Pitchfork Music Festival 2019 Photos
For music fans in Chicago, the weekend of Pitchfork is circled on their calendars far in advance. It’s a Midwest music fan’s quintessential summer weekend. And it miraculously fails to disappoint. The lineup is never stale, there’s multiple incredible performances every year, and truly something for everyone. This year was absolutely no exception. Although it was shaping up to be Chicago’s hottest day of the year (with an excessive heat warning in effect), attendees hardly seemed to mind. With so many incredible artists set to hit the stage throughout the weekend, there wasn’t much that a less-than-ideal weather situation could do to take away from the positive vibes in Grant Park. Day 1 had a heavy hip-hop showing with Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE, and Pusha T all bringing their A-game. Earl’s soulful set largely made up of new material was a breath of fresh air. Pusha T, who’s been riding high off one of 2018’s most impressive albums in Daytona, delivered a high energy performance that commanded festival goer’s attention. Mavis Staples delivered another beautiful hometown performance, right before HAIM closed out Friday night with their first ever festival Headlining set.
Day two suffered a minor setback with a temporary evacuation that unfortunately sacrificed Kurt Vile’s set. Aside from that misfortune, it was still pretty amazing. Jay Som, Freddie Gibbs, and Parquet Courts a few standouts who delivered untouchable performances. The Isley Brother’s delivered a commanding headlining set that featured some heavy hitting nostalgic cuts that many of the younger attendees were surprisingly and delightfully familiar with. It was a fun ride all the way through and had Grant park dancing until curfew. Sunday brought the most tolerable weather, which was a nice change of pace. JPEGMAFIA’s early set might have been the best set of the entire festival. His high energy performance was absolutely insane and incredibly captivating. He was all over the place, going back and forth between the stage to the photo pit to the crowd, and back. Over and Over again. It was an easy favorite of the whole weekend. Amen Dunes delivered a cathartic set, while Charli XCX’s insane live performance showed why she’s one of the strongest pop acts around. And finally, there’s really no other artist better suited to appropriately close the festival than Robyn. As the stage crew began assembling her breathtaking set, it was obvious that this performance was one that would both pull at the heart strings and provide an unparalleled dance party. Something that many had been waiting all weekend (if not all summer) for. Her set both looked and felt like a dream. It was delightful in every way and the perfect summary of why Pitchfork Music Festival continues to be one of the best music festivals around.
(Photos: by Danny O’Donnell)
