Stay tuned for coverage of Sunday, August 4th.
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/Actriz’s 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
Pitchfork Music Fest returned for day two at Union Park on Saturday, July 20th, with another perfect day of weather and a musical line up that focused on good old fashioned rock n’ roll in the early afternoon and pivoted to pop queens and dance beats in the later hours.
The day began with some local love thanks to Chicago’s own Lifeguard opening the fest on the Green Stage. They kickstarted the rock-focused performances with their grungy, indie sound and had the early afternoon crowd enthralled. As I listened to their set, I overheard an audience member say, “I LOVE Lifeguard! The fact that these teenagers are rocking so hard like a band from the 90’s is insane.”
Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Next up, L'Rain, the moniker for artist Taja Cheek, and her band slowed down the tempo and projected a calm demeanor out to the crowd with their ambient, experimental sound that helped get everyone in the right headspace for a full day at a festival.
Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Another Chicago-based artist, Kara Jackson, hit the Green stage next, and she brought along other Chicago music icons to play in her band, including Sen Morimoto, Macie Stewart and Kaina— all of whom have played past Pitchfork Fests. Kara’s set opened with her popular cover of Karen Dalton’s song “Right, Wrong or Ready” before moving onto her single “no fun/party” from her 2023 debut album. During the second song, Jackson said, “I’ve done this song a billion times in the last year or so. It gets really boring sometimes but I realized it reminded me of one of my favorite other song that maybe some of you have heard before” as she slipped in a snippet of SZA’s “Love Galore.”
Photo by Daniel Cavazos
From there the tempo ramped back up with a slew of bands that all complemented each other’s sounds well. First, New York’s Hotline TNT riled up the Blue Stage, starting off their set telling the audience “Let’s go fucking crazy today” as the band and audience fed off of each other’s energy. Feeble Little Horse followed, drawing in a large crowd over at the Red Stage, especially for the early afternoon timeslot. “We’re so happy to be opening for Carly Rae Jepsen,” the band joked— adding in “And Karly from Wednesday. You should see them too.” Both Hotline TNT and Feeble Little Horse’s sounds had similar grunge elements as Lifeguard.
Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Before we got to the first Karly of the day, Water From Your Eyes hit the Blue Stage next. Lead vocalist Rachel Brown took the stage saying, “What’s up Chicago? Who likes alternative rock music?” once again keeping up the theme of Saturday’s afternoon line up. Brown also told the crowd that they were currently experiencing a lingering cough following a case of laryngitis, which they chalked up to as karma for sneaking into Pitchfork Festival ten years ago when they were a teenager.
Photo by Kenn Box
Asheville alternative rockers Wednesday, which includes vocalist Karly Hartzman and MJ Lenderman (who actually played Pitchfork Fest last year), hit the Green Stage next. The group amped up the volume and showcased Hartzman’s signature scream vocals as they played songs from their 2023 album Rat Saw God as well as some newer unreleased material. Wednesday’s set also included a cover of “Women Without Whiskey” by Drive-By Truckers.
Photo by Daniel Cavazos
As the day slipped into the evening hours, the vibes of Pitchfork crept more towards a dance party, starting with the legendary hip hop group De La Soul performing some of their iconic songs like “Me Myself and I” alongside a cover of “Simon Says” by Pharoahe Monch— the latter of which featured a guest appearance by Monch himself.
Photo by Pooneh Ghana
Pitchfork Fest began the descent into evening by journeying into pop music for my favorite set of the day from Jessie Ware. The singer and her band brought a full production packed with choreographed dance numbers and dazzling outfits. Ware herself donned a sparkling jumpsuit featuring cape sleeves and sequins that radiated from the evening sun, while her backup dancers also sported vests bedazzled in sequins. While Jessie showcased her flawless vocals and diva-belting abilities, she also connected to the crowd with her humbled and hilarious stage banter. “This is my favorite city in The States to play,” she proclaimed as she continued to shout out some of her long-time supporters from Chicago by their first names. Ware’s dancers shone as they did flips and lifted the singer up, but Ware also made sure to include the fans in their choreography as she performed her song “Beautiful People.” Everyone got into the crowd-participation dancing as Jessie told everyone to “stand up, turn around, take a bow.” The singer even joked that security could join in. As I’ve mentioned, several of the artists performed covers during their sets today—and who doesn’t love a good cover during a festival set? Jessie Ware’s show was no exception as she performed a rendition of Cher’s hit “Believe,” jumping down from the stage to sing with fans along the barricades.
Photo by Pooneh Ghana
Meanwhile Bratmobile kept the rock presence alive over on the Blue stage. They brought their riot grrrl songs like “Brat Girl” and “Panik” to the fest. True to the cover-song theme of the day, they also performed a cover of “Cherry Bomb” by The Runaways.
Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Carly Rae Jepsen flipped the switch back to pop over at the Red Stage, entering to “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and rocking a sparkling sequin dress. Jepsen’s stage backdrop consisted of a disco ball screen that changed colors depending on the song. Jepsen also set up her songs with some fun stage banter, saying “Are you guys ready to run away with us tonight?” before her hit “Run Away With Me” and joking that she sometimes forgets the words to “Call Me Maybe” so she she’d need the audiences help singing along. The crowd happily obliged to singing and dancing along, and Jepsen also came down from the stage to sing with fans along the barricade.
Photo by Daniel Cavazos
The dance party wrapped up the second day of the rest with a headlining set from Jamie xx.
Photo by Kimberley Ross
Check out highlights from the first day of the festival here and stay tuned for the final day.
This past Friday night, Winnetka Bowling League performed a sold out show at Lincoln Hall in Chicago, drawing in one of the largest crowds I’ve seen at this venue.
The band’s current tour is in celebration of their debut album Sha La La, which was just released on May 31st this year, so it was fitting that the setlist opened with the title track of the record. In the song, lead vocalist Matthew Koma sings about a string of past phases and simpler times that he misses like “our feed before it was political” and “the world before it was polluted with space cowboy billionaires,” so it was fitting that the stage was decked out with old box tv sets and nostalgic candy machines.
Before they got too far into the set, Koma took some time to address the crowd, saying how special Chicago is to them. “We don’t say that to all the girls, ok? It’s the first place that we came to on one of our first headlining tours, and it was our first show that we ever sold out. It made us think we should keep doing this,” he said, before dedicating the next song “On The 5” to their OG fans.
The setlist featured a lot of the material from their debut record, but similar to “On The 5,” the band sprinkled in plenty of other songs from the full WBL discography. In addition to plenty of music, the band also delivered a lot of laughs between songs, which was fitting because one of the opening acts was actually a stand up comedian named Caroline Baniewicz.
Ahead of playing “Come to the Beach” Koma told the audience about his experience with his BetterHelp therapist while he’s on the road. “We’ve been working on communication because I can communicate pretty well through songs, but in real life when it comes to confrontation I kind of take side streets, so we’ve been working on that. You wait for an opportunity in real life where you can apply what you’re talking about on BetterHelp. So a couple of weeks ago, there was this guy on Instagram who kept commenting on all our videos and kept kind of saying ‘fuck you.’ He said other stuff but every time I read it, it just said ‘fuck you.’ I thought I’m gonna come back with a quippy reply, and then I thought about my BetterHelp guy and how he wants me to be more direct. So Sam [Beresford] and I were driving to the airport and Sam found his home address and his phone number, and I said I’m just gonna call him and be like why ‘fuck you’? Then I fell back into the old habit and I signed him up for the US Army. Anyways, I think there’s a misconception that if you go to therapy, you have to stop being an asshole and I’m just here to say you can still be a piece of shit. That has absolutely nothing to do with this next song.”
The show continued with more great tunes and quips from Koma, including another story about a recent trip to CVS ahead of playing their song by the same name. After both of those stories, I definitely think that BetterHelp and CVS should sponsor the next WBL tour!
As the show began to wind down, the band played one of their newer singles called “This is Life,” which was a collaboration with Medium Build and Dawes that they released only a few weeks after Sha La La came out. Koma continues to be one of my favorite lyricists and the band flawlessly brought Winnetka Bowling League’s songs to life during the show at Lincoln Hall, so I hope they continue to consistently deliver new material and bring it to the stage.
If you get a chance to see the tour, don’t miss it. You can check out photos of the Chicago gig below, and see where you can catch the tour next here.
Singer-songwriter Michael Marcagi headlined a sold-out show at Schubas on Monday, June 3rd with support from Lily Fitts.
Lily Fitts warmed up the crowd with her vulnerable and relatable narratives, accompanied by another guitarist to color her songs with additional depth while still having a minimalist set up that was perfect for the intimacy of the Schubas stage. Fitts’ set included a handful of her popular singles like “Hurts Like Hell” and “Boston to Barcelona” as well as her latest release “Lose You Now.” She also sang some brand new, unreleased material, including “What They Say” that she introduced by sharing with the crowd that it was about her struggles with anxiety. Fitts also shared that Noah Kahan’s song “Stick Season” gave her the courage to start performing her own music, so she fittingly performed a cover of it.
With the room at Schubas fully packed and buzzing with anticipation, Michael Marcagi and his full band took the stage next to make his headlining debut in Chicago. As I’m sure is the case with many of his fans, I first heard Marcagi’s single “Scared To Start” earlier this year and became instantly hooked by the illustrative storytelling of his lyrics combined with his earworms of melodies.
While he has yet to release a full-length album, Marcagi’s singles and his debut EP, entitled “American Romance” have garnered him nearly 18 Million monthly listeners on Spotify and had him selling out shows months in advance—and for good reason. His songs have an emotional conviction about them and that “it factor” that makes you feel rejuvenated and reminds you of the power behind a great damn tune. For that reason, Marcagi’s music has remained stuck in my head and on repeat on my playlists, but it was even more special to experience that effect in person.
The set opened with the title track from Marcagi’s EP, and weaved through all of his released material, but the show also included a lot of new, unreleased songs as well. Marcagi promised the crowd that he’d have new music coming out in a few weeks, and based on how it sounded live, I know his fanbase is going to love the forthcoming songs. Between his original material, Marcagi also sprinkled in a couple of cover songs, including “Deja Vu” by Oliva Rodrigo, which the band made their own by including a banjo on it.
After wrapping the main set with the breakout hit “Scared To Start,” Marcagi and his band left and returned to the stage for a highly-demanded encore. The encore performance included the second cover of his set, “You’re Still the One I Want” by the legend Shania Twain, and Lily Fitts joined in on the duet.
If you missed out on the Schubas show, check out photos from the evening below, and be sure to snag a ticket to one of Michael Marcagi’s upcoming gigs here…that is, if it isn’t already sold out.
On Friday, May 17th, Say Anything returned to Chicago to perform their landmark album ...Is a Real Boy in full to honor the 20th anniversary of the record.
Lead vocalist and songwriter Max Bemis, alongside the full band, had reunited to perform at Riot Fest in Chicago last September, but this show at Aragon Ballroom was Say Anything’s first headline show here since playing The Metro in 2017. While Aragon Ballroom is a significantly larger venue, fans came out in droves to experience the nostalgia of these twenty-year-old songs and completely packed the room even before it was time for the headline event.
The concert setlist stayed true to the album’s tracklist, and the show kicked off with the introductory track “Belt.” The live performance even included the spoken word introduction from Bemis saying “And the record begins, with a song of rebellion!” The audience immediately launched into fervent dancing and singing along with Bemis, that continued throughout the show.
Before playing the third track “The Writhing South,” Bemis took some time to address the crowd and mention the 20th anniversary celebration. "The weirdest part about that, it’s not the nostalgia, it’s not surreal— it’s that I’m only turning 20 myself this year, and I just don’t understand physically how that happened,” he joked. I have to say as someone who listened to these songs on repeat in high school, it definitely felt a little surreal to be hearing them performed all these years later.
For me and for so many of the audience members, every single song on the tracklist has specific memories tied to them, and they’re all so iconic in their own ways, but there were a couple of moments when the crowd amplified the energy they’d been exhibiting all night. During "An Orgy of Critics" I spotted my first crowdsurfer of the night, which was particularly impressive for this concert—considering the audience was made up mostly of millennials and Gen X. Just before playing track 9, "Every Man Has a Molly,” Bemis told the crowd “I wanna hear you guys sing as loud as humanly possible” and the audience obliged by singing the entire first verse before the band fully kicked in. The fans showed off their chorus-like singing again for “I Want To Know Your Plans,” which Bemis performed as a solo acoustic number at the start of the evening’s encore. Bemis introduced the set’s final song “Admit It!!” by telling the audience “We’re gonna put everything we’ve got into this last one” and the band definitely fulfilled that promise to send the evening off on a high note.
Relive the glory of the concert by checking out photos of the Chicago show below, and see where you can catch Say Anything next here.
Singer-songwriter Alice Merton returned to Chicago for the first time in five years to headline Lincoln Hall on Tuesday, May 14th.
The highly-anticipated return felt like both a concert and therapy session, thanks to Merton’s deeply insightful lyrics and the vulnerable anecdotes she shared with the audience between songs. And of course, there was also plenty of dancing opportunities during the hour and a half setlist.
The setlist started off with immediate intensity as the band played the introductory track “run away girl” from the singer’s 2024 EP entitled “Heron.” From there, the set ventured through a mix of the brand new EP and other favorites like “Vertigo” and “Homesick” from her albums S.I.D.E.S. and Mint, respectively.
Ahead of performing “how well do you know your feelings?” from “Heron,” Alice took some time to connect with the audience about the importance of listening to your own heart and gut when making decisions. “This song came from a conversation with a friend of mine. This friend always put other people’s happiness in front of theirs and every time I spoke to them, I felt so sad that they couldn’t voice their own opinions and say this is how I feel because they were always worried about what everyone else would think. There were so many people that said ‘next time we play a show it’s gonna be this place or that place’ and I was like but what about if that’s not what makes me happy. What if I want to have really beautiful, intimate shows where I can come out after to say hi to everyone and get to know the people that want to come to the show,” Merton told the audience. That choice to play an intimate venue like Lincoln Hall really helped create a sense of connection and camaraderie amongst the audience and with the band throughout the rest of the show.
The setlist ended on a lighthearted and optimistic note, with Alice and her band closing the main set with “Why So Serious,” which the singer confessed is a catchphrase she stole from The Joker. Merton came back for an encore of “The Other Side,” which describes the feeling of healing from a rough time. In that song, Alice sings “I'm seeing happy, I'm seeing dancin'“ and that’s exactly what I saw during her gig.
Check out photos from the Chicago show below and see where you can catch Alice Merton on the road next here.
On May 13th, British artist Craig David made a long-awaited return to Chicago to headline The Chicago Theatre.
Despite it being a rainy Monday night, fans flocked to the historic venue to see the singer perform here for the first time since 2001. As the crowd filed into their seats, a DJ warmed up them up and got the good vibes flowing. The DJ even shared with the crowd that he first got into Craig David after hearing “Fill Me In” for the first time in the early 2000’s, which I’m sure was a common thread with some of the fans in the audience.
When it was time for the main event, Craig David’s live band and backing vocalists took their places on stage first, before he eventually made his grand entrance. Immediately, the seated show-goers got to their feet and began singing and dancing.
After performing a few songs, including “What’s Your Flava?,” “Ain't Giving Up” and the aforementioned hit “Fill Me In,” Craig took some time to address the crowd and let them know he’d be journeying through a catalog of old favorites and new material throughout the show.
Craig delivered on that promise and even threw in a cover of “Show Me Love” by Robin S for good measure, as well as songs he featured on like “Abracadabra” with Wes Nelson and “Got It Good” with Kaytranada. No matter what he was singing, Craig delivered flawless vocals throughout the show, which were often complemented by his backing singers and accompanying musicians, who added a rich texture to the show’s production. The band members all got introductions and quick showcases of their talents during the song “Time to Party,” which had everyone dancing along and in good spirits.
The main set concluded with “16,” where Craig sings and raps about “doing this since I was sixteen” and it’s clear from the seamless and smooth performance that he’s mastered the craft of being an excellent performer.
The full band took a bow before leaving the stage and returning to demands for an encore. The journey concluded with “Insomnia” from 2008 and the iconic hit “7 Days.”
Check out photos from the Chicago performance below, and see where you can catch Craig David on the road next here.
