It’s the Monday after Pitchfork Music Festival, and it appears that everyone at Reader HQ made it through in one piece—despite erratic storms, muddy fields that occasionally reeked of urine, running around in the heat for hours, and the shock of watching Liturgy perform as a two-piece. Let’s just say that if you went to Pitchfork and you aren’t feeling at least a little tired now, well, you didn’t do it right.
Aches, bruises, and sunburns weren’t yet in the picture early Friday afternoon, when I first made my way to Union Park. Instead of reviewing the performers, I planned to interview all sorts of people: the fans, some of whom had flown in from all over the country; the folks who volunteered or worked the fest; and maybe a musician or two. I wanted to ask oddball questions too, to find out more about the fans than what bands were on their itineraries, and I ended up having some great conversations—about getting a tattoo of Sleigh Bells, about weathering the downpour at the front of the line to get into the fest, and many more.
I’d keep going, but I don’t want to spoil this video compilation of interview highlights. A big thanks to the talented folks who shot the video: Reader interns Olivia La Faire and Aundre Larrow. (La Faire also edited it, working into the wee hours to get everything just right.) Anyway, without further ado, jump on in: