Dateline:
Fri 18 Jul – Pitchfork Music Festival 2008
The most epic “Out and About” yet.
FRIDAY, JULY 18
Like last year’s festival, Pitchfork officially kicked off with an evening of beloved bands performing their classic albums. It’s kind of a gimmicky concept for a concert if you ask me. Any band popular enough to headline a show with only one album to their name does what
Mission of Burma,
Sebadoh and
Public Enemy did on Friday. What’s the point of an established band playing an album in its entirety? Nostalgia?
OK, there are some bands where that idea isn’t entirely preposterous. They booked one of them last year – but that was
Sonic Youth doing
Daydream Nation. And these were three bands were performing albums I didn’t most want to hear most them. Burma should’ve busted out their debut EP,
Signals, Calls and Marches, with the “Academy Fight Song / Max Ernst” single thrown in. I’m not terribly familiar with Sebadoh, but at least I’ve heard more about
Bakesale than
Bubble and Scrape. And despite every other popular opinion on the matter,
Fear of a Black Planet is greater than
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back.
Still, despite my skepticism, I went anyway to see one band and one band only – Mission of Burma. Ever since my mistaken snubbing of their festival set two years ago for
Devendra Banhart, I’ve been hoping to catch them live and have missed every opportunity since. So even though they were playing the album I least wanted to hear from them, I felt I owed it to myself to go.
That’s not to say I dislike
Vs. – I just prefer the more anthemic songs found on every other record they’ve put out – “
(That’s When I Reach for My) Revolver,” “
Dirt,” and “
2wice,” would all get snubbed for… for… an album I underrated?
By the end of the set, I was reconsidering my opinions of
Vs. Turns out there are some pretty anthemic songs on it. “
Mica,” “
Trem Two” and “
Einstein’s Day” all had me nodding my head and pumping my fist. Then of course there was the burning closer, “
That’s How I Escaped My Certain Fate.”
All the while, the band was in good spirits, starting things off with the four bonus tracks on the CD release of the album – because as bassist Clint Conley said, “You wouldn’t expect anything less than ‘The Definitive Edition.’” The band could have been a bit tighter. As drummer Peter Prescott said, “It takes a certain ability to forget [the tracklist of] your own album.” Still, the rusty spots only emphasized what the gig meant to the band. It wasn’t a nostalgia trip or an attempt at defining their legacy. It was just an excuse to play in front of a lot of people
After their set ended, I regrettably had to get back on the train and head for home. It was barely 7 p.m. and I would miss Sebadoh (which didn’t really bother me) and Public Enemy, but I have to work early Saturday mornings, and I was late the week before, so I kind of really had to get home early that night. I heard mixed reviews of Public Enemy’s set. Some say Flava Flav was booed, while others say the Bomb Squad and Chuck D really brought the place down. I’ll have check youtube or flicr for reports on that.
SATUDAY, JULY 19
From here on out, we’re writing in bullet points.
- I arrive at the festival and after walking the grounds a bit, settle on watching the Balkan horn band,
Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar at the third stage. [
Pitchfork, you can call your stages whatever you want. We all know how they’re ranked.] Coming from a man who never claimed to be an expert on Balkan horns, they were pretty good. Good enough to listen to two or three songs at least. I decided to leave and get a spot at the main stages right as they were playing “Hava Negila,” all the while thinking, didn’t expect to hear that one here...
- The drizzling rain starts to fall as the Jersey boys,
Titus Andronicus take the stage. Starting with the first verse and chorus of
Pulp’s “
Common People,” they launched into their Springsteen/Bright Eyes-esque, hissy-fit rock with admirable enthusiasm. Yet, as promising as their debut album is, the vibe they gave on stage was a distinct, not-ready-for-prime-time one. Not that they don’t get points for making lines like “The enemy is everywhere,” and “Your life is over,” into ecstatic sing-alongs. But they still felt a tad awkward onstage, even as singer Patrick Stickles climbed the scaffolding and jumped into the crowd. This is not to curse the group. I bet in a smaller place, they’re fun as hell. But that’s a risk inherently associated with these kinds of festivals; you put a fresh new band on a big outdoor stage even if they might not be 100% ready for it yet.
Give the Drummer Some!: They should’ve given the Eric Harm a microphone. That dude looked like the group’s biggest fan, singing along to every word with a wide eyed enthusiasm the actual singer should have.
- The rain started pouring a bit harder for
Jay Reatard’s set. After being introduced by King Khan, Reatard did what he does best – played his songs really fast and looked pissed off. A friend of mine left disgusted with the set, but I think there is something kind of entertaining about a dude so unabashedly against his audience. I love that the only stage banter he ever indulged was to say the title of the song and “Let’s go!” It didn’t even matter that he only had thirty minutes – that’s like a full revue for him. His act hearkens back so faithfully to the meanest, dirtiest punk of yesteryear, I can’t help but enjoy it despite my better inclinations.
I just wish that King Khan, with his loud Hawaiian shirt and hat wasn’t constantly walking back and forth and back and forth from the back of the stage to the VIP area on the side, just bullshitting with crew and other folks. I don’t know if he realized how distracting he was from the band he said he has so much admiration for earlier.
Sub point: What did the bass player eat before the show to make his mouth so read? Were their blow pops backstage? Are blow pops rock and roll now?
- Since I wasn’t really interested in them prior to the festival, I skipped
a hawk and hacksaw. A friend told me Jeremy Barnes was set up to play accordion and drums at the same time, which reminds me a bit of Dick Van Dyke in the Mary Poppins movie… good god, did I just write that?
- I’ve now seen
Caribou play Chicago three times in the past 12 months – Once opening for Battles at the Metro, once headlining the Empty Bottle with fellow festival performers,
Fuck Buttons, and here. Granted, I mainly admired the set from afar, assuming that since I’ve already seen them twice with psychedelic images projected on them, I’d be OK for missing outside in the daylight.
But goodness gracious, I thought they sounded very good from afar. I can understand why some of my friends thought they were boring. Caribou occasionally feel like a band that cares more about creating a big, lush sound than writing a big, catchy chorus. But egads, what a sound it was anyway. While the previous two bands looked a tad dwarfed by the stage, Caribou had no problem sounding like they belonged there, playing for so many people. Oh, and props for getting the sun to come out during your set. That was totally your doing right?
Snarky Critic Line of the Day: Set closer, “
Every Time She Turns Round It's Her Birthday,” had more fake endings than the last Lord of the Rings movie.
- I was also not interested in seeing
Icy Demons, nor did I come across anyone of my friends who was… something else I’ll have to look up I suppose.
- Many of these bands, beloved by awkward and arty individuals, are themselves equally awkward onstage.
Fleet Foxes were no exception in between their songs, but luckily, they were friendly, funny and other nice words that begin with F. The best was when singer Robin Pecknold thanked Pitchfork for pretty much facilitating his band into the public consciousness. “Kind of the elephant in the room,” remarked the drummer. Luckily for us, they are talented enough to deserve the Pitchfork boost. The band sounds just as warm and powerful live as they do on their fabulous album and EP. “
Oliver James” sounded just as intimate in that setting as it would if Pecknold were sitting next to you. From them on, Fleet Foxes were on the shortlist of bands I mentioned when people asked what I liked about the festival.
- As I went to get some food after Fleet Foxes, I overheard the buzzing drones of one my favorite acts of 2008, Fuck Buttons. Since, as previously mentioned, I have already seen them live and up close at the Empty Bottle, I didn’t really want to test the third stage crowd just yet. But I did see Andrew Hung getting into his own music from afar, which I find kind of sweet and endearing – odd for a band with such a confrontational sound and name.
More Reading: I wrote a review of the album here, and it pretty much explains my constant duality with liking the group.
- I remember when
Dizzee Rascal first started making waves with his excellent debut,
Boy in Da Corner and I would get a laugh or an awkward look when I brought up the fact that he was British. I wish those folks were there to watch him perform, because he would have probably kicked their ass. Or dissed them so hard, they’d have cried for days. I wonder how Fleet Foxes felt when they heard him yell, “Fuck that folk shit.” At any rate, here was a performer who wouldn’t be taken lying down – and he wouldn’t take anyone else lying down. “This ain’t no fucking picnic!” said he to the crowd sitting down. It’s possible that no one else at the festival was so sure of themselves and more ready to prove it than Dizzee Rascal. And in a festival with a shortage of hip-hop (compared to last year at least), it’s nice to know that the booking agents went for quality over quantity.
- About halfway through Dizzee’s set, I thought I’d go and check out the third stage, a place I often ignore in festivals past. There playing was the only New Zealand band at the festival, the
Ruby Suns, (I guess
Flight of the Conchords were busy.) I haven’t really given myself over to this band, but their latest album is an impressive mixture of tropical sounds, noise and pop. Still, I was a bit disappointed with their live set-up. It wasn’t that their two-person, instrument switching got the better of them, it was their singing. On the song “
Oh Mojave,” a highlight on their album, the harmonies just did not lock in. And after watching the four guys of Fleet Foxes harmonize beautifully, it felt like a step down. At least they're rendition of "
Ole Rinka," gave me one the most nagging earworms of the weekend.
- So I walked off, refilled my water bottle and went a bit begrudgingly to the stage where
Vampire Weekend were setting up. At this time I should point out that the third stage was pretty much left alone from here on out.
Extra Golden,
Atlas Sound and
No Age I hope you were as good as I hear you can be.
- So why was I so begrudged about Vampire Weekend. It’s a strange predicament to be in, to like a band, but not nearly as much as everyone else seems to. I can only compare it to the massive
Arctic Monkeys hype of 2006. Vampire Weekend are more vague than that, but gosh golly, they’ve got the hooks that make the kids dance – In the mud no less! I mean, I could imagine a fury to Jay Reatard or maybe some hippies doing their thing to Fleet Foxes. But Vampire Weekend? They seem a bit too preppy and clean to inspire that kind of favor.
But whatever, I still give them props for making my least favorite song on the album their best song of the set. With a more frantic pace and audience participation, “
One (Blake’s Got a New Face) ,” is bettered ten-fold. And even though I’ve been one to say that there next album won’t nearly as lovable as their first, I kind of hope that it is anyway, because overrated or not, they’re nothing wrong with sunny pop music.
Give the Drummer Some!: There’s a reason the jumbo-tron spent a lot of time on VW's drummer. You know, I bet he is real happy to be in that band, since he pretty much gets to do all the best parts and bob his head like he’s strutting down the campus. Oh, and he wore a
Phish shirt to Pitchfork fest! Bold move...
- No offense to
!!!, but I was kind of surprised how old they all looked. I suppose I shouldn’t have been, since they’ve been around for quite some time in one form or another and the dance-party shows probably speed up the aging process in one way or another. Nonetheless, they delivered all the hedonistic, funk inspired dance music I expected. Nic Offer has plenty of dance moves and attitude to spare, but he also came across as a bit self-conscious in moments where he interacted with the audience and wore one of their sunglasses. He’s certainly a good front man on his own rights, confronting the crowd and making them do his bidding, but he also got lost in the shuffle of every other excellent front man at the festival. Still, can’t go wrong with dancing.
Yay for self-awareness!: Points go to Nic Offer for pointing out how they were the lowest rated band on Pitchfork to get such a high spot on the bill. That may or may not be true… The Onion claimed
Elf Power was in a article about the subject.
- Because I saw them last October with Art Brut, I felt like I would be forgiven for not getting up close to
The Hold Steady. I felt all right about that claim since even from the distance of waiting for
Jarvis Cocker, Craig Finn and company’s joy could be heard and felt all over that main field. “
Sequestered in Memphis,” already fits in just fine with “Massive Nights[/track]” and “
Your Little Hoodrat Friend.” I’m thinking that maybe in a two or three years, the Hold Steady can come back to the festival and headline the whole thing.
Career Pride: I think the Hold Steady were the only band to touch on all of their previous albums. Four albums, one hour… Some bands don’t even bother going back farther than their previous record. (Hear that, National?)
- Jarvis Cocker is a bit like the
Neil Diamond for hipsters. While other bands struggled with their onstage presence and between song banter, Jarvis rolled off jokes and “facts about Chicago,” like a pro. And his band looked like they were all pros too, the kind of pros who could just as easily back up
Ashlee Simpson. It was a bit odd seeing this level of showmanship at a scrappy independent music festival, but damned if it wasn’t entertaining. Even if his new solo material isn’t as exciting as his Pulp-era music, it was worth watching just to see him dance and be the wry and witty character that he is.
- Almost instantly after Jarvis finished his one-song encore, the lights went down and
Animal Collective started to blow minds. And they didn’t stop for an hour.
It’s amazing how unlikely of a headlining band Animal Collective is. Not that Pitchfork has been predictable with its headliner selection in the past (Ex:
Yoko Ono,
Silver Jews,
Os Mutantes). Animal Collective at least are in the popular consciousness of the average Pitchfork reader. And yet, they are band that refuses to act like most popular bands that headline a summer festival would. When you see Animal Collective live, you don’t get a run down of the hits. What you get is new material which is then manipulated into more new material. When the band did venture into familiar territory, sampling some of
Panda Bear’s “
Comfy in Nautica,” “
Peacebone,” and closing with a awe-inspiring, extended rendition of “
Fireworks,” the band reached incredible peaks. There’s was a set to remember for years to come, a singular sensory experience that many wished could have gone on for an hour more.
SUNDAY, JULY 20
- I arrive at the festival later than I intended, missing the set by Mahjongg and the first part of
Times New Viking’s set.
Mahjongg is not a band I needed to see. They played out in DeKalb earlier this year, and I remember thinking that their set was too long and keeping me from enjoying Rory Lake’s Karaoke Dream.
- Times New Viking sound a lot better live than they do on record. And I mean a lot better. I’m not sure what Pitchfork here in their album – I like noisey, lo-fi recordings, but there is just way too much fuzz and tape hiss on their album
Rip It Off. Live, that fuzz is gone and instead there’s quick, catchy and energetic power pop. I was pleasantly surprised.
- I had a big conflict with this time slot. I liked High Places, the Brooklyn … How do you describe
High Places? It’s minimal, kinda tropical… Anyway, I also like the weird guitar and vocal harmonies of
The Dirty Projectors. It was a real coin flip, but I ultimately decided on Dirty Projectors, who for all their unusual tendencies (like reinterpreting a classic
Black Flag album) they look pretty normal and studious. They looked – and sounded like a band – who knew their material like the back of their hand and how to best communicate to the crowd. They also looked pretty gracious to be actually playing an outdoor festival. The closing track, “
Rise Above,” was a bit rushed at the end, as it was cutting into Boris’s time at the other main stage, but was well earned and put Dirty Projectors on that shortlist with Fleet Foxes.
- I remember I was hyping this festival to my child-of-the-1980s cousin by describing this Japanese metal band,
Boris. And I didn’t really watch more than 20 minutes of their set. I liked what I heard, but more in a “that’s nice,” kind of way. I definitely appreciate the spectacle the provide: the orange amplifier stack, the double-neck bass guitar, the pink drums, the gong. It sucks that they couldn’t play for very long after I wandered off for food due to equipment problems.
- Glancing over at that third stage, I noticed how late things were getting started. As Boris was getting started, High Places was still jamming out. As I went to get some water,
HEALTH finally took the stage. I only admired them from a distance. I also saw them in DeKalb earlier this year and assumed that they’re outdoor show would not be topped by their insane coffee house show. That being said, they are a noise band that even people who generally scoff at the genre can find entertaining. They’re just so incredibly active onstage, flailing about as much as their music does.
-
The Apples in Stereo have an internal conflict with me similar to Vampire Weekend, only the other way around. While I like Vampire Weekend, yet constantly feel the need to take them down a peg, I really don’t care about Apples in Stereo, yet hesitate to make fun of them since Robert Schneider is, from what I gather, a pretty sweet and swell dude – who recorded
In the Aeroplane of the Sea no less! Still, I was confused as to why they were playing in this time slot for an hour. If they were earlier in the day, I might have been more tolerant of their feel-good, the-world-is-full-of-energy, dad-rock vibes.
- And here was the other big conflict of my day –
King Khan And The Shrines vs.
Les Savy Fav. On one hand, I had seen Les Savy Fav three years ago at Pitchfork’s first foray into a concert festival and know full well the notoriety of their live show. I’ve heard similar things said about King Khan. But he was on the third stage, and since things were starting late there, I decided on the safe bet of Les Savy Fav, calling them my sure thing.
And oh my God, what a fucking sure thing they were.
There are rock and roll front men - and then there is Tim Harrington. The man went into the crowd several times, rubbed his sweaty belly on another mans, played in the mud and – this is my favorite – had the crowd carry him inside of a garbage can and pretended to be Oscar the Grouch. The man is an unstoppable force of rock and roll chaos. And his band? Tight as a drum. Even if they played all their best songs at the start of the show, a half-assed Les Savy Fav show is still a couple of notches over anyone else’s best. It was definitely the most fun I had at the entire festival, the highlight, far and away.
- I heard King Khan was equally impressive. To directly quote a friend of mine, “He was a mother fucking beast.” Good job Pitchfork.
- How does it feel to be
The Dodos when you have to go after Les Savy Fav? Especially when you’re signed to their label? Sure they weren’t AS good as their elders, but the Dodo’s still put on an energetic performance with their minimal guitar and drums set up. Watching Meric Long bounce up and down in his chair (and falling out of it at one point) only made his tuneful hooks the more infectious. While some write them off as just more gimmicky indie rock, I think watching them showed another layer to their sound. I caught whiffs of blues music in their sound, though they’re not just playing it straight like the White Stripes.
- I didn’t hear a lick of
Occidental Brothers Dance Band International. I possibly suck at life. Or not. Ignorance is bliss?
-
Ghostface &
Raekwon or
M. Ward. That is the question. I surely listen to M. Ward more, but the festival didn’t give many options for hip-hop. (Blame the Rock The Bells tour I guess for taking a lot of the big names). In the end I listened to M. Ward up until he played “
Chinese Translation,” and then starting hearing the cheers and beats bleeding from the third stage. I thought, that’s it, I have to see what the Wu-Tang Clan members are up to.
I know this might seem sacrilegious to some, but compared to Dizzee Rascal, I was a bit disappointed with what I saw and heard. It was good… but I felt like the two were on autopilot, with Raekwan saying things like “Chicago is one of our best markets,” and referring to the venue as “the building,” despite it being a city park. The setlist I believe was non-existent, as Ghostface would ask the crowd what they wanted to hear, the DJ would find the record and they would rap. Good? Yes, I suppose. It’s not often you see a Wu-Tang clan member perform, but I felt like they could have done more, especially after Dizzee Rascal’s grandstanding yesterday.
- While some friends were dead set on seeing
Spiritualized and
Dinosaur Jr.. I wanted to see
Bon Iver. It’s a gamble I said to myself. I’m going with a new, of-the-moment artist over two excellent rock bands. But that artist produced an album I’d call the best of 2008 so far if it didn’t get first released in 2007. And I was looking forward to his set the most out of anybody else’s.
So was I satisfied? Partially. I liked Bon Iver’s voice was not a fluke of recording. The band’s backup singing was equally beautiful. And there was something very sweet (if not a little Dashboard-style creepy) about singing along to “
Skinny Love” and “
The Wolves (Act I and II).” Justin Vernon was a nice guy who seemed very happy to have reached as many people as he has.
But then I could hear a little bit of Spiritualized coming through the trees, as if to mock me.
Oh you like this little folk show huh? That’s OK, you’ll never know what this HUGE SOUNDING show will be like! I suppose that a band as intimate sounding and Bon Iver would sound best in that intimate setting.
About that stage…: If Wu-Tang and Bon Iver taught me anything, it’s that I think Pitchfork should do away with the whole third stage. Make it a DJ tent if you want like the first Intonation festival, but as another stage of bands, it leaves a lot to be desired compared to main stage setup. For one the sound bleeding through is a distracting downfall. For two, the wait is just annoying. Watching bands unload and reload is tedious, especially when the main stages pretty much make sure you don’t have to watch them setup, what with the jumbo-tron. For three, it’s crowded and feels more claustrophobic, which goes against the whole vibe of an outdoor show in the first place.
In regards to the sound bleed, someone I know said they could hear Wu-Tang while M. Ward was playing. Maybe folk music is just unlucky that way.
- I wanted to wait for
Cut Copy to play since I’ve already seen Spoon once every year I started going to buying tickets for concerts. But I saw a kid with a Bon Iver record and HAD to buy one for myself. So I did, came back and realized they were still setting up for Cut Copy… It dawned on me that I didn’t really want to spend more time at that third stage anyway. So I watched a bit of Dinosaur Jr. and questioned whether or not J. Mascis really needs three Marshall stacks behind him. God, that must feel awesome, playing a face melting guitar solo with three Marshall stacks.
- With Cut Copy being held back by problems at the airport (the would arrive and play for 20 minutes), I stuck by the exit gate and watched Spoon from afar. Now this is what I expected a headliner band to be – one with enough clout and respect to keep things kosher for a lot of fans. I assumed that at least… sitting near the gates I saw the crowd steadily thin out as the band played on. I suppose it was like that for Animal Collective as well. Spoon played well as Spoon is wont to do. It’s a bit odd when a band once pegged as being overlooked and underrated can headline a festival like it was
Interpol or something. Watching them perform last night was like a watching a band in between being cult-favorites to bonafide rock stars. I hope Spoon embrace that side of themselves for their next record.
Public Enemy » Albums » Fear of a Black Planet
