Pitchfork 2010: Day 1 review
Video produced by Kevin Pang
View pictures from Pitchfork 2010.
Jack Black, circa “School of Rock,” would’ve appreciated this face-melter. The Pitchfork Music Festival got underway Friday in Union Park with enough heat and humidity to prompt promoters to cut the price of bottled water in half to $1 for the rest of the weekend. Pitchfork, we salute you. And festivalgoers (all 54,000 of you by the end of the three-day festival), make sure to hydrate and apply sunscreen liberally.
As for the music, my overall impression of Day One was that we were off to a slow start, with a few exceptions.The big winners: Sharon Van Etten, Broken Social Scene’s Chicago-centric set, and aerobics instructor/Euro-pop anti-diva Robyn.
The big outrage: Headliners Modest Mouse didn’t perform their biggest hit, “Float On.” I’m guessing their relationship to that 2003 breakthrough song is similar to what Warren Zevon’s was to “Werewolves of London” or Radiohead’s to “Creep” — it’s a once-popular song the artist who wrote it no longer loves. So are they obligated to play it? Me, I want to see a band play songs it is still emotionally invested in, no matter what the setting. If Modest Mouse is going to go through the motions performing “Float On” (much the way Van Morrison does when he phones in “Brown Eyed Girl”), I’ll pass. What’s your take? Let me know in the comments below.
I’m betting that Saturday is going to be just fine with much-anticipated sets by Gary, Ind., MC Freddie Gibbs, the Smith Westerns, and especially LCD Soundsystem. And Sunday should save the best for last with a murderer’s row of St. Vincent, Pavement, Big Boi, etc.
But let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of Friday. Below you’ll find an hour-by-hour account, with entries from yours truly, Greg Kot (GK), and my ever-enthusiastic colleagues Andy Downing (AD) and Kevin Pang (KP):
3:30 p.m.
Sharon Van Etten could be forgiven for just wanting to run and hide as she takes the stage shielded from the Sun only by a veil of bangs. She is alone except for her electric guitar and she looks tiny amid the vast setting. She glances at the big screen flanking the stage and says, “There’s a bigger version of me over there,” as if she’d like to trade places with her video image. But, wow, what songs. Her butterfly voice floats over — take your pick — hypnotic/repetitive/trancy guitar strumming. She’s not attempting more than a few chords per song. But the effect is mesmerizing. She writes about broken relationships – an old, perhaps hackneyed subject — with switchblade insight. “Don’t you think I know you’re only trying to save yourself/You’re just like everyone else.” In the space of those two lines she moves from empathy to disappointment. Great stuff. The voice is direct, unvarnished, the sound of truth. “First day, first act, oh, my God … I feel like I have something to prove,” she says with disarming frankness. Mission accomplished. (GK)
4:10 p.m.
From a spot near the soundboard, the Tallest Man on Earth appears to stand only about 5-foot-8. Kristian Mattson, the Swedish singer-songwriter who performs under the moniker, openly struggles with both the heat and a bad case of jet lag: “I haven't slept in two days,” he announces from the stage. Not surprisingly, his voice — clear, if somewhat nasal on record — seems to sport three-days growth. There's definitely more than a touch of Dylan in acoustic numbers like “Wild Hunt” and a particularly strong “King of Spain,” which finds the troubadour strumming his acoustic as though he wants to reduce the instrument to kindling. With the sun shining and clear blue skies overhead, it's fitting that so many tunes touch on the natural world; Mattson fills his songs with references to floating bluebirds, sunning lizards and flower-dotted meadows. Heck, even relationships sound more like big game hunts when filtered through Mattson's worldview. “If I don't get you in the morning,” he sings over dancing guitar on “Thousand Ways,” “By the evening I sure will.” (AD)
Yes, the effects of time and geography are being obliterated. With the Tallest Man on Earth, we have a lone Swede (Kristian Mattson, right) with a lone acoustic guitar who sings in a cracked Dust Bowl drawl as if he grew up alongside Woody Guthrie. Does this mean we’re more enlightened and better informed or just becoming more homogenous? (GK)
4:45 p.m.
At this moment, El-P (a k a Jamie Meline) seems like the best performer alive, channeling the baritone, megaphone cadences of Public Enemy’s Chuck D and early Run-DMC. He’s backed by a live rhythm section that plays with noise and texture in a way that Nine Inch Nails might admire, a roar that’s closer in spirit to industrial music than hip-hop. The set crackles. And then it starts melting in the heat. El-P plays a few midtempo numbers and the set never quite regains momentum. Maybe it was during the keytar solo where things started to come unglued. But not before El-P uncorks a remarkable verbal barrage that sounds like a screed straight from the pages of Mother Jones. Would love to have seen this set later in the day, when the night sky would’ve suited the dark, Gothic mood far better. (GK)
5:40 p.m.
Is “Transformers 3” filming in Union Park? From a short distance away, the Liars set sounds eerily like encroaching robot warfare. (AD)
5:45 p.m.
As my colleague Mr. Downing notes above, the Liars (above) do like their electro-shock treatment. They channel some of that German art-rock momentum in their churning rhythms, circa early ‘70s Neu and Can, and they mix it up with some reverbing dub-reggae spookiness. Later on there is acid-dipped garage rock. But the set is a bit shambling and scattered, a middling performance by the band’s high standards. (GK)
5:55 p.m.
Native Chicagoan Hannibal Burress, who relocated to New York City last year after landing a gig as a writer on “Saturday Night Live,” kicks off the the action on the comedy stage — a first for the Pitchfork Fest — and comes out firing. Within moments of hitting the stage, the droll Burress hits on Chicago corruption (“It's good to be back in this corrupt-ass city”), the incessant heat (“I don't know if you're here for the shade or the comedy”) and organized religion (“I like burritos more than Jesus because steak burritos are delicious...and real”). Fittingly, considering the surroundings, Burress frequently returns to music. Burress on Young Jeezy's boast that “[His] rooms got rooms”: “Those ain't rooms, Jeezy, those are closets!” He also attempts to start a feud with the Liars, currently performing across the park. “It's gonna be beef,” he announces after asking them to keep down the noise. “It's gonna be the most obscure beef ever!” (AD)
6:30 p.m.
It’s half-price weekend! Pitchfork festival organizer Anders Smith Lindall says the fest is cutting the price of bottled water in half to $1, effective immediately, for the rest of the weekend. Where was this guy at the Crossroads Festival a few weeks ago, where temperatures were just as oppressive, and the water was five bucks? Smith Lindall calls it a pre-emptive move, in an effort to encourage the expected 54,000 fans who will fill Union Park the next three days to stay hydrated and out of the medical tent. Several fans are pulled from the audience in the afternoon for heat exhaustion, but Smith Lindall says there have been “no unexpected medical incidents so far.” The festival is staffed with three nurses, three paramedics and an emergency medical technician, with two ambulances stationed on the grounds. (GK)
Even those who might’ve been skeptical about Swedish pop princess Robyn (right) had to be won over by her energetic set. From her chipped front tooth to her disarming smile, the singer oozed anti-diva sincerity. But she strutted and danced with the energy of a Gaga or Xtina or any other video celebrity over snappy Euro-pop melodies and R&B rhythms played by a band clad in weather appropriate white shirts and pants. “Don’t (Blanking) Tell Me What to Do” goes the refrain of one typically tart Robyn tune. (GK)
7 p.m.
Wyatt Cenac, perhaps best known for his regular gig as a correspondent on “The Daily Show,” sports the same dry, sarcastic delivery as Burress. But while Burress' punchlines arrived in bunches, Cenac's humor tends towards extended monologues interrupted by the occasional non-sequitur (“Is it wrong to give a homeless guy a dollhouse?”). While some bits fall short, including an extended riff on the theme restaurant Medieval Times, Cenac scores with a winding joke that somehow manages to weave together ridiculous Internet videos (“I'm always skipping out on [stuff] I should be doing to watch cat videos”), improper use of a racial epithet and the Smurfs. (AD)
7:40 p.m.
Toronto band Broken Social Scene is like a big amoeba, absorbing all the musicians in its path and making them part of its collective sound. Little wonder BSS turns its energetic set into a Chicago-centric party by inviting Tortoise drummer John McEntire, saxophonist Paul Mertens, violinist Susan Voelz and cello virtuoso Alison Chesley to join in on the fun. This is the kind of collaboration we should see more often at festivals of this type, but seldom do. Hats off to Kevin Drew and company for making it happen. (GK)
8:10 p.m.
Eugene Mirman closes out action on the comedy stage with a set that proves, if nothing else, stand-ups deal with sound bleed far better than most bands. “That literally is the sound of the rock 'n' roll spaceship landing,” he says to a few hundred, mostly-seated revelers as Broken Social Scene performs across the park. “I bet that band is like, 'Turn that comedy down!'” Mirman also suggests a new slogan for Sbarro (“Great Italian food...if you're a raccoon”), critiques grammatically ambiguous protest signs (“Abortion: It's neither here nor there”) and inadvertently hits on the relative lack of diversity in the crowd after wandering down into the first row: “I knew it, you are all mostly white.” Mirman also includes a handful of oddball bits that find him handing out fake business cards (one merely has “Eugene” written on the front and “Google me” on the back) and scrawling handwritten notes on bar napkins for unwitting patrons to stumble upon. The best? “You're an alchemist who can turn six beers into an awkward, three-week relationship.” (AD)
9 p.m.
No more Johnny Marr in Modest Mouse, but Isaac Brock (above) is still raving like a mad man, mixing banjo, horns, accordion and lots of percussion into twisted sea chanteys, crazed saloon sing-alongs, demented Vaudeville ditties and bastardized Eastern European folk songs. The man’s sense of melody and rhythm remains informed by everything but indie rock, and that’s a good thing. (GK)
9:54 p.m.
Modest Mouse closes out the first day of the festival with a wild mood swing of an encore. The group opens the extra inning with a mellow "Gravity Rides Everything" — all awash in bongos and twinkling acoustic guitar — before erupting into a churlish "Black Cadillacs" that finds singer Isaac Brock barking the chorus like a man who's lost his already-tenuous grip on reality. (AD)
greg@gregkot.com
Photos by Mike Rich and Brent Lewis
To me Modest Mouse will always simply be the band that wrote "Float On". I'm sure to others they are much much more, but to me that was one of the weakest encores I can remember.
Posted by: PJ | July 16, 2010 at 11:50 PM
Sharon Van Etten was one of the highlights at the Chris Knox Stroke benefit in NYC a couple of months back, and that was alongside the likes of Jeff Mangum.
Posted by: Owen | July 17, 2010 at 12:48 AM
I would argue that Modest Mouse's breadth of quality music is so much wider than simply "Float On". Every single Modest Mouse album that they've produced have had their merits, whether its the eerie sense of loneliness in "The Moon & Antarctica" or the rawness exemplified in "Lonesome Crowded West". Personally, I was thrilled with the set, as there was a healthy mix of older and newer songs. The encore was my favorite, as I personally think the two songs they choose for the encore were two of their greatest songs. "Float On" sold well, and is a quality song, but there is so much more to Modest Mouse than that.
Posted by: Jay | July 17, 2010 at 01:38 AM
A bunch of dorky wanna be hipsters. Yawn...
Posted by: ChiTown | July 17, 2010 at 05:27 AM
Greg - with you on the Modest Mouse/Float On thing. I would much much rather have an intense "Whale Song" and "Black Cadillacs" (which we got) than a half-assed "Float On".
And if some in the crowd ONLY know them for Float On, does that obligate them to play it? I don't think so. Those can queue up their iPods and walk away, if it bothers them that much.
Posted by: Di | July 17, 2010 at 06:43 AM
I like how the PA is set up this year with the two big stages - there's an extra bank of speakers on the "A" stage mixing booth facing out toward the "C" stage, so people sitting between stages don't have to crunch in to get a good listen. That will be a plus this weekend.
While I hope they don't put "Write the Night" or "Don't Look Back" on permanent hiatus, overall last night was a great start to the festival.
Posted by: Dobbs Fox | July 17, 2010 at 07:07 AM
Modest Mouse would have been better off under the "Don't Look Back" format from Fridays past -- they could have avoided playing "Float On" without a problem because they would have been playing the entirety of "The Moon and Antarctica".
Posted by: Chicagoan | July 17, 2010 at 08:54 AM
Michael Showalter was amazing. Much love.
Posted by: Danimal | July 17, 2010 at 10:14 AM
I thought the Modest Mouse set seemed a little schizophrenic and disjointed. They played some classics... I liked opening with "Tiny Cities..." and "Here it Comes" (my favorite). From there it seemed like they hadn't decided what kind of set they wanted to play, going back and fourth between soft and hard, old and new. I would have enjoyed it if they were more thematic or stuck to a certain era of song. Maybe their song library is too large? I'm glad they didn't play "Float On". Perhaps a nod to the fans who might be more familiar with their older stuff?
Posted by: Jack | July 17, 2010 at 10:31 AM
Wow, you missed Michael Showalter, the most interesting set of the day. He bombed in historic fashion, then walked off stage early. You wouldn't say "standups deal with sound bleed better" if you saw his set - he was totally thrown off and never recovered.
Posted by: chris | July 17, 2010 at 10:31 AM
i have mixed feelings about bands performing hits they've fallen out of like with. Was I disappointed that the Pixies didn't perform Monkey Gone To Heaven the one time I saw them? Yes. Was I happy that Nirvana performed Teen Spirit when i saw them? Again, yes. But in both cases, they had such deep catalogs that they could put on good shows without their biggest hits. Same with Van Morrison and Radiohead. But I'm not sure the same can be said of Modest Mouse. It seems a little silly that bands spend their careers chasing hits, and when they get one, they decide they are too good to perform them.
Posted by: Maddog | July 17, 2010 at 10:42 AM
remember the line in the excellent jeff bridges movie 'crazy heart' where when asked about playing one of his biggest hits he replies something like 'i cant turn my back on that song, its been too good to me'?
Posted by: ct | July 17, 2010 at 12:22 PM
I am a huge Modest Mouse fan, with Lonesome Crowded West being my favorite album. That set last night was just so horrible. I have been to about five of their shows before, and really enjoyed myself each time. It just seemed as if they really didn't want to be there last night. Yawn.
Posted by: Kris | July 17, 2010 at 01:40 PM
I disagree Greg.
I think bands that are as successful as Modest Mouse need to remember who pays their bills & allows them to live their lives as rock stars. Their are many bands who have written better songs than "Float On", but haven't had the luck or connections to make millions of dollars off of it.
If it's just about the band, and "we're only going to play music that makes us happy" then maybe they should stop charging fans for their concerts and records. Otherwise, play the songs that people want to hear. which in this case is only one song!
Get over yourselves Modest Mouse.
Posted by: walter | July 17, 2010 at 02:13 PM
I think all bands should play their "big" song or songs. And they should do so first thing in their show, so the audience gets it out of their system. That way, the audience can relax and listen to the rest of the music. Then, at the end of the show, they should once again reprise the big song or do a medley of the big songs.
Bands are entertainers. They are not there to educate, convert, or culturize the audience. They are there to play music that the audience has fun hearing.
People stop going to shows because they get bored or feel disappointed for the money they spent. If people are kind enough to buy a ticket to your show, your obligation is to play the songs they came to hear, play them early, play them often.
If a band wants to be esoteric or torture its audience by not playing the "hits," then they will soon be a has-been. The paying audience is what makes it possible to put on the shows.
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Posted by: Sue | July 17, 2010 at 03:48 PM
Modest Mouse changed significantly with the release of The Moon and Antarctica. They have been chasing the hit song and a wider audience since then which has resulted in a less interesting path. In fact, their Lollapalooza set broke my heart years ago and I've given up on them. Sorry, Isaac, you can't go back. I have to admit to being surprised that they didn't perform it.
Posted by: Jay | July 17, 2010 at 06:27 PM
The half price water is a nice gesture.
Perhaps some of the other greedy promoters can learn from it.
Posted by: The King | July 17, 2010 at 06:34 PM
Modest Mouse has enough good songs they don't need to play Float On. The pitchfork crowd knows more than just that one song. If they were playing taste of Chicago, maybe... but not pitchfork. My guess is that they still play it, but didn't feel like they had to at this show.
Posted by: bryan | July 17, 2010 at 09:05 PM
Float on was a commercialized song to open up the band to those who werent into underground music. that is most likely the weakest song out of all of their songs. The majority of the people at pitchfork are true indie fans which would mean their favorite albums are moon/antartica and lonesome crowded west. Personally i would've liked more old songs then new, but i was still dancing and singing along with the great performance they had which mixed the good new with the great old.
Posted by: Matt | July 17, 2010 at 11:24 PM
For me, the Liars were the best thing on Friday. They came across like a crazy combo of Butthole Surfers & Deerhunter, with a little Scratch Acid thrown in.
Robyn, to me, was a disappointment. Just a bit too lame. I don't know, maybe the comparison to ABBA ruined it for me, since in afterthought that was wrong.
I couldn't get into Modest Mouse too much, mainly due to my unfamiliarity with the material.
The comedy stage was a great way to chill and kill time. I hope they continue with it.
Posted by: kjb666 | July 18, 2010 at 11:01 AM
I'm a longtime fan of Modest Mouse and I have to stand up for their set. I really enjoyed it...they covered a lot of ground, playing songs from "Long Drive" to the recent EP, and dabbling in a little of everything in between. To the poster who said it sounded "disjointed", welcome to the wacky and varied style of MM. And, for those who were miffed about not hearing "Float On", well, this is pitchfork and not Lollapalooza...let the bands play whatever they want!
Posted by: MJZ | July 19, 2010 at 10:20 AM
I am a huge Modest Mouse fan. They do still play Float On occasionally, and it was played every night during their previous tours. It is one thing to play the "hit song" when it actually is one of your best songs. However, the rest of their catalog has far superior material such that Float On's absence in their performance makes sense.
The set was a great mix of material, and I enjoyed it thoroughly even though it was the 7th time seeing them live. Closing with "Gravity Rides Everything" and "Black Cadillacs" was outstanding. And it is ironic that people would complain about "Float On" not being played in the encore - Nissan licensed "Gravity Rides Everything" for a commercial and that was their big alleged sell-out moment long before "Float On" came to be.
Posted by: KenKesey | July 19, 2010 at 01:17 PM
Maddog: Nirvana had "such a big catalog?" They did three albums.
Posted by: MM | July 19, 2010 at 03:43 PM
Maddog says that Nirvana "had such a big catalog," but he's "not sure if he can say the same" about Modest Mouse.
Dude, Nirvana made 3 albums.
Modest Mouse has made 5 albums and 7 EPs of new material.
Save your armchair quarterbacking for your golf buddies.
Posted by: MM | July 19, 2010 at 03:45 PM
Sue, thank you so much for your lesson on what bands "should do."
You sound as clueless as a major-label executive who doesn't know the music industry as we once knew it is dead.
Posted by: MM | July 19, 2010 at 03:47 PM