Pitchfork 2010 came armed with a stellar line-up and added a comedy stage into the mix for the first time ever. More than just music, there was even a bazaar and free Cliff bars! With so many shows and so little time, our team split up to cover as many shows as possible and report back to you.
Day 1:
Due to a few untimely circumstances upon arriving in Chicago, we arrived at Pitchfork on Friday later in the day than planned, and ended up missing all but the headlining sets. On the bright side, however, we were fortunate enough to run into our good STL comrades Evan and Paige of Sleepy Kitty in our mad dash to the festival site.
After a few mishaps here and there, including taking the bus in the wrong direction, we arrived at Pitchfork just in time for Broken Social Scene’s headlining set. John McEntire of Tortoise (who also produced their latest album) even made an appearance on drums for one song. Perhaps it was the heat, but whatever it was, the crowd didn’t seem overly enthusiastic to see BSS. Though the band delivered another solid performance, which was no surprise for such a consistently great live band, the mellow crowd seemed content to sit back and passively take it in. Though their recent release Forgiveness Rock Record has an epic quality, the Broken Social Scene didn’t seem to be taking the risks that their fans craved. I’m not suggesting that the group take the dramatic, gimmicky route of many buzz bands these days, but pushing the envelope beyond their safe and steady reputation might have made for a better Pitchfork delivery.
Modest Mouse headlined next. The crowd up front danced until their golden headbands slipped off their sweaty foreheads, and glowsticks were also in abundance, much to our chagrin. “Float On” was noticeably lacking from the set list, but the band delivered a solid show that left even Float-y fans happy. We managed to snag a nice grassy spot to lounge while listening to the set and enjoying libations aplenty.
Overall, the crowd was sparser than expected, but knowing that Friday had the lowest ticket sales, we held hope that the next two days would bring a more rousing audience to the fest. Unfortunately, there were still enough throngs of hipsters to make transportation home from Union Park damn near impossible. What to do but gallivant home by foot with a BSS roadie by our side? C’est la vie.
