Pitchfork Festival 2017

Things that get me excited in the 12th year of attending the Pitchfork Festival: It has added handicapped seating. This enables Brian, my concert viewing partner since the mid 90s, and I to remain seated for every set across the three days. We also immediately look for free stuff--Clif Bars, Wendy's salads, tote bags--I'm grateful for all of it. The very first act is Madame Gandhi, a former drummer for M.I.A. She's cut from M.I.A.'s cloth but has a way to go. Second, though, is Priests. Now Priests I can get into. Their singer smiles weirdly and shrieks. A little preppy and schlubby, but this is punk. Vince Staples is the most exciting artist in rap right now. Danny Brown is a seasoned pro. (Side note--did he get his front tooth fixed?) LCD Soundsystem rightfully headlines night one. Their sound is as melodic as New Order and as big as the Talking Heads. Going into day two, I know that there will be a lot to take in. Vagabon starts things off well, with hints of the anticipated later set by PJ Harvey. Cherry Glazerr is exactly my idea of the rock--female-fronted, much attitude. Unless I'm mistaken, I believe the singer says she sneaked into the festival about five years ago (at age fifteen!). I get to hear a little Mitski, and it's good. A bass-playing singer will always resonate with me. So George Clinton starts the stretch of GREAT ACTS that continues until the end of the night. But he's not to the level that Bootsy Collins was just a year before (at Riot Fest). The Feelies are my kind of jam, though. They fit well with this breezy weather, caustic as Glen Mercer's vocals are. And they can still play "The Boy with Perpetual Nervousness" in as frenetic a manner as ever. I admit I expect to be bored by Angel Olsen, but I'm wrong. And I expect classy, but maybe not exciting, from PJ Harvey. I can't take my attention away from her and her band from beginning to end, though. There are horns, bass drums played with mallets. She herself plays a saxophone and holds it to the side as she sings. Much of the set focuses on her two most recent albums: The Hope Six... and Let England Shake. She ends by reimagining a couple of classic songs that are well associated with her ("50 Foot Queenie" and "Down by the Water"). It's one of my stronger concert experiences in my last however many years. The story of A Tribe Called Quest playing here is that of A) a surprisingly strong comeback album that followed B) the very unfortunate loss of Phife Dawg. I was lucky enough to see ATCQ with Phife however many years ago, and Phife's interplay with Q-Tip was something to behold. So that absence of Phife thing--I do feel it. His verses play, and the other members defer to an empty mic. Q-Tip sweats his ass off, though, working at peak level to keep the energy high. And the beats go on and on. Day three is a vibe, nothing so outstanding, but I expect electronic-tinged soul (typified by opener Kilo Kish) with a few interruptions by jangly guitars (Hamilton Leithauser). We shall lean back in our chairs. We shall seek more free food. We do get into some surprisingly interesting interactions with someone from Sub Pop and a DJ from a local streaming station. Some unpredictability--Had decided to see Pinegrove instead of Ride, but I am overtaken by the anxiety that I sometimes get about what I am missing. The shoegazer pioneers win. Someone informs me that the Avalanches are not here, which was to be my highlight of the day. This allows Chicago native Jamila Woods to move from the side to the main stage, though. She seems pretty ready. I finally try Brian's favorite dish, hoppin' John with cornbread, from the great Wishbone. We catch a little Nicolas Jaar. I wish I could convey the manner in which headliner Solange is good. There are choreographed movements. There's a full, tight band, participating in said movements. Solange's voice is both very controlled and precise. A moving moment occurs when, out in the crowd, she sings part of "For Us" directly to a young woman singing it back to her. That's about it. Let me say that I still encounter some challenges despite our cushy accommodations and mild weather. Namely, at the end of night two, I have both an over-full bladder and a piercing headache, which makes for a long train ride and a desperate trip to Walgreen's. This is the result of being told year after year to "Drink water, drink water, drink water," which is less advisable when you sit on your ass all day.

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