Pitchfork Music Festival this year hosted a wide variety of artists from rockers like Wilco, Sleater-Kinney and Courtney Barnett, to high energy club music from artists like Jamie XX and Caribou and even independent label hip-hop artists steadily rising towards the mainstream such as Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa. The three-day festival brought high energy to Union Park, and hosted an array of diverse activities, shops and musical acts.
Only at Pitchfork can one be in such close quarters with artists.It’s not uncommon for any given artist to walk around the festival, hang out by the media tent, or come to enjoy Pitchfork: not just to play it. Mac Demarco even announced during his set on Friday that he would be staying to enjoy the festivities, and the crowd cheered with excitement.
On Saturday, a thunderstorm rained out the festival, but only temporarily. The headliners still went on after the gates re-opened, and all the Pitchfork kids came back to stand in the mud to see their favorite artists perform. Sunday’s headliner was Chance the Rapper, with Donnie Trumpet and The Social Experiment. Chance had a lot of love for the city of Chicago that evening - as it is his hometown. During his set he announced it would likely be his last performance at Pitchfork: signifying the end of a chapter in his career as he moves away from small indie festivals, and steps into bigger arenas.
Photos By: Maegan Eli
