Best of Pitchfork Music Festival 2023

From July 21-23, thousands of independent music fans took to Chicago’s Union Park for this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival, presented by the eponymous online music destination. Over three days, 2023’s festival was stacked with eclectic programming covering all of Pitchfork’s sonic bases and was immediately a highlight of my live music experiences this year so far. Below are just some of the standout acts that made Pitchfork weekend so exciting!

Bon Iver

The final set of the entire weekend, Justin Vernon and his band brought striking electronics and soul-healing vocals to the Green Stage for a performance that absolutely floored me. Highlighting material from Bon Iver’s latest release, i,i, along with classics from across his expansive career, the 80 minute set was perfectly cohesive in its transitions across the electronic and the acoustic. The electric, red-tinted reimagining of “Blood Bank” was the loudest, most poignant moment of the set, but “Holocene,” “PDLIF,” “Lump Sum,” and the set closer “Naeem” were just as remarkable. After this packed performance that wrapped around the audience like a hug, Vernon sent the audience off with a reminder to spread love to each other as the lights on another Pitchfork Fest dimmed.

Weyes Blood

Every chance to catch Weyes Blood live is a transcendental experience, but setting it at the forefront of a rainstorm makes it even more magical. Performing favorites from her past two breakout releases, along with the return of some Front Row Seat to Earth tracks, Natalie Mering and her band’s cathartic folk-pop closed out the Red Stage on Saturday. The powerfully cinematic yet freeing energy Mering brings to the stage can be felt no matter where you stand in her audience. You wouldn’t think that jumping at a Weyes Blood show would necessarily work, but jumping at the front of the crowd to the “ba ba ba ba”’s in “Everyday” while in the pouring rain was downright euphoric. Weyes Blood’s music serves to put those indescribable universal feelings into words, and being surrounded by a full audience is the ideal place to remember that “It’s not just [you], it’s everybody.”

Palm

There was a moment on Saturday when Palm’s last-ever Chicago show felt completely canceled. The weather delays had washed away the band’s set on Saturday afternoon, but luckily Pitchfork gave them the opportunity to shine as the Blue Stage opener on Sunday. I think the best word to describe the Northeastern art-rockers’ set is triumphant. Surrounded by open air, the tropical-leaning guitar and synths on tracks like “Composite” felt right at home. The quartet played loud, with Eve Alpert and Kasra Kurt’s gentle vocals seeping through for chaotic excellence. With the sudden news of the band’s definite end that came just before the festival, there was plenty of emotion throughout the packed crowd, and it was evident onstage as well. Alpert was in tears during the last few songs, and therefore, my Pisces self was too. Palm’s farewell to Chicago saw a synergetic connection between the band and crowd, so strong that this is going to be a performance that I’ll remember for a very long time.

King Krule

The first full set back from a brief weather-related evacuation, Archy Marshall and his band brought an electric performance to the Green Stage on Saturday that gave the Pitchfork audience a second wind. His signature deep, London voice was just as iconically brooding on stage, and in the moments his band is at its loudest, it brings a new life even the most down-tempo tracks. Watching his saxophonist put his entire body and soul into each song, especially during in-your-face tracks like “Stoned Again,” was truly invigorating. No notes, I just wish King Krule played “From the Swamp,” though.

MJ Lenderman

Dudes rock sometimes, I’ll admit it. MJ Lenderman brought two shows to Pitchfork, one super sold out late-night performance at Lincoln Hall and one on Saturday’s Red Stage. With both shows equally energetic, Lenderman got the crowd dancing with his endearing alt-country, with “You Have Bought Yourself a Boat” and “TV Dinners” bringing the most grooves each time. His hyper-specific lyrics about Southern life and sports make it a delight to sing along to, and his band is always turned up to 11, the perfect volume for songs like these. The packed stage featuring members of opening act Styrofoam Winos performing alongside his band during “Tastes Just Like It Costs” at Lincoln Hall was an epic conclusion to the festival’s opening night, and that feeling of camaraderie and warmth carried into his following show as well.

Perfume Genius

I’ve learned to expect nothing but campiness from Mike Hadreas (also known as Perfume Genius), and while watching his early-evening performance on the Green Stage from the very front row, he delivered. The stage was adorned with gold (actually “pee pee” in the words of hadreas) colored tulle, and Hadreas’ flow of movement was captivating as he traversed through his past decade of music and was overcome by his toppling stage prop, a chair. The emotional and musical climax of the set came through “Otherside,” with a magical crescendo that saw Hadreas bend back and fall to his knees in perfect time with the wall of sound he had orchestrated. His almost angelic vocals were all I hoped they’d be while performing live, with a band full of tight chemistry that matched the cinematic feeling of Hadreas’ discography.

Florist 

Florist’s self-titled album dominated my Summer 2022, becoming one of my favorite records of the entire year. Acoustic-driven and full of woodsy ambience, Florist’s set was an ideal soundtrack for enjoying the little pockets of shade on the hottest Chicago day of the festival. Emily Sprague’s soft-spoken vocal delivery served to be both comforting and hypnotic while accompanied by subtle instrumentation. The band mostly played highlights from the 2022 record, including “43,” a mind-blowingly beautiful track I may or may not have orchestrated an entire piece on this website to feature. The few new songs the band played also sound promising, especially one that Emily mentioned would be featured in an upcoming dark, queer coming of age film and encompassed those vibes perfectly. A lot of Pitchfork weekend gave way to some moments I’d consider beautiful, but watching Florist’s serene set in the corner of the park while meeting some sweet friends (shoutout Eric and Devon) takes the cake.

Alvvays

Canadian dreamsters Alvvays brought their 2022 masterpiece, Blue Rev, to close out the Red Stage on Friday night. Their set prompted the most sing-a-longs of the night, with some of the catchiest indie pop/rock around. Alvvays are killer live performers, but the real highlight was watching a kid, who couldn’t be older than seven, filming the entire set while wearing their little headphones adorned with stickers of the band’s lyrics. Their videos may have been super out of focus while filming from the front row with their family, but it was too cute not to watch them having the best time!

Mavi

Kicking off the Blue Stage for the weekend, Mavi brought 45 minutes of hip-hop bliss to Chicago on Friday afternoon. The young rapper’s compelling, raw storytelling took the forefront as his DJ accompanied him with soulful beats. Though discussing heavy anecdotes of Black life in his lyrics, Mavi delivered his bars with a smile on his face as he encouraged frequent crowd participation. It was a treat to watch as the crowd came alive at the start of the day, swaying along and radiating love throughout the set.

Jockstrap

The second that Succession intro kicked in on the Red Stage, I knew Jockstrap was bound to electrify the Pitchfork crowd on Sunday afternoon. The duo, composed of Georgia Ellery (also of Black Country, New Road) and Taylor Skye, presented their glitchy electro-pop that was mixed “obscenely loud” and unfortunately did seep into Florist’s quiet neighboring set. However, once festival-goers' undivided attention was set on Jockstrap, the duo’s set was all-enveloping. Ellery’s siren-like vocals were absolutely mesmerizing, with her soft presence taking center stage even with the heavy electronics behind her. Skye’s keyboard playing and production was full of booming bass and quirks that take listeners on so many sonic twists and turns. Sometimes, it’s hard to pull off a set like this, especially not in some dark Bushwick basement venue. But, the duo crushed it, effortlessly transitioning into moments featuring acoustic guitar and violin throughout the set and performing I Love You Jennifer B. highlights like my personal favorite, “Neon.”

Nourished by Time

It’s always a pleasure watching an artist blossom right before your eyes over multiple performances. The first set of the entire weekendwas by rising Baltimore artist Marcus Brown, who makes R&B tinged synth-pop as Nourished by Time. After being converted into a fan after catching NBT on the road with Dry Cleaning earlier this year, I just knew that Brown had massive potential even before his beloved Erotic Probiotic 2 was released. At Pitchfork, it was evident Brown has started to become much more comfortable as a live performer over the past several months, taking over the stage with his subtle groovy moves and also sharing his experiences as a part-time artist with the audience in between songs. With music that nods to the 80’s in an earnest, non-gimmicky way, Brown’s soulful yet idiosyncratic voice truly shines in a live setting, especially on a banger like “Daddy.” In his 40 minutes, he immediately set the bar for the entire weekend with a sample-filled performance packed with free-flowing energy.