I can’t remember a Pitchfork that wasn’t affected by some weather and Saturday of #p4kfest 2023 was no exception. Even though the day was filled with crummy weather in the early afternoon, it eventually cleared up to feature the undeniably excellent headlining acts.
Big shoutout to the entire Pitchfork team. I know that they received quite a lot of pushback in regard to the way they handled the weather situation, but at the end of the day they were simply trying to keep the attendees safe; I was disappointed to see how everyone was blowing up Pitchfork’s Twitter. The P4k team does such a fantastic job every year and I can guarantee they weren’t looking to screw anyone out of dope live music. Anyways…
Julia Jacklin and King Krule welcomed attendees back after the rain delay with grace and raw emotion. Julia’s acoustic set resonated with a packed-out Blue Stage crowd. Even though her set was abbreviated, her fans were so appreciative of her performance. King Krule was my set of the weekend, I was eternally grateful that I was able to see Archy Marshall and his band. He mentioned that they were glad to be in Chicago before the group played one of the tightest sets I’ve ever seen. Every individual in the band was bursting with personality and talent. Weyes Blood performed an unforgettable set in the drizzling rain before Big Thief stole the show to close out Day Two.
The rain finally let off and Big Thief was shocking, what started as a dormant, melancholic set exponentially grew into a deeply emotional spectacle that was enjoyable for attendees from top to bottom. Frontrunner Adrianne Lenker stunned me with their eclectic range whilst her supporting musicians stayed incredibly tight throughout the set. Adrianne greeted the crowd, saying, “Hello. Thanks for being here with us. It’s such a beautiful evening.” Her calm demeanor didn’t prepare me for the eclectic set that I was about to experience.
Check out our photos from Day Two, below!
Photos and words by Jack Dombro
