Pavement performs at Pitchfork 2010. View more Pitchfork 2010 photos. (Christopher Smith, RedEye)
Editor's note:
Updated 4:30 p.m. Wednesday with response from Pavement's Scott Kannberg
Updated 1:30 p.m. Tuesday with comments below from Pitchfork promoter Mike Reed.
Though the Pitchfork Music Festival streamed video of virtually its entire main-stage lineup last weekend, enabling fans to watch the festival as it happened around the world on their computers and cellphones, one notable band was not included: festival-closing headliners Pavement.
Why was Pavement excluded? One band member has a beef with Pitchfork's editorial department. The band’s longtime booking agent, David Viecelli, explained Monday that “one of the band members has some issues with (the Pitchfork e-zine), comments that were made (in past articles) that demeaned that person in the context of Pavement.”
“Some of the things he objected to were bitchy, personal attacks that, if someone had said them about me, I wouldn’t have been happy either,” Viecelli said. “Because of that, he had a problem with the video being streamed not just on the festival Web site, but on the editorial side as well. It was a last-minute thing and I wasn’t able to stop it. I apologized to (festival promoter Mike Reed). I don’t think it hurts Pitchfork – if anything it hurts Pavement because fewer people got to see them. But to me the biggest damage was that the fans couldn’t see it. I wasn’t happy with (the decision), but these things happen.”
Viecelli would not name the band member, but sources familiar with the situation say it was not singer Stephen Malkmus.
Pavement guitarist Scott Kannberg responded Tuesday to Vanity Fair after the magazine's Web site speculated that he was the culprit, responding to negative reviews of his solo work in the Pitchfork e-zine. Kannberg issued the following statement: "Regardless of my thoughts about the Pitchfork e zine, myself and the
rest of the band had a great time playing the Pitchfork music festival.
The crowd were super enthusiastic and we couldn’t have asked for a
better day. We only found out the day of the show about the live webcast
and I personally thought that it was not something that Pavement should
do. We apologize to the fans for pulling out at the last moment and
hope that you’ll come and see us in September. We’d gladly look forward
to playing the Pitchfork festival in another 10 years."
Pitchfork promoter Mike Reed noted Tuesday that other acts have declined to be videotaped, including Broken Social Scene last Friday, the festival's opening day.
"With all of the artists I make the offer to include the ability to stream
the show," Reed said. "Some artists take their time responding and some want it taken out
right away. The main goal is to have the performance, the webcast is secondary.
(Broken Social Scene) said no to the webcast from the start. We did not tape them.
"It's very common that these things happen and even in some cases get
axed at the last minute. Talking to other festival producers it's common that
come the day of the show the manager or a band might say no, for a variety of
reasons."
Pitchfork also issued the following statement in response: "We were thrilled to be able to showcase so many of the performances throughout the weekend on the festival webcast, but ultimately, we were focused on every one of these great acts playing their best show possible for the festival's attendees. For those acts that chose not to participate in the webcast, we were of course disappointed that its viewers did not have the opportunity to watch their set. That said, we very much respect the wishes and decisions of all the acts that play our festival."
A number of acts in past festivals, including De La Soul, Cat Power and Sonic Youth, have declined to be videotaped. And last weekend Big Boi and Panda Bear projected their own visuals on the video screens to accompany their sets.
For the majority of acts, video was streamed live from the festival in Union Park of the two main stages. Performances on the smaller Balance stage were also videotaped, and will be made available on the Pitchfork TV Web site in a week, said video coordinator Johnathan Crawford.
greg@gregkot.com
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