs for attendees to purchase art and flack posters. In addition, there is a music house kids zone where you can buy musical instruments and paint.

Japanese Breakfast

While Pitchfork Music Festival is a big deal year after year, this year the Chicago-based music outlet made it feel even more special by showcasing a number of local acts, like Japanese Breakfast. Lead singer Michelle Zauner had a delightful surprise on her second set at Union Park – she was joined by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy!

The pair of musicians duetted on the Jubilee track “Kokomo, IN,” and then a Wilco cover of “Jesus Etc.” It was just the type of charming this-could-only-happen moment that you want to remember from the weekend.

Other highlights included swooning to Indigo De Souza, thrashing to The Armed and Dry Cleaning, bouncing to Tierra Whack and Noname, and getting a move on to Amber Mark and The Roots. All of this made for a weekend of groovy indie tunes with a decidedly Chicago flair.

Lucy Dacus

Virginia’s songwriter Lucy Dacus is part of the “sad indie girls” movement (with Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Mitski). She released her debut album, No Burden, in 2016.

The evocative music on her sophomore album, Historian, finds Dacus looking back at her own coming-of-age experiences for inspiration. She says writing down memories is like crystallizing a moment in time, but the act of writing isn’t always a sure thing.

Her third album, Home Video, focuses on her own coming-of-age experience, borrowing themes from the lyrical journals she’s kept since childhood to write about her own life and those she cares about. She also explores how time condenses around deep emotional attachments to others, whether they’re friends or family.

L’Rain

The National, Mitski and the Roots headline this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, but there are plenty of other interesting acts tucked into this eclectic music fest. With symphonic rock collective Spiritualized, indie-pop outfit Japanese Breakfast, rapper Earl Sweatshirt and reunited emo band Karate to name a few, the three-day event is one of the most varied music festivals in the city.

Sunday started off with the jazzy, lackadaisical rapper Earl Sweatshirt performing alongside DJ Black Noi$e. He brings a zen yet explosive personality to every stage he performs at, whether he’s connecting with the crowd or delivering niche material like internet deep cuts like “E.Coli” that leaked online before debuting on The Alchemist’s Bread EP.

Tierra Whack

Tierra Whack is a bright and lively performer, who’s already established her status as a groundbreaking artist in her own right. Her zany personality and gleefully inappropriate sense of humor pulled her crowd in quickly.

The rain made it hard to see much during the first day of Pitchfork music festival, but it didn’t stop her from delivering a set that was both spirited and colorful. She brought out her manager to help squeegee the stage, and led call-and-response chants with her fans.

She followed up her high-energy set with a more demure performance from Syd, who is also a former Odd Future member. Her songs are a little more low-key than Whack’s, but her lyricism and production quality are no slouches. She even enlisted members of her band The Internet to join her for a few tunes off their recently released fifth album, Hive Mind.

Toro Y Moi

For three days, Union Park in Chicago was a festival hotspot as Pitchfork put on their annual event. Featuring artists from all genres, it has become a staple in the city’s calendar and attracts a diverse crowd.

Day One of the fest was a little damp but still packed with some good music from acts like Band of Horses and Toro Y Moi. The latter is a great example of a artist who doesn’t need to rely on a full band to rock out; their laid-back sound and fun-loving demeanor make them perfect for a festival setting.

Hometown star KAINA was another highlight of the day, bringing elegance to the stage with her sparkling bubble-braid hairstyle and her beautiful blue patchwork dress. She played a number of songs off her newest album It Was a Home as well as fan favorites from her debut album Next to the Sun.