After pledging my entire weekend to Pitchfork three years in a row, I consider myself a pro. I know where to set up camp and get the best sound. I know that you need to stuff Charmin in your satchel because the LepreCans run out on the first day. And I know that Pitchfork, in particular, is the best place to witness veritable street style. At one point during the weekend, a friend from New York even turned to me and said, totally unprompted, “Chicago has waaaaay more hipsters than New York.” So true. Here were some of our favorites, photographed by Maria Bianco. PLUS: What the critics said
Photography: Maria Bianco
WHAT CRITICS SAID:
Chicago Tribune’s Greg Kot said: “Organizers were so dissatisfied with the sound system installed Friday that they replaced it for the festival’s final two days. Yet to call the festival … anything less than a success would be quibbling.”
Miles Raymer, of the Chicago Reader, was hard on one of festgoers’ favorites, GirlTalk (aka producer and DJ Gregg Gillis): “Populism is one thing; what he does is more like pandering.”
Chicago Sun-Times’ Jim DeRogatis praised Chicago bands Califone and the Sea and Cake, as well as the otherwise panned performance by Yoko Ono: “She played with as much energy as any musician who took the stage, and she took more chances than most, closing Saturday’s lineup with an inspiring and historic experience as the crowd joined her in repeatedly screaming, “War is over if you want it.”
Which bands blew you away at Pitchfork? Write in and tell us.