Chicagoist: Pitchfork Music Festival Recap: Day Two

lulub

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:32:55 -0600

Titus Andronicus gave the best performance. The crowd for Vampire Weekend was sickeningly large and merit-less. What an untalented band. Besides being musically overrated and having insipid, peter-gabriel-unnatural lyrics, they are AWFUL performers. NO PERFORMING VALUE AT ALL. The lead singer is a hybrid of Adam Levine and some member of O-Town. It's really a shame that there are so many better (musically and lyrically) bands that don't get the same recognition and audience. Also, Hold Steady. Snore.

Jonny

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:42:34 -0600

!!! really kinda sucks live now. Seems like they've lost a couple of members over the years, and live show has gotten worse because of it. Tankboy, I can't believe you didn't check out No Age. They rocked my face off. It was awesome.

HeaveMediaLisa

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:23:40 -0600

!!! always reminds me why I love to dance like crazy at a show. They always put on such a good time. And I feel the same way about Animal Collective. I've never gone crazy about them, but I was pretty impressed by their show Saturday night. And thanks for calling out the people staying in the back! Seriously, it was like pulling teeth dragging my friends out of that area. But I can't complain too much when I'm given free sparks. It's like candy beer!

Tankboy

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:35:42 -0600

Actually I caught Jay Reatard at Bottom Lounge later that night ... there's two photos of that show at the end of out photo gallery.

razhumikin

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:16:48 -0600

It's too bad you missed Jay Reatard and Caribou who played before the Fleet Foxes. Jay Reatard had some excellent hooks and just the right pissed off energy to get me to forget I was standing out in the rain - and Caribou's tracks that employed dueling drummers really kept it all moving. By comparison Fleet Foxes had me snoozing, Dizzee Rascal woke me up again and then Vampire Weekend was melodic, maybe not "hard" but enjoyable.

delta_

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:57:35 -0600

maybe people shouldn't wear their "Sundays" best to an outdoor concert, especially if its raining.

psyverson

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:54:52 -0600

The girl in the green tank top in front of the mud-people looks non-plussed, but rather hot.

Bill V

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:54:14 -0600

Hmmm, it seemed like Vampire Weekend went over pretty well with the folks that cared to watch. I dig the CD and thought their show was fine. For sure they have some talent, let's just say that their style of preppy-rock is not for everyone.

lamgray

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:42:32 -0600

And now comes my favorite day of the year. . .the day after the Pitchfork fest, when all the lame "Missed Connections" pop up on craigslist. I didn't go to the fest last year (nor this year), but I placed a fake missed connection last year about "a dude in the American Apparel, with the awesome moustace and red bandana that talked to me about how awesome 'The Hold Steady' is at Pitchfork, me, short girl in Summer Dress with dark hair in a summer dress." Can I just say, I got SEVERAL replies? Its the BEST.

happyfunball

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:41:49 -0600

!!! rocked my balls off, but did anyone else think the lead singer looked (and acted) a lot like "Tug Tug Terry" (played by Nick Swardson) from Reno 911? I half expected him to sell me oranges and offer me an HJ.

matty

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:33:55 -0600

I have to stop posting drunk!

jamas

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:44:06 -0600

love the mud people photo. the expression on the girl in front of them says it all.

mikely1

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:50:01 -0600

"mud people" should read "drunk people."

siwook

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 08:37:53 -0600

I can't believe some poeple like some music while others don't. It blows my mind, right, because we're all supposed to like the same thing... "insert band" sucks "insert band" is awesome ::cuts self::

lulu

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:58:38 -0600

I saw Greg Kot hanging out on Friday evening. I have no interest in Animal Collective because I don't need to be on someone else's acid trip.

via chicago

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:23:49 -0600

!!! were great. Animal Collective are ridiculously overrated. I thought their set was crap (cool light show tho).

tc3

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:12:36 -0600

I think Vampire Weekend's album is pretty good - I don't fall into the camp that things they're the chosen ones, but I also don't agree with a lot of the backlash. That said, Tankboy is spot on with his assessment that their set was lethargic and downright boring. I found myself checking my watch multiple times. Luckily, the Hold Steady followed VW, woke everyone up, and slayed everything in their path. THAT is how you put on a show.

Prescott Carlson

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:03:41 -0600

Oooooh, matty, you DID NOT just diss the Jonas Brothers. IT IS ON, my friend.

enneyekay

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:16:12 -0600

Vampire Weekend got popular because they made a lot of friends in Brooklyn and got these friends to come out to their shows. The nature of contemporary rock journalism as focused on independent bands is to try to seek out whatever seems to be catching and seems simultaneously different yet familiar. "Ooh, they're not muscley rock, but they're still playing conventional rock instruments. We haven't had anything cuddly in a while, and the kids are going, and besides, I know someone who knows them, so let's write about them. Whiteboy Afrobeat pop naievety FTW!" All else follows from the folks who follow the critical acclaim and the ones who follow them. Don't look so shocked. You've seen this before.

matty

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 17:20:52 -0600

i agree! fuck vampire weekend! Actually I'm not kidding. They remind me of the jonas brothers. Fuck these idiots! RIOT CHICAGO BRING BACK GOOD MUSIC

The Curmudgeon

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:59:28 -0600

You know Tankboy, for whatever reason and possibly total coincidence I seem to regularly disagree with some things you write on Chicagoist. But any negative mention of the horrible, perhaps most "of-the-moment" band in recent memory, known as Vampire Weekend is something that I'll always cheer you for. Because, I don't get it either. Those guys couldn't find their balls if someone gave them an instruction manual. I saw then on SNL a while back and it was just sad. I didn't think they let bands with that little muscle actually play live shows. I primarily hate them because they do such injustice to such a badass band name. VAMPIRE WEEKEND - that's meant for a far cooler and darker band than those back-east nancy boys. No one will give a crap about them at the end of the year. If they make even the upper 20s of a best of list this year, it will be proof that the critics have lost their minds.

matty

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 14:07:25 -0600

damn tankboy. fuck the haters. looks like it was fun though.

Tankboy

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 13:31:02 -0600

And perhaps some critics arrived late because they had to attend a funeral earlier in the day...

JSYK

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 12:33:55 -0600

At least most of said critics arrived in time to see all the bands and didn't begin their reviews after 2+ hours of the festival had already elapsed!