Day Ninety - 7.18.10 - Pitchfork Music Fest - Day Three - Local Surfer Bois

The Pitchfork Music Fest wrapped up this Sunday. Local Natives, Surfer Blood, and Big Boi churned out amazing sets that won the day. Also, there was this cloud, that actually blocked out the sun for a few minutes. It was a much needed break for some weary and sun kissed concert goers, myself included.

Day Eighty-Nine - 7.18.10 - Pitchfork Music Fest Day Two - Delorean Brings the Heat

Day Two: Surprise of the Day - Free Energy. This Philly 5 piece opened the afternoon with a rollicking set that evoked Thin Lizzy and a pinch of The Cars. I wasn't expecting too much from Free Energy, but these guys were making the most of the early slot, having fun, playing rock and roll, and joking with the fans about the heat ("I bet we smell worse than any of you").

Set of the Day - Delorean. As the sweltering heat settled in, the breeze subsided, and clouds flirted with blocking the sun, but never did. Delorean, a Spanish punk-gone-electro foursome, took the stage and buzzed out the set of the afternoon. There was little banter, only track after track of synth-fueled dance rock that encouraged the growing crowd to move and power through the sweat. Frontman Ekhi Lopetegi did inform the crowd that the weather in Chicago is "much worse than in Spain."

Solid Day Closer - LCD Soundsystem. As expected, James Murphy and LCD cranked out an epic collection of his dance, disco, punkish-electronica worthy of the Saturday headlining slot, including a dialed up and racing version of "All My Friends." Murphy and Co. are quickly becoming Gods in the Pitchfork universe, and deservedly so. Their live shows (including one at the Metro in Chicago this Spring) are undeniably sharp, surgical, and professional. They deliver with regularity and impunity. Dancing, and a ton of it, is a foregone conclusion.

Day Eighty-Eight - 7.16.10 - Pitchfork Music Fest Day One - Swede Home Chicago

And the Swedes take Day One... Dylanesque singer songwriter Kristian Matsson, a/k/a The Tallest Man on Earth, started the afternoon off with an inspired set of his folsky songs. KM's uniquely strained and grisly voice sounded amazing as it poured over a crowd that was warming up for the day (figuratively and literally... 90+ temps). A criminally short set (30 mins) cut this rising star's momentum off early, but TTMOE was a great way to start the festival.

A couple of hours after TTMOE graced the Connector Stage, his Swedish "sister" Robyn, as he called her, and her lab suit clad backing bad laid down the set of the day, and maybe the entire weekend (only time will tell) on the Aluminum Stage... Over the span of her past couple of records Robyn has become quite the darling over at Pitchfork, not to mention a mega pop star in Europe, but for some reason not in the US. Perhaps the music is too progressive, to dance-oriented, too thoughtful, or too good for American radio. Robyn powered through a pulsing selection of her recent tracks, and was met warmly with the cheers and dancing of thousands of adoring hipsters. And Robyn danced as well, oh did she dance, nearly non-stop, through the entire set. Popping, locking, thrusting, grinding, stalking across the stage, and hyping the crowd up with impunity. She showed us in no uncertain terms that great pop music can make anyone smile and can make anyone dance... and the crowed loved her for that...