Pitchfork is an early sellout

By August Evans

Last year you could have strolled into Chicago's Union Park to see Os Mutantes, Yo La Tengo, Spoon, and the Walkmen (among many delightful others) having bought your ticket just three days earlier. This year, though, the Pitchfork Fest is already COMPLETELY sold out—single- and two-day passes alike. Gone. Zilch. Zero.

Perhaps that's due to the festival being smack-dab in the middle of the month (unlike last year when it was at the end, close to August and city-fleers). Or perhaps it's because the Intonation Fest didn’t come this year, depriving Chicagoans of their early-summer outdoor indie music dose to take the edge off.

There’s another possibility, though, a much simpler one, as to why this year Pitchfork appears to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. Could have to do with the melodic extravaganza in the works for Day 1 of the fest, Friday, July 13, when Sonic Youth does its audience the inimitable favor of playing their majestic album, Daydream Nation, from start to finish. Could be the draw of Cat Power, Grizzly Bear, Iron and Wine, and the legendary Yoko One (with unnamed “special guests,” oohh) all appearing on Saturday alone. Could be that festival-goers get their fill of Stephen Malkmus, Deerhunter, and De La Soul just on Sunday. Could be that, with three stages going at once, this party will be insane.

My advice for the ticket-less? Convince access-ready friends that mid-July is a fabulous time to flee the Chicago swelter; then do the kind favor of relieving them of any and all Pitchfork tickets. This is not one to be missed.