If you’re heading down to the Pitchfork Music Festival this weekend you’re probably aware that it is in Chicago, because that is what your plane ticket says. However, are you aware that this makes Pitchfork a fest that is different from all other fests (it’s like Passover that way)? [Insert rousing rendition of Frank Sinatra's "Chicago" here.]
As someone who has attended Pitchfork many, many times (and resided in Chicago for half a decade) I have compiled a handy list for first-timers below that highlights why it’s a wholly unique experience to attend a fest in The Second City the city that still haunts my dreams with its storied streets and pervasive chocolate smell. But I’m getting ahead of myself…
1. You Can Have A Cheezborger, Cheezborger, Cheezborger
A famous “Saturday Night Live” sketch, seen here, was inspired by Chicago’s iconic Billy Goat Tavern. One of the outposts of said tavern is walking distance from Pitchfork’s Union Park location. You know what you have to do.
2. You Might Just Hear ‘The Super Bowl Shuffle’
“The Super Bowl Shuffle” is a bizarre sports novelty song recorded by the Chicago Cubs in 1985. It exists on many Chicago bar jukeboxes. At the beginning of the year, a cadre of Pitchfork-esque bands (including Man Man, My Morning Jacket and Les Savy Fav) recorded their own version of the jam. Hearing said song on your trip to ...
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