Pitchfork Fest 2016 day 1 in pics: Beach House, Broken Social Scene, Shamir, Whitney & more
photos by Ben Stas
Shamir says when he performed at the festival on the same small stage last year, the summer heat wave made him “feel like an animal.” Tonight, the evening is considerably cooler, and he celebrates the “more humane weather.” The temperature isn’t the only difference between the performances. He’s retooled and expanded his band, which gives the proceedings a more in-the-moment energy. And he’s become a more confident performer, interacting with his backing vocalist and pacing his set to avoid some of the slower momentum-stoppers in his 2015 show. His sense of dynamics are dramatized in “Sometimes a Man,” which shifts from tortured ballad to driving disco burner. The one-two punch of “Call it Off” and the gospel-infused “Head in the Clouds” bring things to a rousing finish. Next time, Shamir deserves a bigger stage, no matter what the weather conditions. -[Chicago Tribune]
The 2016 edition of the Pitchfork Music Festival kicked off Friday, July 15 in Chicago’s Union Park with sets from Beach House, Broken Social Scene, Shamir, Twin Peaks, Julia Holter, Whitney, Carly Rae Jespen and more. A little rain early the day seemed appropriate weather for Seattle’s Car Seat Headrest and didn’t dampen things too much, though read what our reviewer Ian Cory had to say about it.
Day 2 of Pitchfork brings performances from Brian Wilson, Sufjan Stevens, Blood Orange, Anderson .Paak, Super Furry Animals, Savages, Digable Planets, and more. Many of those sets will be livestreamed. Meanwhile, check out a full set of pics from day 1 of Pitchfork Music Festival in the gallery above, and our review of select sets HERE.
UPDATE: Day 2 pics HERE. Day 3 pics HERE.
