As Pitchfork came to a close Sunday night, both the bands and the weather delivered a bright and fitting finish to the weekend-long music festival. With the thunderstorm forecast that had been predicted, the crowd of fans carried rain jackets and ponchos throughout the afternoon — though they would never be needed.
There were many surprising moments, from Miguel preaching for unity after the tragic events of Dallas, Nice, France and Baton Rouge, Louisana to Chicago’s Chance the Rapper making an unexpected guest performance with Jeremih. Sunday night brought a satisfying close to a festival that featured 44 diverse and distinctly different artists and bands, proving once again Pitchfork’s exceptionally unique range.
Woods
Folk-rock band Woods pushed the festival into drive early afternoon on Sunday, as the smooth sound of their trumpets and horns mixed with deep bass melody brought jazzy cool to the crowd. It’s a psychedelic and comforting sound, one that doesn’t always require the vocals of its lead singer Jeremy Earl and Woods is aware of that. The band’s chill and relaxed sound fit well with its time slot since festival goers were less concerned with dancing tightly in crowds than sipping on a beer, shopping at the thrift tents and munching on the festival food.
Kamasi Washington
Kamasi Washington delivered the undeniably relaxed cool behind Jazz musical. The rising American jazz saxophonist and his band brought some funk to Pitchfork Sunday afternoon. Washington established his unchallenged talent on stage with an almost 10-minute solo showcasing his musicality as a soloist as well as with a marvelous band accompaniment.
Holy Ghost!
One of my favorite surprise performances of the day, Holy Ghost! brought some disco to the stage Sunday evening with their snazzy synthpop sound like something out of the “Drive” soundtrack. The Brooklyn duo Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel proved their worth as swaying crowds of newcomers surrounded their stage, showcasing even more that they’ll need a bigger stage soon enough.
Neon Indian
Much like Holy Ghost!, Neon Indian brought some 80s sounding synthpop to the festival. On stage, Neon Indian lead singer Alan Palomo danced and swayed softly while pushing buttons on his electronic keyboard. The best though, was when he was behind the mic — bringing something to the table beyond a variety of too many electronic sounds that take away the rhythm and melody of his performance. There was energy in his performance and the crowd certainly felt it Sunday evening.
Jeremih
Once again, Chance the Rapper effectively stole the show in a guest appearance at another Chicago music festival. The artist, who appeared last weekend in a guest appearance at the Taste of Chicago, appeared again unexpectedly for a five-minute performance during Jeremih’s set—perhaps saving it from disaster, after the R&B singer showed up late. Chance, who had headlined the same stage last year, proved once again that in the last minute, festival goers will run through crowds to get a chance to see the rapper.
Miguel
The best part of Miguel’s set was far from his actual performance, but rather when the R&B artist spoke about the recent police shootings across America. A hit of reality shadowed the music for the first time at the festival. Miguel spoke of unity to the cheering crowd, who nodded their head in approval, stating that posting about online prayers for those affected were simply not enough — that there needed to be action. As Miguel struck his fist in the air, the crowd followed as the artist and festival goers stood in unity to remember those killed the previous week. And while the mourning and remembrance was one of the better moments of the weekend, the performance by Miguel was a rather difficult transition to get into.
FKA Twigs
In one of the stranger but still fascinating performances of the festival, FKA twigs entranced the crowd Sunday night, throwing them into a whole new world of avant-garde type performance art and dance. It was both an intriguing and off-putting performance — that is full of energy but still strange. The English singer’s talent is undeniable, with her soothing soft voice never failing to reach a note, even as she danced and moved sharply across the stage. She was an interesting ending headliner for Pitchfork, one that may not be for everyone — though that is the beauty of the festival.