What’s New

This morning Pitchfork announced the lineup for its 15th annual music festival, headlined by mope masters the National, rap superduo Run the Jewels, and New York hipster-rock darlings the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Pitchfork the website originally built its reputation by covering the indie music world that gave birth to these headliners, and even though Pitchfork the festival has grown big enough to book them now that they’re stars, it hasn’t lost sight of that mission–which lends extra significance to its crystal anniversary.

Run the Jewels sets have become as routine at Chicago summer festivals as sightings of Matthew Churney (aka “hacky-sack guy”), but El-P and Killer Mike nonetheless help make the 2020 Pitchfork lineup as eclectic and distinctive as the ones that preceded it. It’s expanded well beyond its indie-rock comfort zone, and other big names invigorating this year’s roster include art-rock royal Kim Gordon, funk oddball Thundercat, and rising dance star Yaeji. Chicago indie rockers Fiery Furnaces, who took most of the past decade off, will return to the stage the first night of the fest.

If you’re a Pitchfork regular, chances are you’ve seen several acts on this year’s lineup at previous editions. Danny Brown will rap at Pitchfork for the fifth time, and all told 17 of its 42 acts are repeaters–at least if you count Caroline Polachek’s set with Chairlift in 2013, Jehnny Beth’s appearances with Savages in 2013 and 2016, and Kim Gordon’s performance with Sonic Youth in 2007. If you were at Pitchfork Paris in 2017, this lineup might feel particularly repetitive–the National and Run the Jewels headlined there that year.

As usual, the lineup’s highlights include some acts who’ve never played Pitchfork. Emo bands Oso Oso and Dogleg likely owe thanks for their bookings to the Hotelier, who in 2016 became the first group from that often-maligned genre to play the festival (Oso Oso front man Jade Lilitri also played guitar in the Hotelier during that set). Joining them as first-timers are emo-tinged indie rockers Hop Along, Atlanta R&B singer Mariah the Scientist, London jazz unit the Ezra Collective, and extraordinary LA singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers.

The nine Chicago acts playing this year’s Pitchfork are some of the most exciting, though that number is a hair below the average the fest has established in recent years. Among them are soul-leaning singer-songwriter Kaina, hip-hop storyteller Femdot, and footwork experimentalist DJ Nate. (Angel Olsen could be considered number ten, but she moved away in 2013.)

The Pitchfork Music Festival runs Friday, July 17, through Sunday, July 19, in Union Park. Last year, ComplexCon and the Silver Room Block Party took place the same weekend as Pitchfork, and while the Silver Room event will do so again, it doesn’t look like ComplexCon is returning this summer. Given that the Silver Room Block Party is always free, at least that means nobody has to worry about finding the money for two simultaneous big-ticket events!

Single-day tickets are $75, three-day passes are $185, and three-day Pitchfork Plus passes will set you back $385 (one-day Plus passes are $160). You can also buy tickets at slightly cheaper early-bird prices ($150 for a three-day pass, $325 for Pitchfork Plus) tonight and tomorrow at the Chicago Athletic Association’s parties celebrating the festival’s 15th anniversary. The Cool Kids, DJ Spinn, and Kaina perform tonight; Ohmme, Dehd, and Spencer Tweedy play tomorrow night. Both events have already sold out.

The daily lineup is below, with links to past Reader coverage where applicable:

Friday, July 17

Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Angel Olsen
Fiery Furnaces
Jehnny Beth
Deafheaven
Waxahatchee
Tim Hecker & the Konoyo Ensemble
Sophie
Fennesz
Hop Along
Dehd
Spellling
Kaina
Femdot

Saturday, July 18

Run the Jewels
Sharon Van Etten
Twin Peaks
Danny Brown
Thundercat
Cat Power
BadBadNotGood
Tierra Whack
Dave
Oso Oso
Divino Nino
Boy Scouts
Ezra Collective
Margaux

Sunday, July 19

The National
Big Thief
Kim Gordon
Phoebe Bridgers
Yaeji
Caroline Polachek
DJ Nate
Maxo Kream
Rapsody
Faye Webster
Mariah the Scientist
Dogleg
Hecks
Dustin Laurenzi’s Snaketime v

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Illinois has seen surrounding states like Iowa and Indiana open up their sportsbooks throughout the state for the legalization of gambling. Meanwhile, residents here have been waiting for the day where it will finally be legal.

That day should soon be coming.

Illinois Governor J.B Pritzker expects that the sportsbooks in the state will be ready to open just in time for the start of March Madness which begins on March 17th. His press secretary, Jordan Abudayyeh, released this statement:

“The governor is pleased that Illinois sportsbooks will open for business by March Madness, generating revenue to rebuild universities, hospitals, and other facilities across the state,” said Jordan Abudayyeh, Pritzker’s press secretary, ahead of Tuesday’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules in which the Phase 2 sports rules will be addressed after their inclusion into the state’s registry.

“Illinois’ largest-ever capital plan, with investments in every part of the state, Rebuild Illinois was supported by Democrats and Republicans alike because it will create and support over half a million jobs over the next six years,” Abudayyeh added.

This is big news for bettors in the state of Illinois as it not only means that gambling will finally be legal but it will be ready for one of the biggest gambling events of the year as well as the start of baseball season.

Just last month, the Illinois Gaming Board received applications for sports betting licenses from three casinos in the state: Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, the Argosy Casino in Alton, and Elgin Riverboat Resort, which runs Grand Victoria Casino. Per USBets.com, it appears as if Argosy will be the first one to open with Grand Victoria and Rivers set to be ready for March Madness as well.

It sounds like it’s finally happening, folks.

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