zZounds travelled three trains stops out of Chicago’s downtown skyline to catch the sights and sounds of from Pitchfork’s annual music festival. As eclectic and interesting as their vaunted website, the Pitchfork Festival — now in its 12th year — holds the distinction of keeping the same editorial eye in their own curated lineup, location, and concert-goer amenities. If you can make it next year to Chicago’s Near West Side, and down to the beautifully-kept Union Park, I’d highly recommend leaving mid-July open, just for this trip.

From headliners LCD Soundsystem, A Tribe Called Quest, and Solange, to up and comers like Nicolas Jaar, Angel Olsen, and Jesse Kanda, as Pitchfork would say: there is something for everyone interested in the “Best New Music” out there. Thankfully, the weather cooperated to make this year’s fest a gorgeous one to enjoy outdoors. The first day was met with long entry lines and even longer food/beverage cues. However, Pitchfork, did a brilliant job the next day to correct such issues and treat festival-goers to a great experience. So, without further ado, let’s take a look back at some of this year’s highlights.

DAY 1

DAY 2

DAY 3

SCENES FROM THE FESTIVAL

Photo Credit and Blog Featured Image: Diego Olivas (author).