Union Park (Chicago, IL)
07/21/23 - 07/23/23
The excitement levels were high at this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago’s Union Park. On Friday, the three-day festival opened up strong with Sen Morito, Nation of Language, Perfume Genius, Ric Wilson, and many more. The day consisted of a blend of genres from the hypnotic lyricism brought to us by Mavi, to the atmospheric soundscapes produced by Jlin, all culminating into The Smile ending the night with Thom Yorke’s recognizable tone, leaving the festival goers excited for the next two days.
Rain or shine, Saturday pushed through as the weather shut down the festival for two hours at around 2PM, but not until after Deeper played their set full of catchy pop ballads that had concert goers on their feet and dancing. 700 Bliss and MJ Lenderman managed to perform before the festival was evacuated. The festival went on after the major parts of the storm passed, and the crowd was welcomed back by King Krule’s weighty vocals as he pulled us in with his heartfelt lyrics.
The rain came and went for the rest of the evening, but not enough to shut the show down. The backdrop of the storm blended perfectly with Weyes Blood’s amazing performance, creating an unforgettable experience as she pranced on stage, wistfully singing. About halfway through her set – right when we thought it couldn’t get any more magical – she did another gentle spin, revealing a red glow in the middle of her chest as she turned toward us. The crowd went wild. The rain eventually settled while Big Thief finished off Saturday’s lineup, with Adrianne Lenker’s soothing voice cradling us into the night all while their bassist, Max Oleartchik, was casually dressed as a mermaid.
Sunday brought the heat with both the temperature and the lineup, with heavy hitters like JPEGMAFIA, Soul Glo, and Killer Mike. JPEGMAFIA, after having some technical difficulties with his equipment, performed energetically, hopping on and between the speakers, causing the crowd to scream in excitement, then eventually got up close and personal against the railing. His unique blend of experimental hip-hop and aggressive yet melodic sound had the crowd moshing. He even at one point sang a cover of “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen! Soul Glo, a hardcore-punk band from Philly, the heaviest band on the lineup, made their presence known as fans moshed to their sporadic vocals atop sharp punk rhythms, kicking up dust. The night ended with none other than Bon Iver, awing the crowd with his euphoric light show and nostalgic folk acoustics. Judging by this year’s lineup, it would be a mistake to miss next year’s Pitchfork Festival!
