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Pitchfork Day 1, arguably the least interesting stage of the festival every year, definitely seemed to keep up its consistency during yesterday’s performances. To no one’s surprise, Pfork’s first day brought out its too-cool-for-school crowd, and bands like Liars, who’s music is incredibly difficult to vibe off of in a live, outdoor forum. That’s what to expect with Pitchfork though: It is a festival that banks off its chaos. Sound problems, noise bands, hippies and O.G. kush show up in abundance, and your only choice is to embrace it. However, for those of us who don’t swear by the things that make you truly “indie”, there were a few moments that made the day seem all worthwhile.
The first spark of excitement occurred toward the top of the afternoon, when El-P, one of the founding members of the alternative hip-hop movement (started the label Definitive Jux, home to other “blue-eyed soul” rappers Aesop Rock and Cannibal Ox), graced the stage with his rather talented band, which consisted of mostly synthesizers and DJ equipment, along with a drum set. El-P spit with an intense energy, helping to fill the void for the festival’s rap acts that Pharoahe Monch filled last year, and that Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon will no doubt fill on Day 2 when he plays the fest for the first time. El-P and his band (including his hypeman, aggresively energized The Mighty Quin, who seemed like he was going to take over for El-P at any second) kept things in contrast during their set, bouncing between up-beat danceable tracks and hard-hitting political rants. As El-P headed more towards the angrier side of his body of work, shouting such sweet sentiments as “Fuck the law, it can eat my dick!”, he seemed to lose the crowd that merely just wanted to dance. But this proves why El-P is at Pitchfork in the first place: he’s been in the game long enough to know how to get a crowd, but he doesn’t give a shit. He chooses not to be a sell-out. He would rather have people dance then listen. And as the american-apparel headband-wearing members of the audience flocked to another stage, that is exactly what happened: the people who stayed put stayed to hear what El-P had to say. But El-P also reminded the crowd that he is a musician and producer as well as an insightful lyricist, leading the band in a fun jam session that was a treat for those who decided to stick around. Closing with his most popular song, “The Overly Dramatic Truth”, El-P delivered a solid set despite the desert heat.
El-P- The Overly Dramatic Truth- Pitchfork ‘10
The next, and biggest highlight of the day (at least for me) was Robyn. The Sweedish electro-pop star is known among music buffs as an incredible talent, oozing with creativity and singing songs of heartbreak and desire behind a heavy bass and multitude of synthesizers (think of “It’s My Party, I Can Cry If I Want To” set to a disco beat and performed on a spaceship). If Pitchfork were ever to take a risk (a smart one— I mean, a comedy stage?What..?), Robyn would be it. Her fame in America, especially Chicago, is difficult to determine- She’s only performed here one other time, and she hasn’t had any type of monumental crossover success in the states. But in the end, after a day of watching bands that can only induce a head-bob, all festival-goers wanna do is get down. Cue Robyn. Armed with a band full of vocoders, synthesizers and electronic and real drum kits, Robyn donned the stage like she had been an American pop star for ages, and the crowd received her as such. The singer, who traveled all the way from Sweden for the performance, later commented that she was “so happy everyone came” and that she “had no expectations”. She bounced through her poppy 10-song set, delivering a vocally strong, energetic performance that never lost its fun. There were even some dance breaks: A reggae-tinged breakdown during the Diplo-produced “Dancehall Queen”, and a full-on rave sans glowsticks during Robyn’s “spoken word” banger”Don’t Fucking Tell Me What To Do”. All in all, Robyn brought a new type of energy that the festival didn’t have at any other time of the day, and also brought to light that there are a lot more Robyn fans hiding in the US then expected (many people in the crowd knew the words to every song).
Closing out the night and the reason for many’s attendance to Day 1 was Modest Mouse. One of the biggest “upsets” of the Festival was that the band neglected to play their hit “Float On”, which seeemed to be the best choice. Modest Mouse could potentially be trapped by “Float On,” a song that makes them a one-hit wonder by the standards of mainstream music. By not performing the song, the band didn’t lose their identity and was not pinned down by three minutes of music. The band instead closed with “Black Cadillacs”, an emotional crowd favorite that nicely ended a strong set. The performance was made for a true Modest Mouse fan, spanning over their entire catalogue, which is surprisingly more than 10 years old. Many were hoping for older material, including a young fan holding up a sign that said “Play The Lonesome Crowded West” (their astoundingly original 1997 album), to which Brock responded “The whole album??” Brock and company did deliver to this fan and those like her in some aspects, reaching to the back of their library for songs like “Here it Comes” from 2001’s “Everywhere and His Nasty Palour Tricks.” If you were, however, waiting for “Float On”’s infectious guitar riff to emerge from the stage, you were more than likely disappointed with the gig on the whole, as it didn’t go anywhere near the song’s poppy territory. Instead, Isaac Brock’s crazy was utilized to the extreme, his voice contrasting between the croon of a broken-down blues singer and the bark of a mental patient. Brock was all over the place, playing everything from the banjo to the bass. As Brock kept the pace of the set, the band (which concists of almost every instrument in the universe) ran right along with him, breaking into jams that reminded the audience that organized chaos is apart of Modest Mouse’s charm.
Modest Mouse- Tiny Cities Made Of Ashes – Pitchfork Music Fest ‘10
For a photo recap of Day 1,click here.
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