Pitchfork Fest Day 2 Highlights
After and eventful first day at Pitchfork 2017, we returned to Union Park for another full day of music. During the second day, we managed to watch more than ten bands, but here are the moments that stood out as the top five highlights!
Jeff Rosenstock Became Obsessed Over The Wave
Brooklyn based punk rocker Jeff Rosenstock had the crowd at The Red Stage getting rowdy before the clock struck 2PM on Saturday. From the get go, Rosenstock expressed his elation about his band being invited to play at Pitchfork, even joking at one point that the person who invited his band to play must have gotten fired. Early on in his set, Rosenstock requested that the huge crowd did the wave, shortly after asking, "What if we do a converging wave, and when it gets to the center, everyone just does spirit fingers?" (The crowd happily obliged again). Rosenstock kept the crowd hooked for the remainder of his set with his humorous stage presence and lighthearted songs that had the crowd screaming back the lyrics. If you didn't roll out of bed on time to see him yesterday, catch him tonight at The Beat Kitchen!
Jeff Rosenstock rocking The Red Stage
Cherry Glazerr Crawled On Stage
Los Angeles based rock band Cherry Glazzer played a very sold out show at Schubas Tavern on Friday in advance of their Pitchfork Fest performance, and as one of the buzziest bands around at the moment, it's no surprise The Blue Stage viewing area filled up quickly for their 2:45PM show. Known for her outlandish stage presence, lead singer Clementine Creevy entered the stage by crawling to her mic stand. As the performance continued, Creevy continued her boisterous antics, making faces at the crowd and working the entire stage. Definitely one of the most entertaining sets at Pitchfork so far, Cherry Glazerr is a band you don't want to miss live.
Clementine Creevy crawling onstage
Mitski Was So Grateful She Almost Cried
"I can't thank you enough," Mitski told the crowd early on during her afternoon set, which followed Cherry Glazerr's show at The Blue Stage. Although she's quite the contrast to the over-the-top Cherry Glazerr set, Mitski drew in a massive crowd with her mellow narratives, which provided a nice break from the fast-paced day. Mitski first mesmerized the crowd with her soft, ethereal vocals, but quickly showed off her chops when the pace gradually picked up and she held out a roaring note towards the end of her set. Mitski reiterated her appreciation of the crowd saying, "This has been my dream since I was a little girl," her voice wavering with her thanks. If you missed Mitski's compelling set, she'll be back in October with The Pixies.
Mitski singing her heartfelt songs
Francis Climbed a Tree
Francis Farewell Starlite, the man behind Francis and the Lights, has collaborated with everyone from Bon Iver, Kanye West, and Chance the Rapper, recently remixing his song "May I Have This Dance" with the latter. That new collaboration coupled with Chance's tendency to show up announced at Chicago festivals had the crowd buzzing with rumors about a Chancis (Francis + Chance) performance. Although Chance never did end up joining Francis during his set, Francis kept the crowd glued to him the entire time, darting around from one end of the empty stage to the next as he sang over his tracks like "See Her Out (Thats Just Life)" and "I Want You To Shake" from his debut album Farewell, Starlite! Towards the end of his set, Francis took the energy up a notch, climbing a rig on the side of the stage and eventually making his way over to a tree next to the stage to climb that. Francis's Pitchfork performance reinforced his captivating stage presence as a musician and as an entertainer.
Francis and the trees
A Tribe Called Quest Brought On Nostalgia
Although it's been a while since they've toured and the iconic 80's hip hop group lost one of their founding members Phife Dawg last year, when A Tribe Called Quest hit the stage at 8:30PM Saturday, the energy at Union Park reached an all time high. Festival goers of all ages could be spotted screaming the lyrics back to the stage, which was lit up by the constantly-changing graphics and videos designed for this farewell tour by A Tribe Called Quest. The remaining members of the tribe also paid tribute to Phife Dawg, leaving an empty mic stand on stage in his memory. The nostalgic performance wrapped up about two minutes before the noise curfew of the festival and left the crowd wandering out of the park in awe of the historic performance.
A Tribe Called Quest making their Chicago comeback
