TVD Live: Pitchfork Music Festival, 7/21

Pitchfork Music Festival 2024 is going out with a bang! The last day of this year’s iteration holds probably the most stacked lineup of the entire weekend. Whether it’s a seasoned artist or an up-and-coming performer, not a single moment of the day was a bore.

Model/Actriz really caught our eye, with what is likely the best set of the weekend. Not only was the music getting everyone moving, but the band themselves put on quite the show. Entering the stage in heels higher than I’ve ever thought about wearing, frontman Cole Haden strut across the stage, slowly applying bright red lipstick in front of the crowd. It’s the first time this weekend that I’ve seen a performer jump into the crowd and stay there for a majority of the set, even getting everyone to kneel down at one point. This set is one to remember.

It wasn’t long until the highly anticipated set from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Grandmaster Flash began. Noted as the first musician to make the turntable an instrument, it was only fitting that the legendary performer packed his set with his iconic scratches. He didn’t stick to mixing a single genre during his set, even telling the crowd that “music doesn’t have a color or genre,” so his set wasn’t going to either. He sampled everything from LL Cool J, to Prince, to Michael McDonald. Everybody in the crowd had their hands up, swaying to any and every beat playing over the speakers.

Mingling through the packed in crowd, MUNA commanded their audience as if they were the headliners. While their recorded material reads more pop heavy, their live show packs more guitar riffs with a heavier feel. This feel was mirrored in the crowd, as fans were seen rocking along to the music. Even if the band took a moment to admire the crowd, the fans picked up the lyrics where they left off, reciting everything word for word right back to them. This is yet another set to remember!

Brittany Howard of the Alabama Shakes delivered one of the most soulful performances of the weekend. Howard is a master performer, and she absolutely nails it every time she walks on the stage. You can feel the music through her strong vocals as she belts out her lyrics to the crowd. The way she plays her guitar is also mesmerizing, and watching it happen live is even more so. I would liken her musicality to that of Prince, and her mastery is at that caliber too. If you are ever able to attend a show with Brittany Howard on the bill, you will not be disappointed.

Les Savy Fav started their set with their frontman Tim Harrington riding an electric scooter from the back of the crowd to the stage. If the scooter wasn’t enough, he was clad in a brightly colored frock with bright orange/yellow hair, commanding that all eyes be on him as he sang through the crowd. Even through Harrington’s highly energetic antics throughout the set, the rest of the band kept up, providing the rowdy music that was able to keep their frontman and the audience on their feet, or in Tim’s case, sometimes in the air as he dove into the crowd.

Pitchfork Music Festival 2024 concluded with a set from the iconic Alanis Morissette. It’s refreshing to see so many female led acts on the bill, and it’s even more iconic and much deserved for Alanis Morissette to have likely the largest crowd ever at Pitchfork. Her 24 song setlist included all of her hits over her decades long career, including “Ironic,” in which she brought out MUNA to duet with her, a moment they are sure to bask in for years to come.

MAXO