From the first chest-rattling and thumping beats to the constant wave of crowd-surfers floating above the heads of their fellow concertgoers, it was obvious during Pitchfork Festival Day 2 that live music is a life-altering drug.
And when Saturday’s festivities officially sold out, Union Park was packed with fans who chilled out on the lawn, danced blissfully into oblivion and experienced the raw emotional power of being swept up in the rock and fury of DJ Shadow, No Age, Woods, Crissy Murderbot and MC Zulu, Fleet Foxes, and the Radio Department.
Here’s how it all went down, as captured in photos and (a few) words:
What better than to start Saturday off with a fine mix of glitchy jungle beats via Crissy Murderbot and the righteous dancehall call-and-responses of MC Zulu. Oh, and those plastic lip-shaped whistles were a very nice touch too.
Josh Davis (aka DJ Shadow) says hello to fans and then sets up shop inside in a giant rotating ball that’s illuminated by two projectors on either side. Before he starts, Davis admits that it’s a bit too light out still to really see the stunning visual spectacle he’s created for us.
I instantly agree with him and begin wishing that I could pull down the setting sun faster so I can truly enjoy the cinematic visuals along with Shadow’s deft set, a mix of his classic albums and new tracks from the forthcoming The Less You Know, The Better. Knowing that he can’t overcome the sunlight, he eventually spins the ball around to continue playing so we can all watch him work his ground-breaking magic.
New York-based Woods starts out slow under the hot and heavy afternoon sun. Then they pick up speed taking us through a trippy adventure of experimental jams and other freaky, spooky and darker melodic joy-rides.
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