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Pitchfork Music Festival 2024: Sunday Highlights

Pitchfork Music Festival 2024 wrapped up on Sunday, July 21st in Union Park, drawing another mix of different genres to close out the weekend.

I started my third day of the fest with Model/Actrizs set over on the Red Stage. Having gone in completely blind to the band’s music and their performances, I was instantly blown away by the intensity of their show. Vocalist and frontman Cole Haden dramatically sashayed around the stage at the start of the band’s set, but within a couple of songs he jumped offstage to join the audience in the mosh pit. Haden journeyed to both the left and right sides of the crowd, getting up close and personal with the spectators. The extravagant performance got everyone rejuvenated and ready to take on the final day of the fest.

Photo by Kenn Box

Jessica Pratt played next on the Green Stage, providing a chilled out, easy Sunday afternoon tone as fans watched on under the blazing sun. “Thanks for standing out in the sun with us,” Pratt told the audience as she continued her dreamy songs.

Photo by Alexa Viscius

Mannequin Pussy tied for my favorite performance of the day, alongside Model/Actriz and MUNA—there’s just something about bands that start with the letter M! Fans gathered around the Blue Stage in anticipation a good 20 minutes before this set was slated to start. As the band performed a set heavily comprised of songs from their 2024 album I Got Heaven, lead vocalist Missy Dabice also addressed the packed audience a few times with captivating stage banter that she delivered in her signature sultry whisper that contrasts with her raw singing voice. “Hi boys, I’m Missy. All the men and all the boys raise your hands. I just wanna see what kind of fucked up men come to a Mannequin Pussy show,” she joked before asking everyone to scream “pussy” as loud as they could. The scream theme returned later in the show when Missy instructed everyone to let out a primal yell. “We’re the luckiest people alive to be able to be together, to be able to be in a place transferring your cathartic pain into something that looks more like community,” she prefaced the group primal scream. There’s a certain controlled chaos around Mannequin Pussy shows, where just as you feel you’re about to teeter over the edge, Missy and the band pull you right back in line. Who needs therapy when you can just go to one of their shows?

Photo by Kimberley Ross

MUNA kept the energy soaring high over on the Green Stage, opening with their singles “What I Want” and “Number One Fan” that kept the audience dancing under the evening sun. The trio of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson were joined by a couple of live band members to help bring their songs to life on the stage, but the focus remained on the core band members are they bolted around the stage and fed off one another’s energy. Gavin slipped in some funny banter alongside the music, asking the fest-goers if they just fell out of a coconut tree (in reference to the Kamala Harris meme). Gavin also called out the full circle experience for the band when she shared she used to come to the festival during high school. Towards the end of the set, the band tossed out inflatable horses into the crowd during the performance of “Anything but Me,” which was fitting for the part of the show that had a twinge of twang as Gavin played acoustic guitar.

Photo by Alexa Viscius

Brittany Howard closed out the Red Stage with her soulful, powerhouse vocals. Accompanied by a full band, the singer told the audience “I drove through the night to get here and I’m gonna give y’all everything I got!” Howard delivered, giving me goosebumps with her commanding vocals.

Photo by Kimberley Ross

Now, Mannequin Pussy’s show might have been controlled chaos, but Les Savy Fav’s set was pure, unfiltered chaos from the moment it began. Frontman Tim Harrington rolled up on a Lime scooter from the back of the crowd, parting the sea of concert-goers as he rode to the front barricade. From there, Harrington spent only a few moments onstage before he moved on to spend the majority of the show wandering amongst the fans, venturing all the way to the back of the crowd, and having audience members participate in the show as he went along. Les Savy Fav’s show was more of an interactive art exhibit backed by an epic soundtrack.

Photo by Pooneh Ghana

Alanis Morissette closed out the entire festival with a setlist packed with hit after hit—opening with “Hand in My Pocket” and winding down with “You Oughta Know.” One of the greatest aspects of music festivals is getting the chance to discover a new act, but fests are best when that discovery is anchored with some veteran performers. It felt truly inspiring and invigorating to get to witness the expertise and finely-tuned craft of stage performance that Morissette and her band have mastered throughout their years of touring and playing live music. Elaborate visual graphics accompanied the tight musicality of Alanis’ performance to elevate the production even further. Morissette and her band also gave a one-of-a-kind performance of “Ironic” at Pitchfork Fest by bringing out the entirety of MUNA to sing the song with her. We love to see a crossover moment! Following the cathartic and chills-inducing performance of “You Oughta Know” that closed out Morissette’s main set, the singer returned for a two-song encore including “Uninvited” and “Thank U.”

Photo by Kimberley Ross

Be sure to also check out P4K highlights from Friday and Saturday.

Live Recap: MUNA with Nova Twins at Salt Shed

This past Tuesday night, fans gathered to catch a sold out show from MUNA, with support from Nova Twins at the Salt Shed.

I entered the shed very familiar with MUNA, having been a (number one) fan for years now, but I went into the Nova Twins’ set completely cold. It didn’t take long at all for the duo of Amy Love and Georgia South to warm me up and win me over—it was somewhere between their wildly energetic entrance to the stage, their encouragement of the audience to declare “I’m a boss bitch!” (as they sing in the chorus of their song “Cleopatra”) and Love’s request for the crowd to “open up the twerk pit” (rather than mosh pit) that I decided Nova Twins is one of my new favorites. The cheers from the audience and the smiles I saw on everyone’s faces confirmed I was not alone in my newfound admiration for the duo. Their 40-minute set contained plenty of songs from their 2022 album entitled Supernova and was chock-full of ear-splitting guitar riffs and booming bass lines.

With the crowd primed and ready now, MUNA took the stage right around 9PM. As the band launched into their hit “What I Want,” vocalist Katie Gavin abruptly stopped the song only about 30 seconds in, to call out that someone in the audience appeared to need medical assistance. Once the fallen fan received help, Gavin and her bandmates Josette Maskin and Naomi McPherson, decided to leave the stage, restarting the set completely from the top so that everyone got to experience their full introduction. The sold out crowd remained rowdy throughout the show, but thanks to an overwhelming sense of camaraderie and a reminder from Gavin to look out for each other, the show carried on with only good vibes and no more incidents.

Following a whirlwind of bangers like “Number One Fan” and “Stayaway,” MUNA mellowed out the tempo slightly for songs like “Loose Garment” and “Winterbreak,” the latter of which Gavin picked up an acoustic guitar to add some richness to the arrangement. For the majority of the show, Gavin sang and danced freely across the stage, only staying stationary for the few songs she played acoustic guitar on. The energy remained high throughout the show, though, with plenty of banter and movement from Maskin and McPherson as well. Things got even rowdier during MUNA’s performance of “Anything But Me” when the band threw out horse figurines for the crowd to toss around.

In the blink of an eye it seemed, the show began to wind down and MUNA left the stage to immediate requests for an encore. The trio kept the magic going with their song “I Know a Place,” in which Gavin sings about a place where you can go, let down your walls and truly be yourself— AKA, every MUNA concert ever. For one last hoorah of the night, Nova Twins graced the stage again to join in on singing “Silk Chiffon.”

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, MUNA fans are some of the most accepting and joyous people you’ll ever meet, so if you get the chance to attend one of their shows, don’t miss out on the wonderful experience.

If you missed the show, check out the full gallery below, and see where you can catch the tour next here.

PHOTOS: MUNA and Meet Me at the Altar at Thalia Hall

Last week, MUNA performed to a sold out Thalia Hall for a Lollapalooza after show, also featuring Meet Me at the Altar. See the photo recap of the evening below, and see where you can catch MUNA next here.

PHOTOS: MUNA Saves the World at Logan Square Auditorium

Back in September, MUNA made their highly anticipated return with their sophomore release Saves The World, which followed their 2017 debut album About U. To celebrate their new era, MUNA embarked on a national tour, including a sold out stop at Logan Square Auditorium. If you missed their comeback show, check out photos of the evening and listen to the new album in full below.

Make sure to keep up with MUNA on Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

PHOTOS: Go Fest Featuring Bleachers, MUNA, Mutemath, and The Naked and Famous

MGMT, Local Natives, Misterwives, Walk The Moon and Flying Lotus to Play Mamby on the Beach

Returning for a third year, Chicago's very own Mamby on the Beach is back with a stellar line up for 2017! In case you missed it, the festival officially announced yesterday that headlining acts include MGMT and Walk The Moon. The two-day festival also features countless other acts, like Miike Snow, Marian Hill, Phoebe Ryan, Thundercat, and Misterwives. We're personally most excited for Raury, Local Natives, and MUNA, but you can check out the entire line up below.

Tickets range from $62.50-$99.50 for single day and $112-$169.99, with General Admission and VIP options available. 

P.S. Last year, Chance the Rapper showed up at Mamby, so you never know what surprises might happen this year. Get your tickets now, before it's too late!