Chicago – In all my years attending Pitchfork, Friday marked a first: the weather was perfect! The entire day deserved a #feelgoodfriday. Pitchfork weekend tends to be sweltering hot, but thanks to our new friend, the Polar Vortex, temps were in the 80s. The breezy afternoon and a handful of new bands made for an excellent start to the fest.
Hundred Waters kicked off Pitchfork Festival with their experimental art-rock. They garnered quite the turn out, despite having an early start. Excitement was in the air. Festivalgoers were thrilled to see the Floridian band – who hold the honor of being the first indie act to sign with Skrillex’s record label OWSLA – and members Paul Giese, Nicole Miglis, Zach Tetreault, and Trayer Tryon were just as charged to play their first festival.
People swayed to the beats while Hundred Waters’ ambient sounds floated over the baseball field at Union Park. Miglis wowed with her flute, but really got a rise out of the crowd when halfway through the set she joked, “This is when we start playing Death Grips covers!” Instead she broke into “Xtalk,” from their recent release The Moon Rang Like a Bell.
Sharon Van Etten drew in a large and loving crowd. As she walked on stage, people were hollering, “I love you, Sharon!” She thanked everyone for coming, took a sip of beer, and got down to business. Sharon Van Etten belted out oldies like “Save Yourself” and new tunes from Are We There, including “Your Love is Killing Me.” Between songs she chatted with the crowd and doted over them, asking if everyone had enough sunscreen, making it feel less like an afternoon at a fest and more of an intimate gathering with friends.
I left Van Etten’s beautiful set early to see New Jersey neo soul singer Solana Rowe, who goes by the stage name SZA. The twenty-three year old was thrilled to be back in the Midwest – she’s originally from St. Louis – performing songs off her latest EP Z. The crowd seemed pleased to have her back, too. The small green was stuffed with people bopping along to SZA’s PBR&B.
It seemed everyone under the age of thirty decided to take in Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks’ psych-rock before heading over to the main stage to see Beck. The grass was hard to find in the sea of people moshing and thrashing around. Tare barely spoke between songs, instead rocking hard to songs off Enter the Slasher House, such as “Little Fang.” He did stop to tell the crowd it was Angel Deradoorian’s birthday. The audience shouted, “Happy birthday, Angel!” She shyly blushed behind her keyboard until the music and crowd surfing resumed.
Beck closed the night out with an incredible set. To the right of the stage, members of The Orwells and Twin Peaks could be seen dancing to “Where It’s At” and at times, belting out the lyrics. All in all, day one of Pitchfork was fabulous. It went by way too fast, but there’s still Saturday and Sunday to look forward to.
Sarah Hess
After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.
You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.
Latest posts by Sarah Hess (see all)
- The Wild Feathers Check One Off The Bucket List - July 31, 2017
- RY X Captivates Chicago - October 24, 2016
- Four New Bands at Day Three of Riot Fest - September 20, 2016
Pingback: 4 New Bands Worth Seeing At Fun Fun Fun Fest - Best New Bands