On Friday, the Pitchfork Music Festival kicks off its 14th year—technically its 15th, if you count the Pitchfork-curated Intonation Music Festival in 2005. Since late 2015, Pitchfork the website has been owned by publishing conglomerate Condé Nast, but fortunately that hasn’t affected the distinctiveness of Pitchfork the festival. It stands out even in a city where every summer weekend seems to have half a dozen fests—this year, for instance, Pitchfork overlaps not only with the Silver Room’s long-running block party but also the debut of ComplexCon Chicago, a two-day music and fashion event presented by Complex magazine.
Pitchfork Music Festival Fri 7/19 through Sun 7/21, box office at 10 AM, gates at noon, music at 1 PM, Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph, $95 per day, three-day pass $200, +Plus pass single day $185, three-day $400, all ages
For the past few years Pitchfork has done good work booking locals, and this year I count 12—though I’m including Freddie Gibbs, who’s from Gary, Indiana. (Bitchin Bajas were added late, replacing London singer-songwriter Tirzah.) A little more than half of the 42 acts on the bill are women or fronted by women, including headliners Haim and Robyn. This shouldn’t be a remarkable achievement, but most other festivals have done little to address the gender disparity in their lineups.
This year the festival booked enough acts from in and around Chicago to fill one side of a 90-minute cassette.
by James Porter
