Sorry for the lack of blogging today, folks. Pitchfork destroyed my physical health. All of the joints in my body ache, my feet are in pain and I have even MORE bruises today than I thought! I wasn’t even in a Black Lips-esque crowd today . . .
Was it worth it, though? Yes, I do believe so. Granted I spent most of my day sitting in the grass trying to fight off sleep and casually standing in a crowd during a show like I didn’t belong there, I had a lot of fun and I was introduced to a lot of bands that will soon take up some space in my iTunes folder.
For instance, I think there is a huge possibility of me becoming a big fan of Women. And Vivian Girls. And Killer Whales. I had no preconceived notion of these three bands before I witnessed a show of each today. The first two were recommended to me by a friend, and the latter was just a random one I came across while wandering aimlessly about Union Park. I’m glad I took the time to see all three today because I think they’re all pretty great. Pitchfork opened my ears to new acts today, and that’s perfect because I was looking to get into some new music. Now I have three additional bands to dig on now.
After seeing Vivian Girls, I made my way through the sea of people between the ‘A’ and ‘C’ stage. I wanted to catch some of Grizzly Bear’s set. Grizzly Bear would be another example of a band I didn’t know too much about . . . until recently. I got a hold of their latest release, Veckatimist, a couple of weeks ago and I instantly loved it. I actually listened to it quite a bit on my way home to Michigan last weekend. Anyhow, Grizzly Bear’s live set blew me away; I definitely plan on investing into their past discography.
On to the only band I knew: the Flaming Lips. Although I only stayed through one song (don’t be mad. I was tired!), their stage presence is incredible. The stage set-up, their entrance, Wayne Coyne being very personable with the fans long before their set started . . . and the plastic crowd-surfing bubble! The whole shebang . . . incredible. Even the fans! When I saw the Mae Shi earlier today, there was already a family of Flaming Lips mega fans – all decked out in alien costumes – claiming their spot for the Flaming Lips’ set almost nine hours later. Incredible. Only goes to show, bands: the more you give to your fans, your fans will give you 10x more. I think the Flaming Lips are the best example of that.
Currently, I am sitting on my bed, typing this final report of Pitchfork for ya’ll. All of the photos I took today just finished uploading to my Mac, but I’m way too exhausted to go through any. So by tomorrow evening, you all can see what I saw at Pitchfork with a little photo blog. Right here.
Until then,
Jade