Pitchfork Music Festival
When: July 18-20, 2008
Where: Union Park, Chicago, Illinois
Why: The destination for bands cooler-than-thou, this year's Pitchfork Music Festival has simultaneously gained industry cred while keeping nose-thumbing hipsters happy.
Who: Spoon, Vampire Weekend, Animal Collective, Jarvis Cocker, The Hold Steady, !!!, Atlas Sound, Dizzee Rascal, Extra Golden, Ruby Suns, Dinosaur Jr., Spiritualized, M. Ward, Ghostface and Raekwon, Les Savy Fav, Cut Copy, Dirty Projectors, Bon Iver, and more.
How: Individual-day tickets are available for $30; multiple-day passes have sold out. For more information, check out the event's Web site.
Once again taking residence in Chicago's Union Park, Pitchfork's headliners are catnip to the cool cats decked out in skinny jeans, beards, and oversized sunglasses--Spoon, Animal Collective, Vampire Weekend, Fleet Foxes, Spiritualized, and No Age are just a few of the highlights. The festival is also doing its rewind Friday night, with Public Enemy performing It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Sebadoh performing Bubble and Scrape, and Mission of Burma playing Vs. And at $30 a day, it's easily the best bargain of the summer circuit.
Main Attraction: Public Enemy
Twenty years ago, Public Enemy released arguably one of the most important records ever--the divisive It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Chuck and Mr. Flav may be two decades older, but the message still rings true: Don't f*** with P.E.
Don't Miss: Animal Collective
Animal Collective's reputation precedes it; yes, the group makes weird music. But the tunes are gorgeous forays into experimental pop, 100 percent mesmerizing, and sure to help kick back in whatever fading party favor festivalgoers have chosen. Also worth checking out: the gospel-tinged space rock of Spiritualized, out in support of the band's first album in five years.
Played Out: The Hold Steady
Dubbed "America's Best Bar Band" by NPR, lowest common denominator The Hold Steady seems a bit out of place at a festival bursting with progressive acts. Looks like the promoters needed an act to lure out the Delta Phi house and its drinking buddies from the University of Illinois.
