Pitchfork Music Festival Day 2 Photo Gallery

Destroyer Live @ Pitchfork Music Festival 2011

We had an awesome first day at Pitchfork Music Festival, catching sets from tUnE-yArDs, Battles, Thurston Moore, Curren$y, Guided By Voices, James Blake, and Animal Collective.

Pitchfork Music Festival 2011 Day 1 Photo Gallery

There’s a heat advisory with temperatures looking to jump into the 90s today. Pitchfork is issuing free bottled water to the first 6,000 attendees through the gates. Stay hydrated!

TODAY’S PICKS:

4:15 (GREEN) Gang Gang Dance

5:15 (RED) Destroyer

6:15 (GREEN) Dismemberment Plan

7:15 (RED) DJ Shadow

7:30 (Possibly) The Mars Volta + Soundgarden at UIC Pavilion

8:30 (GREEN) Fleet Foxes

Don’t forget: you can watch most of the action live from home at Pitchfork.com

VIDEO: tUnE-yArDs - “Powa” Live from Pitchfork Music Festival 2011

Pitchfork Music Festival 2011 starts at 3:00 p.m. today; we thought we’d compile a few choice picks (outside the obvious) for you to snack on throughout the weekend.

Can’t make it to Union Park for the festivities, but still want in on the action? No worries; Pitchfork.com has you covered with live streams from the festival all weekend.

Tweeting about the fest? Use the hashtag #p4kfest

FRIDAY, JULY 15

4:30 (BLUE) tUnE-yArDs

Experimenting with loops of her own voice and percussion, Merrill Garbus, aka tUnE-yArDs, creates an eclectic blend of soulful and quirky sounds that are impossible to ignore.

tUnE-yArDs Break Down Their Songs For Sound Opinions

tUnE-yArDs perform ‘Powa’ on Sound Opinions from WBEZ on Vimeo.

5:30 (RED) THURSTON MOORE

Sonic Youth front man proves he’s not all feedback and fuzz, melody is a part of his repertoire as well.

Thurston Moore - “Circulation”

STREAM: Thurston Moore, Demolished Thoughts

7:30 (BLUE) JAMES BLAKE

Dubstep meets pop, in a soulful English way, not the electro Brittany kind of way. Fans and critics might disagree on exactly what it is that James Blake does, but one thing is certain, his multitrack harmonies create ballads worthy of international attention.

James Blake Live From Primavera Sound 2011

James Blake On World Cafe : NPR

SATURDAY, JULY 16

3:20 (RED) GANG GANG DANCE

Gang Gang Dance - “MindKilla”

This Manhattan based ensemble of noise engineers, creates bizarrely catchy tunes based in experimental sounds and unpredictable melodies.

5:15 (RED) DESTROYER

Fans of The Pet Shop Boys and Gayngs alike will agree that Dan Bejar’s easy listening jams are the definition of mellow. Combined with crytic wordplay, Destroyer makes for an interesting listen.

Destroyer - “Kaputt”

6:15 (GREEN) THE DISMEMBERMENT PLAN

This is a do not miss considering it could be the last time this band plays together for some time, if ever again.

The Dismemberment Plan - “Time Bomb”

SUNDAY, JULY 17

3:45 (BLUE) SHABAZZ PALACES

Formerly known as Butterfly, frontman of the golden-era hip hop group Digable Planets, Ishmael Butler showcases his avant-garde lyricism over futuristic beats on Shabazz Palaces debut, ‘Black Up.’ Don’t call it a comeback; it’s a reinvention. 

Shabazz Palaces - “Belhaven Meridian”

6:15 (GREEN) DEERHUNTER

Currently leading the forefront of indie-pop, Bradley Cox’s Deerhunter released one of the most critically lauded albums of 2010 with ‘Halcyon Digest.’ The dreamy, atmospheric textures of these songs are sure to be drawn out in a fuzzy haze of experimentation in the live setting.

Deerhunter - “Revival”

6:45 (BLUE) TORO Y MOI

Chaz Bundick’s blend of chillwave dives deeper into elements of jazz and funk than most of his peers in the genre, while remaining grounded in ’80s synth.

Toro Y Moi - “Still Sound”

Going to Pitchfork? Let us know who you plan to see in the comment section below.

This year’s Summerfest has already come and gone, and we have some great photos from this weekend to remember it by, but we would love to see your pictures from the Big Gig. Please upload your photos in the comment section below before Monday, July 18 for a chance to win a mystery prize pack from the Pabst Theater.

Check out our photos from Summerfest last night - including Here Come The Mummies, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, and Yonder Mountain String Band.

Tonight’s pick: Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings.

Performing in front of what appeared to be a sell-out crowd at the Marcus Amphitheater last night, The Black Keys delivered a show worthy of the hype that surrounded it for the weeks and months leading up to Summerfest. 

Playing a total of 16 songs, Patrick Carney and Dan Aurbach blazed through a set of bare bones, meat and potatoes rock ‘n’ roll, lasting just over an hour. Having Florence & The Machine and Cage The Elephant on the bill made the ticket well worth the price of admission.

Photos and video of The Black Keys + Florence & The Machine below.

Tap Milwaukee review

A.V. Club Milwaukee review

For Day 2 of Summerfest we caught sets from Wanda Jackson (Potawatomi) and Wisconsin’s own, Cory Chisel (Harley).

Kanye West and Kid Cudi put on quite the spectacle in the Marcus Amphitheater last night. Performing in front of a massive backdrop that appeared to be the physical embodiment of someone’s Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, West charged through a hit-heavy set that touched on all phases of his career. With no guest appearances (outside of a few songs aided by Kid Cudi, and a crew of ballet dancers), West was essentially a one-man band for nearly two hours.

“Jesus Walks”

Gallery

Day one of Summerfest 2011 is already in the books, and appears to have been a great success. Most stages we passed were packed with friendly, beer-swilling patrons enjoying some of the best food offerings in our fair city. (Not bad for having opening day on a Wednesday.)

While much was going on throughout the park (Peter Gabriel, Matisyahu, Buddy Guy, Meat Loaf, Jack’s Mannequin), it was Daryl Hall & John Oates who owned the Henry Maier Festival Grounds last night. 

Sporting half their usual amount of mustaches, Hall & Oates wowed a considerably packed M&I Classic Rock Stage with their classic “rock and soul” jams, including “Maneater,” “Out of Touch” and “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do).” Not bad for a couple of guys who first met while escaping a gang fight.

We’ll have plenty more coverage throughout the festival, so stay tuned.

“Rich Girl”

Photo Gallery

Summerfest, “The World’s Largest Music Festival” starts today, boasting one of its strongest lineups in recent memory. We’ll be along for the ride, providing coverage from the festival grounds. Watch for photos, video, recommendations, and live updates from the Big Gig!

PABST RECOMMENDATIONS

6/29 - Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, Matisyahu, The Friendly Lens

6/30 - Kanye West, Cory Chisel, Wanda Jackson, George Clinton

7/1 - Girl Talk, Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys, Taj Majal

7/2 - Fitz and The Tantrums, Paul Cebar, Tomorrow Sound, Loretta Lynn, Airborne Toxic Event

7/3 - Ben Harper, Ike Reilly, Alejandro Escovedo, The Jayhawks, Smoking Popes

7/5 - Wiz Khalifa, The Wailers, Greg Koch, The Fatty Acids

7/6 - The Black Keys + Florance and the Machine, O.A.R.

7/7 - Here Come The Mummies, Kings Go Forth, Old 97s, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Mark Mallman

7/8 - Gaelic Storm, Material Reissue, Leon Russell, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings

7/9 - Flaming Lips, De La Soul, Meat Puppets, Fever Marlene, Alkaline Trio

7/10 - Amos Lee, The Bravery, Toots and the Maytals, Todd Rundgren