Day Two

Sore feet and aching backs had healed, fans caught up on their sleep, hunger and thirst were quenched, and the rejuvenated crowd eagerly awaited Day Two's events. When the 11-hour day it ended, it was tough to say goodbye.

I missed Deerhunter's set, but actually I saw a lot of him during the concert. I watched the Stephen Malkmus set beside him, waited in the Chipotle line in the press area behind him, and danced near him at Girl Talk the night before. 

The Ponys (right) opened up the Aluminum Stage, something Ponys frontman Jered Grummere knows all about since he opened last year with the Hot Machines. Grummere wore a skeleton shirt that he's also sported on a recent tour with Deerhunter in support of the band's third album, Turn The Lights Out.

This set started 17 minutes late due to sound issues, and during the show the sound went in and out. They were a bit rushed, so there wasn't much chatter in between songs.

Menomena (top)

This type of act does really well at festivals with instruments and sounds that seem built for the sunny outdoors, like Jens Lekman at last year's Pitchfork Fest.  Their set was a reminder/display of how good their album was and a showcase of a young band that has the potential to be great.

The last four songs of the set were my four favorites from Friend and Foe, and these intricate, multi-layered tunes came out even better live with the crowd-pleaser "Evil Bee" and its saxophone solo.  They reminded me of their fellow Portland bands, The Veils and Helvetia.

Junior Boys

Junior Boys was another pleasant surprise. I was expecting to kill time until Sea and Cake performed, but instead I was really impressed.  The band was a lot like Ratatat live, and although there was somewhat of a line-up void competing against Nomo, they seemed to have a loyal fan base.  I stayed for the four solid songs.

The Sea and Cake

Each song from this Chicago-based band blended together making for a nice mental nap. A few new songs were unveiled including "Cross Line," a good tune that is on par with their other songs.

Stephen Malkmus

This was probably the most anticipated show of day two.  I went backstage to the press area, hoping to request "Phantasies" and ended up watching the whole set near the soundman and beside Deerhunter in an area that was turning away VIP cardholders.

I did not get a chance to make any requests, though I doubt it would have had any affect.  Fans shouted song titles while he tuned his guitar, and he responded with, "Yeah, I'm not going to play any of those, but kept it up, I like it."  He explained that he was on the golf course plotting his set.

If Malkmus would have had drummer Janet Weiss and a few other Jicks and more of the true hits, fans would have easily declared this the best show.  The set he planned was 25 minutes short of his allotted time, but with an add-on of two more songs, he only somewhat shortchanged fans.

Of Montreal

This was the Man Man of last year and the Flaming Lips of Lollapalooza. Of Montreal's main focus was entertaining the crowd with props and costumes, and the music served as a soundtrack of Hissing Fauna highlights to their freak show including "Suffer For Fashion," "Bunny Ain't No Kind Of Rider," "Softcore," and "She's A Rejector."

I was sorry to leave the show, but the free Chipotle burritos were calling me. Backstage I saw the prepping and aftermath of crazy costume changes, football uniforms, giant claws, and giant balloons. This seems to the most talked about performance of Sunday.

New Pornographers

I can't figure out what The New Porno do that makes their shows so unusually good. The Twin Cinema selections were excellent, but the band didn't showcase the highlights from the forthcoming Challengers. Dan Bejar of Destroyer/New Pornographers didn't play Pitchfork this year, which may have scratched songs like "Myraid Harbour." Neko Case and AC Newman had some nice in-between-song chatter.  Neko said after "Use It," "You guys are making me happy." AC Newman admired the Pitchfork Festival approach, saying, "This is really awesome, you don't get fucked up the ass like you do (money-wise) at Coachella or Lolla, and I love the money festivals pay."

The Queen cover seemed completely spontaneous, and awesome.

De La Soul and The Klaxons closed this incredible weekend.

Please feel free to leave comments with your own best moments from the festival, as well as links to pictures and video.

Most Fun: Girl Talk

Best Performance: Professor Murder

Best Song: Voxtrot, "Start of Something"

Better Than I Thought: Fujiya and Miyagi

Biggest Disappointment: Stephen Malkmus

Crowd Favorite: Clipse

Most Entertaining: Of Montreal

Honorable Mentions: Beach House, Menomena, Junior Boys

Wish There Was More: Ponys, Voxtrot, Stephen Malkmus

Sorry I Missed: Yoko Ono, Iron & Wine, Dan Deacon, Cat Power, Cool Kids | Joseph O'Fallon

---