Hot & Mighty The 6th Annual Pitchfork Music Festival

Chicago is a magnificent city. Massive, industrious and steeped in American musical history… all of which makes it the perfect setting for the summer annual Pitchfork Music Festival. Chicago in July, however, generally offers one of two weather vibes. You’re either dying of heat exhaustion or running from thundershowers and lightning. Last year saw scattered rain and even a bit of fog, which kept the mood nice and mellow. This year? It was blazing hot from sunrise to sundown for three straight days. Like, 90-degrees in the shade-style hot. So glad Matt the Ice Cream Man posted his van next to us.

So what did this year’s Pitchfork look like? 54,000 music lovers. Four dozen street meat trucks and various food vendors (once again the curry cart was the best). Thousands of bicycles. Dozens of indie record labels and arts & crafts vendors. 3,200 free Incase iPhone cases. Thousands of sweaty music lovers running around, spazzing out, falling down, flailing wildly, singing along and taking naps. Tents… and thousands of sunburns….

Stand out performances included Bear In Heaven, LCD Soundsystem, Beach House, Lightning Bolt, Kurt Vile, Titus Andronicus, Sharon Van Etten, Major Lazer and Robyn (yes, the Swedish pop star). For the sixth straight year in a row, the artists, vendors, festival organizers and fans alike made Pitchfork one of (if not the) best summer music festival in North America. We hope to see you next year.