Concert Rainout Roundup: Pearl Jam Plays On, Björk The DJ, Phish Phan Tunnel Jam

By Chris Bentley in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 20, 2013 7:00PM

Photo credit: Justin Carlson

Even if you weren’t holding a ticket to one of the three giant outdoor concerts Friday, the air this week was heavy with anticipation — an oppressive heat wave was expected to break during sets by Björk, Phish, and Pearl Jam, promising heavy rain, lightning and hail.

Severe weather marred all three shows. But while windswept fans evacuated the Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park and Phish’s first show at the recently expanded FirstMerit Bank Pavilion on Northerly Island for good around 10 p.m., Pearl Jam waited it out.

The band returned to the stage at Wrigley Field shortly before the 11 p.m. curfew and played until 2 a.m. Frontman Eddie Vedder brought 82-year-old Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks onstage to sing a chorus of the Cubs Anthem, “All the Way.” Judd Apatow had to pinch himself:

Pearl Jam’s 32-song set included cuts from the band’s forthcoming and (at least last night) presciently titled album, “Lightning Bolt.” The Huffington Post caught up with one concertgoer and freelance photographer who captured this stunning image of lightning bearing down on the stadium:

Meanwhile Björk’s headlining set at Pitchfork migrated to Lincoln Hall, where the Icelandic icon spun a surprise DJ set during Savages’ scheduled aftershow:

And as thousands of bedraggled Phish fans streamed through the Museum Campus back towards downtown, the jamband’s loss was Chicago busker Garrick Q. Patten’s gain. The saxophone player, accompanied by iPod backing tracks, belted out versions of “Moon Dance,” “What’s Goin’ On,” “St. Thomas,” and in a fitting finale before police broke up the impromptu tunnel jam, “Sweet Home Chicago”: