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CATFISH & THE BOTTLEMEN

by Jake McKenzie
photo by Jill Furmanovsky

Both children of Welsh bed-and-breakfast operators, Ryan “Van” McCann and Billy Bibby spent their youth together writing songs in Billy’s North Wales home. But before they could really rock out, Bibby had to teach McCann and bassist Benji Blakeway how to play their instruments. This ragtag group of friends got the word out about their new band by setting up and playing in venue parking lots as passersby left the real concerts. Well before their smash record The Balcony and Billy Bibby’s unexpected departure from the band, The Bottlemen have been known as one of the greatest live acts in modern rock and roll. An album later and with new guitarist Johnny Bond in tow, it’s clear that little has changed. Catfish & The Bottlemen still bring a rip-roaring rock show to any destination they play. And they have the rabid fans to prove it.

4:30-5:30 PM
Grant Park Stage

ST. VINCENT

by Adam Hacker

Who the fuck drops out of Berklee because they think it’s getting in the way of their music career? Annie Clark, that’s who. One of Texas’s greatest musical exports, to call St. Vincent’s body of work diverse is like saying Clifford is a big dog. From Sufjan Stevens side-woman to mainstage guitar extraordinaire, Clark (a.k.a. St. Vincent) has had an absolutely wild career trajectory whose impact the mainstream world is finally starting to recognize. After taking four albums exploring pretty much every sonic territory on Earth and beyond, last year’s Masseducation amplified the robotic soul of her previous self-titled album for an explosive shot at pop non-stardom. Although many are prone to comparing her to David Bowie, the fact is that even if she is most likely modern music’s top candidate for such an award, I find it interesting to wonder who will be thought of as “the next St. Vincent.” I’m pretty sure it will be St. Vincent. 

6:45-7:45 PM
Bud Light Stage

ZEDD

by Casey Moffitt
photo by Reuben Wu

Zedd sets himself apart from his cookie-cutter contemporaries by using his ability to construct thoughtful EDM songs. It’s not just that he finds sweet melodies. Nor is it his uncanny ability to run the gamut of emotions in his songs from joyous to heartbreaking. What’s more interesting is how Zedd builds unusual chords and progressions not typically found in dance or pop music to unlock exquisite harmonies within them. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, knowing Zedd was classically trained as a musician after his family emigrated to Germany from his native Russia. His graduate-level understanding of music shows in all of his work. Although Zedd will throw musical curveballs, his transitions don’t sound jarring as he incorporates many familiar elements in instrumentation, tone, beats and polyrhythmic breakdowns. If you focus past the intense light show and obligatory volume, you’ll mine nuggets of actually interesting EDM music.

8:30-9:45 PM
Perry’s

VAMPIRE WEEKEND

by Adam Hacker
photo by Alex John Beck

Just as the 2000s seemed like they were closing up shop and groups like The Strokes and Interpol seemed uninterested in keeping New York City cool, a group of young men straight out of Columbia helped revive the NYC indie scene. This time though, it wasn’t with brooding post-punk or Television-inspired guitar technics. Vampire Weekend instead employed a preppy aesthetic with a heavy dose of Afro-pop to produce a sound more in line with Talking Heads than TV on the Radio. It’s easy to make fun of these guys as the sonic embodiment of boat shoes or sweaters tied around one’s neck, but the music never plays as pretentious. It’s been more than two years since longtime member Rostam Batmanglij left the band and with it now being five years since an album, it seems that another Vampire Weekend record could be quite some time off. Even with the cards stacked against them, I think Ezra Koenig and company still have plenty left in the tank.

8:30-10:00 PM
Bud Light Stage

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