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At least 19 people have been wounded, three fatally, in citywide gun violence since Friday evening.

In the latest fatal shooting, a 12-year-old boy was found dead Saturday morning in the South Chicago neighborhood.

A witness found the boy unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head about 10:30 a.m. in the 8000 block of South Bennett Avenue, according to preliminary information from Chicago police. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 36-year-old woman was taken into custody in connection with the shooting, police said,

Hours earlier, woman was killed while sitting in a vehicle in Chatham on the South Side.

The 34-year-old was sitting in the driver’s seat of a vehicle with a group of people in a parking lot about 1:25 a.m. in the 8700 block of South Lafayette Avenue when she was shot in the head, Chicago police said. She died at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

On Friday, a person was shot dead in Englewood.

A male, whose age wasn’t immediately known, was near the sidewalk about 5:30 p.m. in the 7200 block of South Yale Avenue when someone opened fire, striking him in the armpit and hand, police said.

He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

In nonfatal attacks, two boys were shot while they were standing on a porch in Austin on the West Side.

They were on the porch about 10:30 p.m. Friday in the 5800 block of West Augusta Boulevard when someone inside a silver-colored SUV fired shots, police said. The boys, 12 and 13 years old, were struck in the leg and taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition.

Hours later, a 16-year-old boy was wounded when someone shot him in Gresham on the South Side.

The teen was walking through a gas station about 12:55 a.m. Saturday in the 7600 block of South Green Street when he was shot in the leg, police said. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was listed in good condition.

At least 11 other people have been wounded in incidents of gun violence in Chicago since 5 p.m. Friday.

Last weekend, six people were killed and at least 61 others were wounded in citywide shootings over the holiday weekend.

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Day Two of Pitchfork Music Festival came with unrelenting sunshine and high temperatures, as some festival-goers laid out blankets in the shade and others opted to stand in the sun while watching the day’s first performances at Union Park.

Scorching sets from Bartees Strange and local act Horsegirl made the afternoon feel even hotter, with both groups performing their own high-energy interpretations of indie rock.

Near the intersection of Ashland and Washington, two public transportation vessels sat repurposed — a CTA bus parked as a cooling station in anticipation of the day’s heat, and an L car converted into a Goose Island Beer stand, where a collaboration beer with Saturday act Faye Webster was being poured, exclusive to this year’s festival.

By mid-afternoon, a slow trickle of fans made their way through the festival’s two entrances, as security contracted by Pitchfork continued to briefly check for proof of vaccination or testing.

Just as it had Friday, Pitchfork about an hour before the gates opened pushed a mobile notification reminding fans of COVID-19 protocols, including recommendation for masks — which were present on attendees, but far from ubiquitous.

The festival also announced via its app that hip-hop heavyweight Jay Electronica had been dropped from the bill, without explanation. Scheduled to perform in his time slot was producer RP Boo, adding another local Chicago act to this year’s lineup.

Festival-goers sit in the grass and listen as Waxahatchee performs on the Green Stage at Pitchfork music festival at Union Park, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021.Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Indie pop-rock band Divino Nino was also among Saturday’s local acts, with lead singer Camilo Medina describing the band’s slot on the Green Stage as a “dream come true.”

Saturday at Pitchfork saw fans continuing to explore non-music attractions set up for the weekend, like the Renegade Craft Show popup — where clothes, jewelry and vinyl from record labels like New York-based Fire Talk Records — who represent Chicago’s-own DEHD– could be bought in the shade of a covered area in the park’s southern tip. A line of tents selling art prints also greeted festival-goers entering through the Ogden gates.

But when fans weren’t packed in to see acts like Maxo Kream (who went shirtless in response to the sweltering heat), chilling in the shade or exploring the park, they were waiting in line. Lines for the water refill station and stands selling alcohol, food and merchandise could be seen stretching far back. During the dinner rush Friday night, wait times were long for a taste of local vendors like Cevapcici Chicago and Beat Kitchen.

For Autumn Morrow, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, waiting in the line was just part of the experience. The 23-year-old had just hopped in the merch line with hopes of buying a Divino Nino T-shirt, after being wowed by the band’s set

“That’s the best thing about festivals. You kind of don’t know all of the music and then you’re surprised with what you do like,” Morrow said. “Initially I was most excited to see Ty Segall, but that I think is gonna be the highlight of my weekend.”

Check back soon for more from Saturday’s Pitchfork sets.

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Allison Payne, a nine-time Emmy Award winner who was the face of WGN-TV for two decades and inspired a generation of Black women reporters, died Sept. 1 in her hometown of Detroit, the television station reported Friday. She was 57.

Payne made Chicago her adopted home in 1990 after WGN hired her when she was 25.

“Allison was young, vibrant, sharp,” meteorologist Tom Skilling recalled in a WGN video tribute. “You looked at Alison, you thought here’s a young journalist who has the world before her, and one could only speculate where that incredible career was going to go.”

Payne became a reporting powerhouse for Chicago’s Very Own, covering everything from politics to sports. Her stories took her all around the world, including to the Ivory Coast alongside the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Payne was known for being generous both with her time and resources. Payne once footed the bill for her producer to join her in Washington D.C. for a story when the station declined to fund her trip.

Payne also would routinely buy gifts for her colleagues. Vicky Baftiri, one of Payne’s longtime producers, said she still has some of the Tory Burch purses, wallets and jewelry Payne gifted her. She also said Payne paid for a makeup artist to beautify Baftiri on her wedding day and baby shower.

“She just wanted to show her gratitude, not just by words but by gifts as well,” Baftiri said.

Payne played an influential part in many Chicago reporters and producers’ careers. Her door was always open to aspiring, young journalists, who looked to her for career advice. She routinely would review scripts and offer feedback in a way “no other anchor did,” Baftiri said.

The daughter of an educator, Payne loved sharing her wealth of knowledge so much so that she looked into becoming a journalism professor at a community college in the Motor City after she left Chicago. Payne also started a foundation for students looking to enter the journalism field.

“She loved fearlessly, she mentored not just me but countless interns,” Baftiri said. “She was so instrumental in my career.”

Vicky Baftiri posed with Allison Payne during a trip to Washington D.C. for a story.Provided by Vicky Baftiri

Payne and WGN parted ways in 2011 after she suffered a series of “unfortunate health events,” the station said.

Her cause of death was unknown. Before her departure from Chicago TV news, Payne described suffering a series of mini-strokes. She also opened up publicly about struggles with depression and alcohol dependence.

Skilling, who worked alongside Payne during her 21-year tenure at the station, said Payne was a delight. “She was a kind human being, so sweet,” he said.

Other tributes flooding social media shared Skilling’s sentiment.

Tyra Martin, a senior segment producer at WGN, described Payne as “hilarious, sometimes on purpose and sometimes by accident.”

“She was not fair weather or lukewarm about anything. She was proud of excellence… hers, yours and anyone else’s,” Martin wrote. “And she made those around her want to be the same. She’s the kind of person you didn’t want to let down.”

Reflecting on 20 years at WGN, Payne told the Chicago Sun-Times in 2010: “I hope my work as an anchor has inspired at least one young girl watching me to go after her dreams.”

That’s just what she did for TV host Shaun Robinson.

“Allison Payne was one of my early career role models,” Robinson tweeted. “I remember watching her when I was an aspiring journalist and being so proud that she was from my hometown Detroit. She inspired so many young black girls because we could see ourselves in her.”

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Pitchfork Music Festival 2021 entered its second day Saturday afternoon in Union Park, as the West Loop staple returned from its COVID-19 hiatus in 2020.

The Day 2 lineup included another eclectic mix of hip-hop, R&B, indie rock and more. Horsegirl, Bartees Strange, Amaarae, Waxahatchee, Ty Segall & Freedom Band and more were among the afternoon acts. Saturday’s headliners include Jamila Woods and Angel Olsen, with St. Vincent closing out the night.

Hot on the heels of Lollapalooza last month, the music festival has strict COVID-19 safety protocols in place, requiring proof of full vaccination or a negative test within 24 hours for each day of the fest in order to gain entry.

In addition to the music, a popup art fair featuring the work of local artists make for perfect summertime shopping and browsing.

Here’s a look at the sights and sounds of Saturday’s shows:

Waxahatchee performs on the Green Stage at Pitchfork music festival at Union Park, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Waxahatchee performs on the Green Stage at Pitchfork music festival at Union Park, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Waxahatchee performs on the Green Stage at Pitchfork music festival at Union Park, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Festival-goers slowly sway and sing along as Waxahatchee performs on the Green Stage at Pitchfork music festival at Union Park, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021.Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Festival-goers sit in the grass and listen as Waxahatchee performs on the Green Stage at Pitchfork music festival at Union Park, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021.Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Check back soon for more from Saturday’s sets.

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Jose Carlos Vega was on his way to work at the World Trade Center 20 years ago Saturday when his life’s trajectory forever changed.

He remembers Sept. 11, 2001, being a normal yet extraordinarily beautiful morning in New York City. His train came to a premature and abrupt stop, and the conductor urgently yelled at passengers to get off.

Vega, unaware of what had happened and slightly aggravated that he had to wrestle through a crowd to walk the rest of the way to his office, made his way up the stairs from the subway station. He found the city eerily quiet, with the exception of some emergency vehicle sirens. That’s when he noticed a piece of paper floating down from above, which prompted him to look up.

“I followed the flow of the paper, which led my eyes to the World Trade Center, which I saw burning. After seeing the debris and other objects falling from the building, realizing that some of them were human beings,” Vega recalled in his native Chicago Saturday morning. “It didn’t actually register in my mind [until] later that evening.”

“There are things that I bore witness to on that horrific day that I choose not to share,” he continued. “I found myself walking backwards throughout the city, routinely turning around to look at the World Trade Center,” which he said was “hypnotizing and horrific at the same time.”

Veteran Carlos Vega speaks about his experience of the 9/11 attack during the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of 9/11 at the Richard J. Daley Plaza in the Loop, Saturday morning, Sept. 11, 2021.Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Vega remembers being in an auditorium and watching on screen as the twin towers collapsed, adding “we still would not believe it” to be truly happening.

Vega, who grew up in McKinley Park, recalled that devastating day in front of a crowd of hundreds of veterans and first responders who gathered downtown to reflect on the 20th anniversary of the events that changed the world.

The memorial event included Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Police Supt. David Brown and Fire Department Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt, all commemorating the nearly 3,000 lives lost and countless others impacted by the subsequent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The chorus of drums and bagpipes echoed through Daley Plaza. The music stopped just before 7:45 a.m. central time, marking the moment the first plane crashed into the North Tower. The congregation observed a moment of silence; the only sounds heard was the rumbling of a nearby ‘L train and the howling of wind between the skyscrapers.

A Chicago Fire Department helicopter flew over the crowd and Chicago Fire Battalion Chief Jake Jakubec struck a bell multiple times.

Patrick McParland, a Navy veteran who lives on the city’s Far Southeast Side, held up an oversized flag that he got from one of the vessels he worked on, saying: “I just looked at this as some way to pay tribute to those that have fallen, those who have lost family members, loved ones and friends. It’s a small token of my appreciation for what they’ve done.”

Vega’s niece Sonia Lopez called the event “really inspiring.”

“I think it’s just like a nice reminder to come together and remember to stay together,” said Lopez, who drove in from Wheaton to support her “Uncle Carlos.”

Lopez said she was in her eighth grade math class at the time of the attacks. Her teacher told the students to huddle under their desks. She recalled being fearful and unsure of what was happening.

When Lopez found out the World Trade Center had collapsed, she immediately worried for her uncle’s safety.

“I can’t believe it’s been 20 years… I still remember the feeling, the scare, the nervousness, like what [Vega] went through,” Lopez said.

The images from that day were burned into Vega’s memory. He said he’ll never forget the first responders who selflessly put their lives in jeopardy to help save others.

Witnessing the aftermath of the attacks inspired Vega to join the military, serving two tours in Iraq. Now, Vega said he helps veterans who struggle with post traumatic stress disorder.

“The way we live our life from this day forward will determine how we honor those that are no longer with us today,” Vega told the crowd. “Our mission is not over.”

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NEW YORK — Americans solemnly marked the 20th anniversary of 9/11 on Saturday, remembering the dead, invoking the heroes and taking stock of the aftermath of the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil less than two weeks after the fraught end of the war in Afghanistan.

The ceremony at ground zero in New York began exactly two decades after the attack started with the first of four hijacked planes crashing into one of the World Trade Center’s twin towers.

“It felt like an evil specter had descended on our world, but it was also a time when many people acted above and beyond the ordinary,” said Mike Low, whose daughter, Sara Low, was a flight attendant on that plane.

Her family has “known unbearable sorrow and disbelief” in the years since, the father told a crowd that included President Joe Biden and former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

But “as we carry these 20 years forward, I find sustenance in a continuing appreciation for all of those who rose to be more than ordinary people,” Low said.

The anniversary unfolded under the pall of a pandemic and in the shadow of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, which is now ruled by the same militants who gave safe haven to the 9/11 plotters.

“It’s hard because you hoped that this would just be a different time and a different world. But sometimes history starts to repeat itself and not in the best of ways,” Thea Trinidad, who lost her father in the attacks, said before reading victims’ names at the ceremony.

Bruce Springsteen and Broadway actor Kelli O’Hara sang at the commemoration, but by tradition, no politicians spoke there. In a video released Friday night, Biden addressed the continuing pain of loss but also spotlighted what he called the “central lesson” of Sept. 11: “that at our most vulnerable … unity is our greatest strength.”

Biden was also scheduled to pay respects at the two other sites where the 9/11 conspirators crashed the jets: the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Together, the attacks killed nearly 3,000 people.

Calvin Wilson came to the Pennsylvania memorial to reflect on his brother-in-law LeRoy Homer, the first officer of the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew fought to regain control. Hijackers are believed to have been targeting the U.S. Capitol or the White House.

Wilson said he believes a polarized country has “missed the message” of the passengers’ and crew members’ heroism.

“We don’t focus on the damage. We don’t focus on the hate. We don’t focus on retaliation. We don’t focus on revenge,” Wilson said. “We focus on the good that all of our loved ones have done.”

Former President George W. Bush, the nation’s leader on 9/11, and current Vice President Kamala Harris were to speak at the Pennsylvania memorial. The only other post-9/11 U.S. president, Donald Trump, planned to be in New York, in addition to providing commentary at a boxing match in Florida in the evening.

Other observances — from a wreath-laying in Portland, Maine, to a fire engine parade in Guam — were planned across a country now full of 9/11 plaques, statues and commemorative gardens.

In the aftermath of the attacks, security was redefined, with changes to airport checkpoints, police practices and the government’s surveillance powers. For years afterward, virtually any sizeable explosion, crash or act of violence seemed to raise a dire question: “Is it terrorism?” Some ideological violence and plots did follow, though federal officials and the public have lately become increasingly concerned with threats from domestic extremists after years of focusing on international terror groups in the wake of 9/11.

New York faced questions early on about whether it could ever recover from the blow to its financial hub and restore a feeling of safety among the crowds and skyscrapers. New Yorkers ultimately rebuilt a more populous and prosperous city but had to reckon with the tactics of an empowered post-9/11 police department and a widened gap between haves and have-nots.

A “war on terror” led to invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, where the longest U.S. war ended last month with a hasty, massive airlift punctuated by a suicide bombing that killed 169 Afghans and 13 American service members and was attributed to a branch of the Islamic State extremist group. The U.S. is now concerned that al-Qaida, the terror network behind 9/11, may regroup in Afghanistan, where the flag of the Taliban militant group once again flew over the presidential palace on Saturday.

Melissa Pullis lost her husband, Edward, on 9/11. His namesake, Edward Jr., is serving on the USS Ronald Reagan, where he released a wreath bearing the words “Never Forget” into the water Saturday.

“I really don’t care about the Taliban,” said Melissa Pullis, who attended the ceremony with her other son, Andrew. “I’m just happy all the troops are out of Afghanistan … We can’t lose any more military. We don’t even know why we’re fighting, and 20 years went down the drain.”

Two decades after helping to triage and treat injured colleagues at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, retired Army Col. Malcolm Bruce Westcott is saddened and frustrated by the continued threat of terrorism.

“I always felt that my generation, my military cohort, would take care of it — we wouldn’t pass it on to anybody else,” said Westcott, of Greensboro, Georgia. “And we passed it on.”

Sept. 11 propelled a surge of shared grief and common purpose, but it soon gave way.

Muslim Americans endured suspicion, surveillance and hate crimes. The quest to understand the catastrophic toll of the terror attacks prompted changes in building design and emergency communications, but it also spurred conspiracy theories that seeded a culture of skepticism. Schisms and resentments grew over immigration, the balance between tolerance and vigilance, the meaning of patriotism, the proper way to honor the dead, and the scope of a promise to “never forget.”

Trinidad was 10 when she overheard her dad, Michael, saying goodbye to her mother by phone from the burning trade center. She remembers the pain but also the fellowship of the days that followed, when all of New York “felt like it was family.”

“Now, when I feel like the world is so divided, I just wish that we can go back to that,” said Trinidad, of Orlando, Florida. “I feel like it would have been such a different world if we had just been able to hang on to that feeling.”

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Associated Press Writer Michael Rubinkam in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.

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At least 16 people have been wounded, two fatally, in citywide gun violence since Friday evening.

In the latest fatal shooting, a woman was killed while sitting in a vehicle Saturday morning in Chatham on the South Side.

The 34-year-old was sitting in the driver’s seat of a vehicle with a group of people in a parking lot about 1:25 a.m. in the 8700 block of South Lafayette Avenue when she was shot in the head, Chicago police said. She died at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Hours earlier, a person was shot dead in Englewood.

A male, whose age wasn’t immediately known, was near the sidewalk about 5:30 p.m. in the 7200 block of South Yale Avenue when someone opened fire, striking him in the armpit and hand, police said.

He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

In nonfatal attacks, two boys were shot while they were standing on a porch in Austin on the West Side.

They were on the porch about 10:30 p.m. Friday in the 5800 block of West Augusta Boulevard when someone inside a silver-colored SUV fired shots, police said. The boys, 12 and 13 years old, were struck in the leg and taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition.

Hours later, a 16-year-old boy was wounded when someone shot him in Gresham on the South Side.

The teen was walking through a gas station about 12:55 a.m. Saturday in the 7600 block of South Green Street when he was shot in the leg, police said. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was listed in good condition.

At least 11 other people have been wounded in incidents of gun violence in Chicago since 5 p.m. Friday.

Last weekend, six people were killed and at least 61 others were wounded in citywide shootings over the holiday weekend.

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Here are reviews of some of the Day 1 sets Friday at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park.

Phoebe Bridgers, Green Stage, 8:30 p.m.

Phoebe Bridgers performs on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

“I hate you for what you did,” sang Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers, breaking into the beginning of her 2017 breakout single “Motion Sickness” and setting the tone for her headlining set at Pitchfork on Friday night.

Bridgers and her band — all clad in skeleton onesies — were greeted by an enormous crowd, eager to see the 27-year-old artist perform her blend of emotive indie folk-rock after a year’s worth of pandemic-forced canceled tour dates and virtual performances.

From the cheery Christmas lights wrapped around her mic stand contrasted with the skull-and-bones imagery of her outfit, to the muffled cheers from some of the happy fans in the crowd masked amid the global pandemic, to the thematically-heavy songs in major keys, Bridgers leaned into her knack for embracing irony to reach emotional clarity.

Set highlight “Kyoto” made the crowd swell to an even larger size, as fans danced to the upbeat song while singing deeply personal lines like, “I’m gonna kill you if you don’t beat me to it.”

Since the release of her brooding debut album “Stranger in the Alps” in 2017, Bridgers has developed a devout fan base that grew exponentially with the release of her emotionally evocative sophomore album “Punisher,” released last year. And while “Punisher” never got a proper tour, it did net the artist multiple Grammy nominations, a “Saturday Night Live” performance and widespread acclaim.

Bridgers’ fan base — sometimes known online as the “Phantoms” or the “Pharbz” — was clearly present Friday night, some of whom waited more than eight hours at the front of the stage for a key spot. During quiet moments in tracks like “Garden Song,” they sang passionately with eyes closed, all but drowning out the artist while belting lines like, “I hopped the fence when I was seventeen, then I knew what I wanted.”

If you didn’t wait for hours for the front row and were instead on the outskirts of the massive crowd, it was sometimes a struggle to hear Bridgers and her band, a reminder of the Pitchfork’s scale in comparison to other major music festivals and the limitations of its sound system. But by the second half of her set, the crowd had quieted enough for moving performances of songs like “Me & My Dog” — a song from her side project boygenius, with artists Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus.

Bridgers’ love for irony really shone during her mid-set cover of Bo Burnham’s “That Funny Feeling,” from his 2021 special “Inside,” which had her crooning lines like “Reading Pornhub’s terms of service, going for a drive, and obeying all the traffic laws in Grand Theft Auto V,” with haunting conviction.

The artist ended her set with her song “I Know The End,” building up to a climax that prompted the crowd to jump and scream as Bridgers and her band did the same, sounding like a powerful, melodic exorcism. The song’s abrupt ending also meant the end of her set, as she and her band rushed off the stage.

Yaeji, 7:45 p.m. Blue Stage

Yaeji performs on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Like many artists on this year’s, Yaeji released music last year that never got a proper tour.

In April 2020, the DJ, producer and vocalist dropped “What We Drew” — a creative, electronic, house-, R&B- and hip-hop-leaning mixtape with odes to human connection fit for a rave. But it was relegated to isolated, solo listening during a time hallmarked by shutdowns.

So when Yaeji took to the Blue Stage Friday night, she was making up for lost time, even going about 15 minutes over her set time — much to the satisfaction of the several hundred festival-goers assembled.

The crowd danced nonstop as Yaeji worked from behind her DJ setup, and was ecstatic when she took the mic and moved to the front of the stage.

In addition to being an innovative, genre-pushing producer, the Brooklyn-based artist is also an incredibly magnetic performer — which was really emphasized during her performance.

Songs like “Money Can’t Buy” saw Yaeji depart from her low-key vocal delivery on recordings, and project her voice in a way that sounded like she was spitting full-on bars.

One of the best features of the set was the presence of two backup dancers on stage with her for select songs — something she was trying for the first time, she told the crowd. The choreography was both tight and effervescent, and it was clear the crowd lived for moments when Yaeji would join the dancers for a synchronized combo.

On more mid-tempo tracks such as “Never Settling Down,” she clutched the mic and slowly strutted across the stage with the gliding demeanor of an R&B singer giving the audience a ballad.

Her song “Waking Up Down” helped to turn the more secluded corner of Union Park into a club, as Yaeji’s fans — whom she affectionately calls her “onions” — stepped and sweat along with the beats.

If she lost anyone from the crowd who peeled away once Phoebe Bridgers started her headlining set over on the Green Stage, Yaeji quickly gained new members who sprinted from other parts of the park when she started her 2017 cut “raingurl.” It all culminated in a full-throated singalong.

“Thank you, Chicago, Thank you, Pitchfork,” Yaeji said before her final song. “Everyone here is Best New Music!”

Kelly Lee Owens, 6:30 p.m., Blue Stage

Kelly Lee Owens performs on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Welsh producer and musician Kelly Lee Owens brought her meditative electronic techno-pop sound to the Blue Stage Friday, easing the crowd of festival-goers into a sort of tranquil trance as the sun set on Day 1 of Pitchfork Fest.

Many members of the crowd closed their eyes and swayed to the low, feel-it-in-your-chest frequencies pushed through the subwoofers, while others nodded to the ethereal beats with their eyes transfixed on the artist working on stage.

“You look so beautiful!” Owens told the crowd, as sunlight silhouetted her and shone onto the crowd.

Owens was in constant motion throughout the set, playing keys, turning nobs, pounding a sample pad and singing into a mic. Yet, the multitasking felt like less of a juggling act and more like witnessing an artist meticulously reproduce her work in real-time to create an experience unique to that environment.

The effect was an engaging performance, where Owens’ production was accented by her breathy vocals floating above shimmering arpeggios and moments where she would lean into the mic and sing, headbang and look into the packed audience.

Her setlist boasted a number of other tracks from her latest release, last year’s “Inner Song” — a dreamy and introspective album touching on themes such as profound loss, letting go and change. The sophomore record is equally and deeply emotive, whether accompanied by Owens’ tastefully minimalistic melody lines or masterfully arranged instrumentation.

Even from a stage separating a crowd split between masked and unmasked festival-goers, the former-nurse-turned-professional-musician connected with the hundreds of fans in attendance, making eye contact and nodding in encouragement to those catching danceable grooves.

A standout moment was when Owens performed “On,” looking wide-eyed into the crowd with a nod, as if encouraging fans to, as she sings, “let go.”

The backhalf of Owens’ set produced for danceable moments, amping the crowd up as sun finally set and temperatures cooled significantly.

People packed before the stage were all smiles, dancing, hugging and laughing — all while kicking up a significant cloud of dirt that floated above them.

And at the end of her set, Owens stepped to the edges and clapped for the audience, raising her hands to cheer and thank them all.

Hop Along, 3:20 p.m., Red Stage

Frances Quinlan of Hop Along performs at Pitchfork Music Festival on Friday in Union Park.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

No stranger to festival settings, seasoned Philadelphia-based indie-rock group Hop Along took the stage for its sweltering afternoon slot on Friday.

Save for a few cobwebs that came in the form of the occasional out-of-tune guitar or hardly-noticeable missed notes, the four-piece group performed a tight set spanning their more than 10-year-old discography.

After all these years, the undeniable focal point of Hop Along’s loud, folk rock-leaning sound is still the distinct rasp and range of bandleader Frances Quinlan’s vocals. The well-known power of their voice as heard on each of the band’s albums and the dynamic presence of all their vocals as captured on Quinlan’s 2020 solo record “Likewise” were on full display Friday.

Quinlan’s voice burst through the monitors and showcased their skill for sliding from falsetto to full-throated wailing and back, all while delivering catchy choruses to an audience nodding to the beat.

The performance was a breezy hit parade, with the band steadily gliding through a set list that felt curated for all the fans who’ve waited since before the pandemic to see them. And as evident by the smiles worn on Quinlan and Co.’s faces, the band had been waiting to see them, too.

“It feels so good to be with y’all,” said guitarist Joe Reinhart.

“I was very by myself like a week ago — this is very strange!” Quinlan said with a smile.

A set highlight was when Quinlan switched out their Gibson hollow body for an acoustic guitar to play “Horseshoe Crabs,” from the band’s 2015 album “Painted Shut.” Reinhart along with drummer Mark Quinlan — Frances’ brother — offered backing vocals throughout the set, but really shone during this song.

Other highlights included “How Simple” from 2018’s “Bark Your Head Off, Dog,” which Quinlan prefaced by asking the crowd, “Y’all being cool? Y’all respecting each other? This next song’s about two people who don’t respect each other.” The band then ripped into the opening riffs before leading the sea of joyful fans in singing the lines “Don’t worry, we will both find out just not together.”

Hop Along ended its set with one of its oldest releases, the 2012 fan favorite “Tibetan Pop Stars,” which sent the crowd jumping and headbanging.

The group will reprise its Pitchfork stint with a 7 p.m. aftershow Saturday at Metro Chicago, where local bands Varsity and Slow Mass will open.

Emily Kempf of DEHD performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Dehd, 2:30 p.m., Green Stage

Following blistering sets from cerebral hip-hop group Armand Hammer and Detroit post-punk outfits Dogleg, local outfit Dehd was third up on Day 1 of this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival.

The three-piece group burst into “Lucky,” serving their brand of jangly, moody — and at times surf-leaning — indie-rock to the delight of hundreds gathered to see the home team.

Drummer Eric McGrady worked as the band’s backbone standing center stage, flanked by bassist Emily Kempf and guitarist Jason Balla positioned just ahead, who both jumped and swayed while trading vocal duties.

Where many artists might rely on a lineup of lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass and five-piece drum setup for a fuller sound, Dehd chooses barebones instrumentation to embrace the freedom of dead space and let their songs truly shine — and it always works to their benefit.

Kempf’s guttural wails Friday on set standouts like “Baby” sounded as if they were drenched in reverb, creating the illusion of a once-empty hall filled with her powerful voice. Balla’s guitar lines on tracks like “Flood” came through crisply, sailing through the speakers without the anchor of a rhythm guitar. And McGrady’s driving eighth notes — pounded solely on a floor tom and snare — kept the crowd moving throughout the entire performance.

“This is really cool you all,” a beaming Kempf said to the crowd as it baked underneath the mid-afternoon sun.

Dehd’s set at Pitchfork Fest also served as an opener for a delayed tour in support of “Flower of Devotion,” released in July 2020.

The crew plans to cover more than 20-dates, including a stint in Vancouver, before ending back in the midwest with a St. Louis show in November.

More reviews to come …

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The first game-winning kick of Jonathan Doerer’s Notre Dame career had just split the uprights Sunday night in Tallahassee when his mind turned to the next order of business.

Evading his jubilant teammates.

“I didn’t want to get dogpiled,” Doerer said of his 41-yarder in overtime that gave the Irish a 41-38 win over Florida State. “I’m kind of a skinny guy. I don’t think that would have been too good for me.”

As Doerer zig-zagged his way to the visiting corner of Doak Campbell Stadium, he did so safe in the knowledge that his best-laid plans had come true.

Returning for a COVID-created fifth season as a so-called super senior.

Decommitting from Maryland when a Notre Dame scholarship popped open very late in the 2017 recruiting cycle.

And, yes, visualizing just such a moment so many times, even as Notre Dame hadn’t experienced a game-winning field goal since Justin Yoon’s 23-yarder with 30 seconds left against Miami in 2016.

For Doerer, his thoughts raced back to his freshman year at South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. That’s when his JV team rallied from a 21-point halftime hole and prevailed 45-42 on his 29-yard field goal with a minute left.

There had been one other game-winning opportunity during his high school career, but he missed that one from 43 yards. He remembers the ball flying true and high, carrying over the right upright with ease, but the refs waved it off.

“They said it was no good,” Doerer said. “I was kind of thinking about that when I went out there [in overtime]. I was like, ‘Ah, I can finally exorcise those demons.’ ”

Known primarily for leg strength on his booming kickoffs but not for accuracy, Doerer had been building his mental game for years in anticipation of the opportunity that finally came his way.

Through conversations with Amber Selking, the sports psychologist who has worked with the Notre Dame football program since 2017, Doerer had learned to treat such moments as opportunities to be cherished instead of dreaded.

“You dream about it,” Doerer said before the season began. “I think about those things. I think about them consistently. Sometimes I’ll just be walking to class by the stadium, and you just start daydreaming about it.”

Now pursuing a master’s degree in the Mendoza School of Business after securing his sociology degree in the spring, Doerer is prone to overanalysis of even the slightest slump. One of those came late in the 2020 season as his leg and mechanics wore down.

“The visualization aspect is a huge part of what we do,” said Doerer, the oldest player on the team. “It’s something I lean on a lot.”

Long before he beat the Seminoles, whose own kicker had missed minutes before in OT, Doerer had spent countless mental reps on the kick that could define his Irish career.

“I try to visualize different spots on the field and different camera angles of the ball going through,” he said. “From behind the end zone [or] the ball going through from my point of view. I sometimes visualize myself seeing the ball.”

That would make it almost an out-of-body experience. Which, come to think of it, was kind of what took place Sunday night.

Body control has been another key component for Doerer, who at 6-3 1/2 is taller than the prototypical kicker. He has studied video of Harrison Butker (Chiefs), Brandon McManus (Broncos) and Steven Hauschka (recently retired after 13 NFL seasons), all of whom stand in the same 6-3 or 6-4 range.

Getting his size-12 1/2 kicking cleat onto a quarter-sized target has been Doerer’s daily challenge.

Special-teams coordinator Brian Polian has been known to get out his tape measure and mark the exact spots on the turf to help Doerer with his stride length. Polian compares the process to the Arthur Murray Dance Studio.

“It’s a blessing and a curse,” Doerer said. “I’ve got more length, more leverage, so the ball is going to go higher and farther on average. It also decreases your margin of error.”

On a career-defining night in Tallahassee, Doerer didn’t miss.

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Notes come from all around Chicago outdoors, and beyond.

WILD OF THE WEEK

Bill Savage (@RogersParkMan) had the perfect moment and caught the photo above. “He was coming for me as I took the feeder down to clean and refill,” he tweeted. “Pure luck I had my phone out taking pix of monarchs on the zinnias at the same time.” His monarch photos were righteous, too.

WOTW, the celebration of wild stories and photos around Chicago outdoors, runs most weeks in the special two-page outdoors section in the Sun-Times Sports Saturday. To make submissions, email [email protected] or contact me on Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside) or Instagram (@BowmanOutside).

WILD TIMES

HUNTER SAFETY

Sept. 18-19: Kankakee, (815) 935-2700

Sept. 25-26: Joliet, (815) 727-4811

Sept. 30 and Oct. 2: Chicago Heights, [email protected]

Oct. 2-3: Elburn, [email protected] . . . Momence, (815) 472-4900

FUNDRAISER

Sunday, Sept. 12: Save the Dunes celebration of monarch butterflies in the region, music and food at Michigan City’s Brewery Lodge & Supper Club; a portion of the proceeds benefits Save the Dunes’ work to protect and advocate for the Indiana dunes. Tickets start at $40. Click here for details.

ILLINOIS PERMITS/SEASONS

Today, Sept. 11: Hunting for teal, rail (Sora and Virginia only) and snipe (Wilson’s) opens

Wednesday, Sept. 15: Final day, early Canada geese hunting

DUCKS UNLIMITED

Thursday, Sept. 16: Northwest Suburban fundraiser, Cotillion Banquets, Palatine, Lisa Wente, (847) 702-1669

PHEASANTS FOREVER

Next Saturday, Sept. 18: Chicago Family Outdoor Day, hosted by South Cook County chapter, William W. Powers State Recreation Area. Must register for morning, 9 a.m.-noon, at ncliam.eventbrite.com, or afternoon, 1-4 p.m., atnclipm.eventbrite.com.

WINGSHOOTING CLINICS

Sept. 18-19: Des Plaines SFWA, Wilmington, (815) 423-5326

FISH GATHERINGS

Tuesday, Sept. 14: Chris Otto leads welcome back, Chicagoland Muskie Hunters chapter of Muskies Inc., North Branch Pizza & Burger Co., Glenview, 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, September 14: Capt. Matt Behning, Salmon Unlimited, Thornwood Restaurant & Lounge, Wood Dale, 7:30 p.m., salmonunlimitedinc.com

Thursday, Sept. 16: Bob Bobich on Bass fishing, via Zoom, at live meeting of Fish Tales Fishing Club, Worth Township offices, Alsip, 7 p.m., fishtalesfishingclub.com

LUNCHTIME LECTURES

Monday, Sept. 13: Alex Perez, Active Transportation, Marcus Malesh and Andrew Vesselinovitch, Ross Barney Architects, on plans for new Chicago Riverpark, Bridgehouse Museum on Chicago Riverwalk, free, noon-12:45 p.m., bridgehousemuseum.org/events

DALE’S MAILBAG

“All summer long I collect eggs from my milkweed and raise in outdoor enclosures. I’m at 133 released with about 15 more to go within days. A good year for monarchs in my area!” Tom Jurich

A: The monarch migration is peaking in our area. One of the things I want to do in life is to do what Jurich does and raise monarchs.

BIG NUMBER

3,000+: Muskies, from Jake Wolf Memorial Fish Hatchery, released this week into Channel and Marie lakes on the Chain O’Lakes, documented in a video by Micheal Pierce of the Fox River Valley chapter of Muskies, Inc.

LAST WORD

“Smoked carp tastes just as good as smoked salmon when you ain’t got no smoked salmon.”

Patrick McManus, p. 25 of “Never Sniff a Gift Fish”

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