Pitchfork Music Festival rocks Chicago

CHICAGO-- This weekend, Chicago’s Union Park hosted the sold-out Pitchfork Music Festival. The mission of the festival was to showcase the best independent artists around at an affordable price. Rappers, rockers and everything in between dominated the lineup. Ticket prices ranged from $15 to $50. \nOn Friday, July 13, three seemingly different acts each performed classic albums. Rock band Slint kicked things off with their album “Spiderland.” Then Wu-Tang Clan member GZA and his crew performed his album “Liquid Swords.” \nFans raised their hands up to form the letter “W,” the Wu-Tang Clan symbol. The Clan’s first album since the death of member Ol’ Dirty Bastard, “8 Diagrams” will be released this fall. GZA made it clear that his former bandmate will not be forgotten by performing a closing cover of Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s “Shimmy Shimmy Ya.” \nThe last act was Sonic Youth, who performed their newly re-released album, “Daydream Nation.”\nThis was the first time the band performed their groundbreaking album on American soil, and it proved to be a hit with the audience.\nEarly Saturday performers included Califone, Grizzly Bear and Battles.\nProfessor Murder’s quirky exuberance, aligned with synthesizers and percussion, made for an enjoyable set as well.\nRap-duo Clipse told tales of drug dealing in an aggressive and intense manner. Brothers Pusha and Malice fed off the energy of the crowd, even expressing gratitude toward a fan in the front rapping along to every song. Their set included tracks from their 2006 album “No Fury Hell Hath,” such as “ Momma I’m So Sorry” and “Keys Open Doors,” along with older jams such as “What Happened to That Boy.”\nSultry songstress Cat Power apologized to the crowd repeatedly during her set for imperfections in her voice. Yet her performance with the Dirty Delta Blues Band pleased the crowd, and her set included famous covers and tracks from her 2006 album “The Greatest.”\nElectronic artist Dan Deacon, known as a frontrunner of the “future shock” genre, opted to perform amongst the crowd. Deacon even had a dance contest in which he urged everyone to be “sassy,” citing Prince in “Purple Rain” as a source of inspiration. \nGregg Gillis, also known as Girl Talk, is an electronic musician known for his concert-dance party combinations. Gillis’ live sets are always fresh, and at the show he incorporated new samples such as Hurricane Chris’ “Ay Bay Bay” and UGK featuring Outkast’s “International Players Anthem.” \nSunday’s lineup included The Ponys, Deerhunter and The New Pornographers.\nLater, The Cool Kids pleased the crowd with their hip-hop performance through simplistic beats and an old-school mentality. Pavement fans were pleased to see the band’s former frontman, Stephen Malkmus, though they were still hoping for truth in rumors surrounding the band’s reunion. Georgia natives Of Montreal portrayed a psychedelic ’60s pop vibe that made for a colorful and dance-worthy performance. The festival’s closing act was the funky hip-hop group De La Soul, known best for its 1989 hit, “Me Myself and I.”\nPitchfork Music Festival proved itself unique as it featured artists that also grace large festivals, provided reasonable ticket prices and created an overall unique experience.