Both the sun and the music were scorching on day three of Pitchfork Music Festival. We woke up with Ariel Zetina, chilled with Palm, Lucretia Dalt, and Rachika Nayar, and went worldwide with Koffee and Mdou Moctar. Jockstrap, Soul Glo, and JPEGMAFIA got our hearts pumping while Killer Mike, Kelela, and Bon Iver spoke to our souls. The variety of genres and quality of performances didn’t miss a beat, reminding us why Pitchfork Music Festival remains a beloved experience for music fans 17 years later.
Ariel Zetina
Chicago’s own Ariel Zetina took us to the club setting the tone for the day. While we were expecting a house/techno DJ set, she delivered an art-pop production featuring Cae Monāe and dancers Angelíca Grace, Liviana, and Thee David Davis—all of them queer people of color, according to the Chicago Reader. The set featured tracks like “Slab of Meat” from Zetina’s album Cyclorama.
Palm
A grateful audience packed the Blue Stage for Palm’s set Sunday afternoon after it was rescheduled from Saturday’s weather cancellation. The math rock band is retiring, and this was one of the last opportunities to catch the Philly quartet live. Closing with the funky time signatures and harmonies of “Dog Milk,” Palm left the crowd wanting more and wondering what’s next for these talented artists.
Rachika Nayar
There are few settings better for a gorgeous ambient set than sitting the grass and letting the soundscapes wash over you. It was incredible to see Brooklyn composer Rachika Nayar, cellist Issei Herr, and singer Maria BC’s minimal delivery create such moving music that soared over Union Park.
Lucrecia Dalt
“The sun is with us,” Lucretia Dalt greeted the crowd in Spanish and English. “Hay calor,” the crowd yelled back, remarking on the beating heat and sizzling music delivered by Dalt and percussionist Alex Lázaro, who was just as captivating to watch command his double-decker drum kit. The Columbian-born electronic musician graced the afternoon with sensual Latin melodies that mesmerized.
Jockstrap
A shiny gold tank top and shorts was a fitting outfit for Georgia Ellery to deliver Jockstrap’s shiny experimental pop alongside Taylor Skye. While Ellery sang, danced, and alternated between guitar and violin. Skye delivered booming bass and skittering synths from underneath a rumpled wig. The massive crowd made it clear that the UK duo’s set was one of the weekend’s most anticipated. With a debut album, I Love You Jennifer B, under their belt the demand for more of Jockstrap’s dynamic electro-pop is loud and clear.
Soul Glo
Over on the Blue Stage, the sun blazed a hole through the crowd with attendees clinging to the shady edges. About five seconds into Soul Glo’s hardcore set, a mosh pit filled that and didn’t let up for the entire performance. Frontman Pierce Jordan screamed their 2022 debut album Diaspora Problems while guitarist GG Guerra thrashed around the stage howling. The Philly band’s relentless set was one of the weekend’s most talked about, and the crowd’s ears are likely still ringing.
JPEGMAFIA
JPEGMAFIA’s performances are always high powered, with mosh pits and fans chanting “Peggy” as he pinballs around the stage. Not even an overheated laptop could keep him down. While he waited for the fix, the rapper covered Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe a capella in one of the set’s unexpected highlights (can we get a collab from these two?). The high adrenaline set saw him jumping from speaker to speaker in the photo pit down to the ground to run between the barriers among the crowd to “Jesus Forgive Me, I Am a Thot.” While teasing “Condé Nast fest,” Peggy interacted with the crowd throughout thanking them for rocking with him. They adored him right back.
Killer Mike
Killer Mike took everyone to church on Sunday accompanied by the white-clad Midnight Revival Choir to deliver the sermon of his 2023 album Michael. He let everyone know that this would be no underground rap show, but an experience. From a stage decorated with white flowers and a pulpit, he spit coming of age stories about family, first love, and growing up in the south. The poignant set brought Mike and many in the crowd to tears when he rapped about losing his mother and grandmother to “Motherless,” a portrait of his mother on the stage. His message for the congregation? “Pick leaders that don’t tell women what to do with their bodies” and do more work locally.
Koffee
Not many 23-year-olds could command the Green Stage ahead of the headliner, but they aren’t multiple Grammy winners like Koffee. The Jamaican artist and her band offered the Caribbean rhythm that the festival was missing. She dropped lively reggae rhymes like “West Indies” while the crowd shook along with her dancers onstage. Rocking a smile and Chicago Bulls shorts, Koffe’s feel-good set perfectly primed the crowd to close out the evening.
Hurray for the Riff Raff
I raced to the Blue Stage to catch the tail end of Hurray for the Riff Raff’s breezy alt-Americana set. Fittingly, they closed by singing about the “hot long summer days” on “Living in the City.”
Kelela
Kelela is Pitchfork Music Festival veteran, and she needed nothing else on stage to enthrall the crowd with her blend of R&B and electronic music. The audience was vibing, singing along to “On the Run” and swaying their hips in the field. The DC native shimmied across the Red Stage in knee-high silver boots sharing her sultry serenade. Here’s wondering what she can do with a main stage setup. Your move Pitchfork.
Mdou Moctar
Niger-based Mdou Moctar wins for most joyful set, a grin across his face while his fingers shredded his guitar. Most of us haven’t seen Tuareg guitar music live before, and Mahamadou Souleymane’s blend of the traditional style with rock is intoxicating to behold. Backed by a three-piece band in bright robes, he enchanted the crowd who were awed by the performance. He got the audience clapping and raising their hands along with the drumbeat. Souleymane appeared to be as moved by the shared connection as the crowd.
Bon Iver
Bon Iver was the perfect closing to a beautiful weekend of music in Union Park. There’s something that feels special about seeing Justin Vernon in his native Midwest, though performing in the shadow of the Sears Tower is a far cry from the Wisconsin cabin where he recorded his debut album in 2006.
He obliged by playing “Skinny Love” from that album toward the end of the set as well as “Blood Bank” from the eponymous EP to nary a dry eye in the field. Vernon kept his performance simple, sticking to his mic while wearing headphones and left the theatrics to his riveting, multi-colored light show and smoky effects.
The set was heavy on tracks from Vernon’s most recent albums I,I and 22, A Million. The band wove through Bon Iver’s catalogue, seamlessly transitioning from Auto-Tune electronica to indie folk and back again. While we would have liked a few more songs from Bon Iver’s early years incorporated, it was a moving set to end a lovely weekend. As fans wiped the tears from their eyes and turned to exit the park, Vernon reminded them, “Spread that love wherever you go.”
Jessica Mlinaric founded Urban Explorer in 2010 to inspire curious travelers by highlighting history, culture, and hidden gems in Chicago and beyond. She is the author of ‘Secret Chicago’ and ‘Chicago Scavenger.’ Jessica has visited 20+ countries and 30+ U.S. states. She has more than 16 years of experience as a marketing strategist and works as a freelance writer and photographer.
