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• Pitchfork Music Festival: Day three

After spending almost 8 hours on a train over the course of the weekend back and forth from Joliet to Chicago, I felt adequately prepared to end the Festival on Sunday, hoping for highlights from several anticipated acts from the entirety of the Pitchfork Music Festival. After hours of solid sets and a pleasant time in Chicago, I have to somewhat revoke my previously mentioned vendetta against Pitchfork. They may not cover everything I ever dreamed they would, but they do a pretty damn good job for what they do cover. Cheers Pitchfork. Cheers.

The Mae Shi

-I'm still trying to figure out how I felt about the Mae Shi. My friend immediately remarked, "this sounds like the kind of shit you would enjoy," but it definitely took a few songs to find myself really enjoying the spastic vocals.

-What was best about the Mae Shi, however, was how genuinely fun they were. There were some noticeable themes of life/death, saving yourself, etc. etc., but regardless of how weighty it could have come across lyrically, the music was pretty well set on having a good time.

-Sidenote: The version of the act that played was actually called Signals. Apparently the band itself has "broken up" and the vocalist (not the vocalist who performed at Pitchfork) will continue on as the Mae Shi while the others work as Signals. Signals, Mae Shi, potato, potatoe...seems good either way.

The Thermals

-The Thermals were the start of three highly anticipated acts in a row for me (them, Japandroids, Vivian Girls) and definitely kicked it off in the right direction. They played a solid chunk of their latest album, and you can't help but love the ridiculously enthusiastic drummer.

-Despite sprinkling four 90s covers within the set, the act's own power-pop is what thankfully drew the audience in.

-The act covered the classic Green Day track, "Basket Case" (amongst several other covers from the Breeders, Sonic Youth and Nirvana) near the end of the act, uniting a great deal of the crowd despite some extremely discontented people in my general vicinity. "Green Day...really?" Get over yourselves audience members.

Japandroids

-Japandroids were by far my most anticipated (and favorite) act of the day. Post-Nothing has received an immense amount of plays on my record player and there is an undeniable catchy undertone to the act's two-piece jams.

-Catchy is honestly an understatement. Three bands (and countless hours) later, the only music still stuck in my head was an endless shuffle of "The Boys are Leaving Town" and "Young Hearts Spark Fire."

-Stage presence does a great deal for me personally, and the twosome packed all the enthusiasm (and more) than most of larger previous acts. I appreciated them not only acknowledged the crowd, but also egging on the cheering.

Vivian Girls

-I used to hate female vocals, female bands, anything to do with females in rock...which in general made absolutely no sense, but that is beside the point. I adored Vivian Girls.

-The all-girl three piece barreled through an impressive list of tracks, only briefly pausing to awkwardly address the crowd. I happened to be standing near a trio of devoted male fans who couldn't stop gushing about the music.

-As a sucker for quick tracks and people who probably shouldn't actually sing (seriously...I am), Vivian Girls hit the spot. I needed noise and sorry, but I am so not into M83 like the rest of the world apparently.

The Flaming Lips

-From the start of the day, the anticipation for the always theatrical Lips was heavy. Devoted fans adorned in green paint and alien antennas lined the fence the moment the Festival gates opened and received a warm shout-out from Lips' leader Wayne Coyne at the start of the set.

-Dancing frogs and cats, Coyne walking the crowd in a plastic bubble, tons of confetti and orange and yellow balloons, a gorilla costume...and this was just the start of the show.

-I'm not going to pretend I am the biggest Flaming Lips fan ever. Sure, I enjoy the band, but with the elaborate stage show you get what you pay for—and in the end, that is a pretty short set list for the amount of time spent on stage. Don't get me wrong, I had a blast but I wish they could have fit in just a few more songs.