Scenestar

ARTICLE BY MYCHELLE PETERSON AND CHERYL CHENG
PHOTOS BY M.P. AND MARTY PEREZ for Pitchfork

JULY 19-20 | CHICAGO—Music website Pitchfork held its third annual music festival in Chicago’s Union Park last weekend, offering a mix of the old-school (Public Enemy, Sebadoh), the indie rock staples (Spoon, The Hold Steady) and the new up-and-comers (Vampire Weekend, Fleet Foxes). The Scenestar attended two days of the three-day festival, catching some of the highlights among the 40+ bands scheduled to perform.

Saturday, July 19

Vampire Weekend – Aluminum Stage, 5 p.m.
The hype machine that has propelled Vampire Weekend to its current state of indie pop darlings may have caused a high level of expectation for the New York band’s early evening performance. The songs from Vampire Weekend’s debut album are nice enough, and so are the band, polite even. When singer Ezra Koenig asked the crowd to sing along, he quickly demurred, explaining that it depended upon the type of environment the audience wanted to make it. Raucous sing-along or subtle nods of the head? Vampire Weekend will let you decide. Nevertheless, it was obvious that the members were enjoying themselves and their time in the spotlight. [C.C.]

!!! – Connector Stage, 6 p.m.
There’s a reason !!! has three exclamation points—they’re simply high energy, particularly live. Proclaiming to be the hardest dance band at the festival, singer Nic Offer also bragged that !!! was the lowest-rated band on Pitchfork but had one of the highest slots at the festival. Offer and company proved to be impressive performers, maintaining their enthusiasm for nearly a solid hour. Touring singer Shannon Funchess also was a commanding stage presence, matching Offer in dance moves and vocal abilities. For those in the audience unfamiliar with !!!, they were surely won over by the dance party that culminated during the set, especially the mud people (those who had rolled around in the mud from the thunderstorms earlier) who made a conga line to the front. [C.C.]

Jarvis Cocker – Connector Stage, 8 p.m.
Not many artists can leave a legendary band, release a critically acclaimed but commercially mediocre solo album and then visit Chicago for the first time in more than 12 years and bring the crowd to its knees. Yet Jarvis did just that.

Though the hardcore fans in the crowd (i.e. most of us) were just aching for a note or two of a classic Pulp song, Jarvis skillfully wove through a set of tunes from his 2006 solo debut as well as a handful of new songs, which will hopefully appear on his anxiously awaited follow-up. Looking dapper and as lean as ever, Cocker didn’t disappoint those of us waiting for him to pose, prance and flutter those magnificently lanky hands in a variety of vogue-like gestures. The man is much more than a singer, or even a master lyricist. No, Jarvis Cocker is what an entertainer should be. He joked with the crowd, educated the out-of-towners about Chicago and seemed quite chuffed that such a large audience had gathered to see his set.

The hour flew by as Jarvis played album favorites “Black Magic,” “Big Julie” and the song he hoped wouldn’t have to be played again (presumably after the upcoming U.S. presidential election), “Cunts Are Still Running the World.” The new tracks were infused with a bit of blues, which Cocker credited the U.S. for introducing before “Eric Clapton ruined it.” The highlight for everyone seemed to be “Girls Like It Too,” and indeed I liked it. No one wanted Jarv to leave the stage, and thankfully we got a short encore despite that not really being the norm at a festival. He performed a cover of Chicago house song “Face It” by Master C & J. Sure, I would have preferred a Pulp tune, or even one of his Black Sabbath covers, but hey, it’s Jarvis. Let the man do what he wants. [M.P.]

Animal Collective – Aluminum Stage, 9 p.m.
After Jarvis, I could have easily gone home and been completely satisfied with the night. But the draw of Animal Collective was strong, simply based on friends’ recommendations and my curiosity to see if a live performance might change my opinion about the band’s “trippy for the sake of being weird” status in my mind. Standing fairly far back was a good decision because the light show was amazing. Drenched in every color of the rainbow, Animal Collective sounded lush and vibrant and sent chills down the spines of those in the giant crowd assembled before them. Their music is not a sound for everyone, and it verges on completely bizarre on many occasions. But at the same time, there was something about that moment and that place that made it feel right. The band’s talent lies in its gradual build up of layers until each song peaks into an overwhelming orchestra of sound. I even enjoyed their cover of Panda Bear’s “Comfy in Nautica” (although I didn’t recognize it until I was told), and that is no small feat considering I deem Panda Bear to be highly overrated and nonsensical. Animal Collective’s performance was a good way to cap off the evening and come down from the Jarvis high. [M.P.]

Sunday, July 20

Les Savy Fav – Connector Stage, 4 p.m.
“Why can’t we dress like Sherlock Holmes and wear shiny red underpants?” Les Savy Fav singer Tim Harrington pondered during one of the many random rants that took place during his band’s entertaining set. Harrington also engaged the crowd with multiple costume changes (among them, the Sherlock Holmes cape and a nude-colored bodysuit) as well as frequent visits to the lawn, pulling the mic cord as far as it would go. At one point, he painted mud on himself and other band members, discussing Indian burial grounds. All of the spectacle was entertaining, though it did vacillate between either distracting from or enhancing the band’s music—forceful, hardcore punk rock. In the end, Harrington proved to be a man of the people, and his performance among the audience was just as powerful as his music; he wants it to be in your face. (As an added bonus, on Saturday, Harrington gave festival-goers $2 haircuts.) [C.C.]

M. Ward – Connector Stage, 6 p.m.
Despite being classified as a singer-songwriter, M. Ward did away with any expectations for a sleepy, mild performance. Rather, the Portland-based musician showed off his musical prowess, as the set often gave way to spotlight segments of just M. Ward and his guitar. His backing band was equally talented, making for a rollicking performance that was just as engaging—just in a different way—from that of Les Savy Fav before them. The prolific M. Ward, whose other projects include She & Him with Zooey Deschanel, performed an enjoyable mix from his expansive catalog, including Post-War track “Rollercoaster,” which was a suitable tune for the sunny late afternoon. [C.C.]

Spiritualized – Aluminum Stage, 7 p.m.
Much like with Jarvis Cocker, seeing Spiritualized was a highlight of the weekend. After missing the boat completely when I saw the band open for Radiohead in 1997, I have fallen hopelessly in love with Jason Pierce’s highs, lows and everything in between. Touring on a particularly strong album—this spring’s Songs in A&E—Pierce unceremoniously tore through such classic tracks as “Come Together” and “Shine a Light,” but also focused on the new songs. Both the new and old material sounded amazing, and for all the substance behind them, they really sounded elegant and understated. But when those killer drums kicked in, you just knew you were going on a ride with the man known as Jase the Space.

I was thrilled to see Spiritualized in general, but the decision for their set to land firmly during daylight was just jarring. The music is best heard extra loud, extra dark and extra late, so the fact that the songs sounded so strong and resonated with the crowd so well is a testament to the fact that it’s not just the drugs and sleep deprivation that make this stuff so powerful.

Fittingly, the set ended with a classic Spaceman 3 track, “Take Me to the Other Side,” from 1987’s The Perfect Prescription, during which the sound totally cut out. The band kept playing, and it finally came back with a loud pop, but Pierce was clearly miffed. He violently threw his guitar through an amp and tore large holes in it before walking off stage. Yep, we have a rock star in our midst. Pierce later regained a bit of composure to come back out and give a wave of thanks to the blissed out and beaming crowd. [M.P.]

Bon Iver – Balance Stage, 7:30 p.m.
A large crowd was gathered for Bon Iver, and whether most were there in anticipation of following act Cut Copy or not, the folk singer had the crowd going with songs from his debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago, which features the catchy single “Skinny Love.” In fact, Bon Iver was so enthusiastically received that his set ended with a sing-along. For those angling toward the stage for Cut Copy, however, they were in for an even longer wait, as travel delays caused the Aussies to arrive late and Chicago curfew only allowed them to perform four songs. At least Bon Iver helped bring some timely peace and calm to the Balance stage. [C.C.]

Spoon – Aluminum Stage, 9 p.m.
I have been told that Spoon just doesn’t bring it live, but I have grown to love so many of the band’s albums, and I just had to see if I could draw my own more positive conclusion. And indeed I did.

To be fair, Spoon is not a showy band. They don’t make promises of wild antics or pyrotechnics. They’re just a completely solid, consistent and strong rock band. And they’re damn good at it. Even if Britt Daniel doesn’t ooze the charisma of many other frontmen, he’s still compelling enough to watch if you need something to focus on. Spoon dazzles its fans with sound, not vision. Close your eyes, dance around, stare at the sky—you still get the same aural effect. The band brought out the horns for “The Underdog” and “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb,” and it definitely brought the dancing energy in the crowd up a few notches.

The fans loved every minute of the 55-minute set, but as with Animal Collective the night before, that dreaded Chicago curfew made it impossible for a lengthy encore or any straying from the planned set. The band came back out for a single-song encore featuring on guitar Bradford Cox of Atlas Sound and Deerhunter. Though the Texas band might not be the most exciting act on the bill (we’ll let Les Savy Fav and !!! fight that one out), Spoon’s performance was a perfect night-cap to a pretty great couple of days. [M.P.]