Pitchfork Festival 2019 - Friday
photo by James Richards IV

Pitchfork Festival 2019 Friday pics & video (Low, Mavis Staples, Haim, Earl Sweatshirt, more)

While NYC festivals were being cancelled in anticipation of excessive heat, the 2019 edition of Pitchfork Festival kicked off in a sweltering Union Park, as Chicago is in the midst of a major heat wave of its own. The festival promised a misting tent, multiple cooling buses and drinking fountain water locations, and a First Aid Hydration area giving away bottled water, and its shady, smaller Blue Stage area offered some protection from the sun.

Haim closed out the night with a set that included an acoustic interlude and two classic Paula Cole covers, “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone” and “I Don’t Wanna Wait.” Watch video of those below. Earlier in the afternoon, Sky Ferreira‘s set was running late and plagued by technical difficulties, but she did debut a new song, “Descending,” which she says “is dropping VERY soon.” Watch clips of that below, too.

Friday at Pitchfork also included sets from Low (a major highlight of the day), Mavis Staples, Earl Sweatshirt, Julia Holter, Pusha T, Soccer Mommy, Standing on the Corner, Rico Nasty, Valee, Grapetooth, MIKE, and Great Black Music Ensemble. Check out pictures from the whole day in the galleries above and below, and stay tuned for more coverage of the weekend pictures and video from Saturday HERE and Sunday HERE.

If you aren’t in Chicago, some Pitchfork sets are streaming live. If you are attending, here are the set times.

photos by James Richards IV (top gallery) and Ben Stas (bottom gallery)