LIVE REVIEW: INNERVIEW AT PITCHFORK, DAY THREE

Those who discovered Colin Stetson at his early afternoon set enjoyed one of the true privileges of festival-going: being surprised by a totally unique performance by a man playing a bass saxophone that was bigger than some members of the audience. The glut of fantastic rock bands in Chicago right now is a total embarrassment of riches that Ne-Hi’s raging muppets-on-ecstasy performance did absolutely nothing to alleviate in what might have been the most kinetic set of the festival. Isaiah Rashad started out strong, but then had to stop a song midway through when he forgot the words. Luckily, former Walkmen crooner Hamilton Leithauser smoothed things over next with some much needed chill vibes. After Pinegrove drew a mellow, beer-sipping crowd to the Blue Stage, people began clustering around the Green Stage for The Avalanches. Instead, they saw Jamila Woods, who was moved up from the Blue Stage. The Avalanches’ cancellation was disappointing, but Woods quickly won the audience over with spoken word poetry gems like “poems are bullshit, unless they are eyeglasses.” Nicolas Jarr’s performance featured a slightly surreal, creepy vibe, but led to some of the weekend’s wildest dancing. By the time Solange played “Cranes in the Sky”, it felt like a finale even though it was only her third song. The stage lights, which started out blood red, gradually bruised into a deep purple as the sky turned dark. BY WILLIAM LENNON–PHOTO BY POONEHGHANA
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