Year after year, Pitchfork Music Festival proves to be one of the most diverse and perfectly curated music festivals you could go to. Chicago should feel blessed that Pitchfork allows our city to enjoy a wonderful weekend of music, every single year. Pitchfork Fest 2021 marked the fest’s return after a necessary hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and per usual, the lineup was stellar; P4k ’21 offered any type of music fan multiple acts to look forward seeing perform at Union Park. Besides the unfortunate Jay Electronica absence, there wasn’t a dull moment throughout the festival as nearly 60,000 attendees enjoyed a wonderful September weekend jam-packed with amazing music.
Check out the top 12 acts I was fortunate enough to witness, as well as capture with my camera.
Phoebe Bridgers – Excuse my ignorance, but I truly did not understand how special of a performance I was about to see when I walked into the green stage photo pit for Phoebe Bridgers’ headlining set to close out the first day of Pitchfork ’21. Phoebe was welcomed by thousands of loving fans who were nowhere near prepared for the emotional rollercoaster Phoebe was about to offer throughout her 80-minute set. Phoebe was accompanied by a full band which featured a stand-out trumpet player who really added to the set. Every word sang was a duet between Phoebe and the Pitchfork crowd, and I was so impressed by the love that Chicago offered Phoebe and her band. Phoebe ran through tracks such as “Motion Sickness”, “Kyoto”, and “Smoke Signals”. Phoebe effortlessly captured Chicago’s heart throughout one of the most impressive headlining sets I’ve ever been fortunate enough to witness at a music festival.
Yaeji – Many dance fans would be quite familiar with Yaeji’s hit-single “Raingurl”, which has amassed nearly 75 million Spotify streams to date, but her stellar production and vocal talents can be heard throughout all of her discography. Yaeji offered a dope evening set that offered each fan the opportunity to rave, or chill, whatever felt most appropriate. “Raingurl”, in particular, features a unique mix of Korean and English lyrics. Yaeji’s creativity when producing music translated into a carefree and truly fun performance to witness at Pitchfork ’21. Fans filtered over to the blue stage on Friday night to dance and smile for a while before falling into Phoebe Bridgers’ emotional set. Yaeji would be stationed at her decks from time-to-time, but she frequently emerged to center-stage to more closely interact with her crowd with only a microphone in hand. Her upbeat compilation of tracks featured her hits, such as “Raingurl” and “Passionfruit”, as well as backup dancers, and consistently dope energy throughout her evening set.
Animal Collective – Throughout the pandemic, I fell in love with an artist that goes by the name of Skinshape, an English artist, and as soon as I ran up to the photo pit for Animal Collective’s set, I had to compare the soothing musical qualities that makes the pair of artists quite similar. As I entered the pit, I couldn’t help but notice the warm welcome the Pitchfork crowd offered the four-piece band before a single note was played. The green stage leaked into the red stage with a massive crowd. Animal Collective offered a upbeat psychedelic experience which I enjoyed thoroughly. Their ability to quickly change between varying emotions within their music was impressive; I wasn’t familiar with this band prior to the fest, but their enthralling set instantly made me a fan. Their unique sound paired with crazy backing visuals combined for a super rad experience. Check out their performance at Pitchfork, where they ran through three tracks, “In The Flowers”, “Car Keys”, and “Dragon Slayer”, here! Perfect Pitchfork vibes from this amazing group of musicians.
Dehd – Man. Dehd is so damn rad. It’s one of those bands that I felt like I should send in a hand-written thank-you note to Pitchfork for putting me on to. Dehd is a three-piece rock band that truly packs a unique punch. Emily Kempf is a one-of-a-kind artist that offered an aura that you truly can’t get enough of. Her vocals were so diverse and both her and the band’s energy were simply addicting. She provided as playful vibes as their music does. Jason Balla and Eric McGrady were instrumental in Dehd’s dopeness as much as Emily was. As they closed their set with “Desire”, I can’t help but assume that track’s hook was stuck in fans heads for the rest of the beautiful weekend. Sometimes it’s tough to gain momentum and energy so early in the day, and so early in the weekend for that matter, but Dehd defied all odds to offer Pitchfork a stellar set to get the ball rolling. Oh, and I forgot to mention… this trio is straight outta Chicago. Shoutout Dehd.
Jamila Woods – Following the announcement of Jay Electronica’s absence, Jamila Woods was moved up to take on a 45-minute headlining set at the blue stage on Saturday. I was really excited when I heard this news as I knew she would seize the opportunity to put on an unforgettable evening set. As long as I’ve been a fan of the Chicago music scene, Jamila Woods has proven to be an entrical piece within the Chicago scene. I first became a huge fan of Jamila following her immaculate 2017 full-length ‘HEAVN’, and I knew she was truly a one-of-a-kind artist after hearing her 2019 full-length ‘LEGACY! LEGACY!’. Jamila’s ability to collaborate with varying artists while always conveying her unique identity is a factor that has made her a stand-out artist in my eyes for years now. Jamila’s night-time headlining set was emotional, powerful, and simply beautiful. Jamila performed songs off of ‘LEGACY! LEGACY!’ such as “MUDDY” and “ZORA” as well as some of my personal favorites from ‘HEAVN’ such as “Holy” and “Stellar”. Bless yourself and check out Jamila’s discography if you aren’t familiar.
Maxo Kream – Not that it could be considered a notable negative, but Pitchfork seemed to lack a large quantity of hip-hop artists this particular year. As I mentioned already, this year’s fest was perfectly curated for my taste, and the few hip-hop sets that were offered were immaculate. I’ve been a Maxo Kream fan for several years, ever since I heard one of his break-out singles “Cell Boomin”, I was hooked to his braggadocious rapping style layered on top of dark and intense production. ‘The Persona Tape’ as well as ‘Punken’ marked Kream’s dope progression as a young artist and he’s released two albums since those, ‘Brandon Banks’ and ‘WEIGHT OF THE WORLD’, both of which display Kream’s maturing artistic capabilities. As soon as Maxo hopped on stage at Pitchfork Fest, he instantly commanded the massive crowd at the infamous blue stage. Maxo ran through tracks such as “Cell Boomin” (feat. Father), “Meet Again”, and “Grannies”, which all resulted in a great response from the Pitchfork fans.
Divino Niño – If these groovy dudes aren’t on your radar yet, they will be soon. Divino Niño is a rad quartet that provides some of the most laid-back, psychedelic, and addicting vibes you could ever want from a modern group. I saw these guys open up for Crumb pre-pandemic and it was one of those opening sets that makes you say, “This group is up next.” Divino Niño hasn’t dropped a full-length since ‘Foam’, the album they performed when I first saw them, so I’d say it’s only a matter of time before we hear the next step in their notable discography. The band performed some unreleased jams during their day-time set on Saturday and I cannot wait to hear them. Colorful, ever-changing background visuals complemented their music perfectly as their set offered festival-goers everything a indie rock fan could want. I beg you to keep these Chicago rockers on your radar! Check out ‘Foam’ if you aren’t familiar, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Erykah Badu – Arguably the most eclectic and notable female singer/songwriters of the late 90s and early 00s, Erykah Badu continues to embrace the title “Queen of Neo Soul” to this day. This was apparent as she headlined the closing night of Pitchfork ’21 in immaculate fashion. I’ve been a life-long fan of Erykah, but seeing her perform live for the first time in my life made me appreciate her talents so much more. Erykah’s stage presence is second-to-none as she has a way of effortlessly connecting with her crowds (no matter the size) for the entirety of her set. Her outfit was impeccable, her voice was impeccable, and her set was impeccable. Some of the songs Erykah blessed Chicago with included “Appletree”, “Bag Lady”, and “Mr. Telephone Man”. Erykah was another living legend that Pitchfork blessed us with, and I hope to see her live, again, very soon.
Flying Lotus – I had the honor of seeing Flying Lotus perform once before Pitchfork ’21, and it was one of the most memorable concerts I’ve ever attended. To capture photos of this artist was truly a blessing, and I knew it in the moment. I vividly remember anxiously waiting in the photo pit for his set to start, as he is simply a legend in my eyes. Flying Lotus opened my eyes to the world of electronic music and shattered any pre-existing notions I originally had about electronically-produced genres. As I mentioned in our Dope Dozen for this festival, Flying Lotus would be considered to many as a pioneer within the realm of electronic music as he founded Brainfeeder Records, a label that is consistently pushing the envelop within the world of electronic music. FlyLo’s set provided fans mind-boggling visuals along with a one-of-a-kind sonic experience. Check out this video to get a small taste of what it was like to experience this set live. He even closed out with my favorite track, “Do The Astral Plane”, and I was surely dancing like an idiot for the entirety of this closing track. I say this often, but if you ever get a chance to see Flying Lotus, make sure you seize that opportunity. He’s a living legend.
Thundercat – I’ve been a long time Thundercat fan and this was the first performance of his that I was fortunate enough to enjoy. Thundercat’s ability to attract the masses as a top-tier bassist and vocalist offers a beautifully unique experience for concert-goers and festival-goers alike. As Pitchfork was one of the stops on his headlining tour supporting his latest full-length album ‘It Is What It Is’, Thundercat offered crowd favorites including “Dragonball Durag” and “King of the Hill”. Fans also sang along with some of Thundercat’s critically-acclaimed oldies including “Them Changes” and “A Fan’s Mail (Tron Song Suite II)”. Thundercat pulled the biggest red stage crowd of the weekend and by the end of his set, the crowd was respectfully moshing to “Funny Thing”, having the time of their lives. If you ever get a chance to see this phenomenal musician live, do yourself a favor and check him out.
oso oso – New York-bred collective oso oso put on a dope set that truly embodied the general vibe of a Chicago Pitchfork Music Fest. Front-man Jade Lilitri has been the sole permanent member of oso oso as the band has evolved over the years, but their current line-up proved to be more than sufficient throughout their afternoon set on the blue stage. This band’s approach to pop-punk was fresh and clean, and I enjoyed every second of their time at Pitchfork. The band ran through tracks such as “the cool”, “a morning song”, and “the view”. I appreciated the diversity between their tracks as they offer many different vibes that can attract a wide variety of rock lovers.
Danny Brown – Danny Brown is truly the king of Pitchfork Music Fest. He’s been featured at countless Pitchforks in the past and he always offers an inimitable set. I’ve been fortunate enough to see Danny several times in a live setting, but his energy and love for the music has been completely unwavering over the years. This year, Danny showed some love to his fellow Bruiser Brigade members as he brought out both Bruiser Wolf and ZeLooperZ to perform in front of the massive green stage crowd. “Battery” with Z went absolutely crazy. Danny always shows his supporters a lot of love, and that love was reciprocated by the Pitchfork crowd throughout all 60-minutes of his set. At one point, Danny said, “Y’all doin’ so good, I love y’all.” Danny also announced ‘Quaranta’ – or Fourty – his greatly-anticipated follow up to the critically-acclaimed album ‘XXX’. Look out for that, very soon.
