Pitchfork Picks: Saturday

Let's take a look at my planned schedule for Pitchfork this Saturday. Let me just say now I'm much more excited for Sunday's lineup, specifically the lineup starting at 4pm.

1:30pm- Jay Reatard. I've heard a lot of talk about this Jay Reatard. I have never taken any steps to find out what he sounds like, though his name definitely provides some guidance. I figure here's a good chance to find out what this guy is all about and either embrace or soundly reject him, which is what I feel my options are.

2pm- Caribou. I saw them recently at the Empty Bottle, so this will be an opportune time to park a blanket in between the two stages and listen from the ground. Chances are high that I'll stay on said blanket during:
3pm- Fleet Foxes
4pm- Dizzee Rascal
5pm- Vampire Weekend
This is the 4th year I'll be attending this festival, and now that I've seen most of the bands in the lineup in other contexts, including previous Pitchfork Festivals, I think this is the year I spend more time relaxing to the music with friends instead of running frantically around between stages trying to get the best view. This weekend's weather forecast (hot and humid) is definitely adding to this decision. As far as this middle-Saturday block, I just saw Fleet Foxes at Sasquatch, have seen Dizzee Rascal and am not as into his new stuff, and I'm very "blah" on Vampire Weekend in general, so it's a good time to park it and/or wander around for a bit.

6pm- !!!. Here is where I get off my blanket to watch !!! and dance it up. I saw !!! outdoors at Coachella in 2004 and had an absolute blast, even in 100 degree weather. Singer Nic Offer is hilarious. Their recent album Myth Takes is far superior to their previous work, so my expectations for fun are even higher.

7pm- Get some dinner and get in position for Jarvis, while listening to the Hold Steady from afar. Even though the HS has a new album coming out that might be interesting to hear, I did just see them several months ago, as well as in a past Pitchfork festival (when it was Intonation?). I'd rather get myself ready for Jarvis Cocker's first midwest appearance in 12 years, or whatever the statistic is.

8pm- Jarvis. This is the kind of special performance you want to have at a festival, i.e. not the typical touring bands that were just at the Metro 3 months ago. So excited.

9pm- Animal Collective. AC are notorious for playing almost entirely new material at each show, so the quality of their performance will depend on the quality of their new stuff. It will be interesting to see how they are continuing to evolve as they become more pop-oriented. (This is not a complaint).

Sunday picks to come tomorrow morning; expect more Balance stage acts then, assuming they've fixed the sound problems of last year.