Day One of Pitchfork Music Fest 2010 was sunny and hot, many already sweating by the time they entered the grounds. It was a new early start to the first day, with the gates opening at 3 p.m., but that didn't seem to have much effect on numbers as a large crowd still came through the gates for the earliest acts that opened the fest. Of course, the story was, and will be all weekend, the heat. With highs expected to surge into the low-to-mid 90s today with a healthy dose of humidity, yesterday's drier albeit still warm conditions looked to be the best day of weather for the fest. Which is why an announcement was made during the afternoon that for the duration of the weekend, the price of bottles of water were cut from $2 to $1, a savvy move of good PR as well as general safety for the masses. Despite a few glitches (during Broken Social Scene) and the continued issue of sound bleed on the B Stage, the sound continues to improve, which bodes well for loose, electronic acts like Neon Indian, Washed Out and Sleigh Bells more ›

Pre-parties, after-parties, birthday parties, dinner parties, LOST watch parties, parties you never even knew about. It's festival season and, with Pitchfork right around the corner, there's just about as much stuff to do that's associated with the festival that isn't actually the festival. This Thursday, the Pitchfork Festival Official Kick Off Party at Bottom Lounge is among the first of these associated events, and besides having the ability to pick up your Pitchfork Festival tickets early, the event has a solid lineup and other ancillary benefits. more ›

Ah, late February in Chicago. Cubs tickets go on sale today, there's a forecast for a high temperature above 35 degrees next week, and thousands of indie rock kids around Chicago will soon be shedding their parkas for high-priced hoodies bought from Wicker Park boutiques (tip: ours cost us $12 at Target!) for several worthwhile shows around the Chicago area. Lots of tickets go on sale this weekend. So, despite this crappy weather, there is, in the words of Spoon, "something to look forward to." more ›