By Jeremiah Tucker
Globe Columnist
JOPLIN, Mo. —
Here are some reflections from the three-day 2010 Pitchfork Music Festival that took place last weekend in Chicago.
LCD Soundsystem
There was a moment in the middle of LCD Soundsystem’s set when thousands of people, some of them hundreds of feet from the stage, were dancing to the band’s 2004 single “Yeah.” It became clear to me just how utilitarian dance music is.
In a recent interview on the NPR program “Fresh Air,” LCD Soundsystem founder, songwriter and singer James Murphy explained that he started making groove-based music because it’s simple to tell if it’s good. If people dance to it, then it’s a successful song.
By that measure, LCD Soundsystem’s set was a smashing success, but while shaking their groove thangs, the crowd sang every word of “All My Friends” -- a fantastic song about longing for your friends in middle-age -- perhaps proving that Murphy has evolved beyond making music to move only people’s bodies.
Drugs
As much I enjoyed LCD Soundsystem, I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as the dirty guy with his hair in a bun in front of me who was openly snorting coke with his buds. After a couple bumps, he held his Frisbee above his head as if it were an antenna channeling musical good-time vibes into his dancing body.
Now I’m sure recreational drug use is a part of any large music festival, so it’s no surprise that of the thousands of people in Chicago’s Union Park, someone was ingesting something. That said, when my fiancŽ Abby’s little brother asked me what he should text his mother, I regret telling him to write: “Abby just bummed a cigarette. Now she’s acting weird. Think it was laced with heroin. Not sure what to do.”
It seemed funny at the time, but when her parents got the message, it apparently led to some rather panicked moments. I apologize.
Robyn
Robyn was among the highlights of the festival for me. Her minmal band -- two drummers and some keyboards -- sounded crisp and loud.
I missed her performing “Dancing on My Own” -- aka the best single of the year -- but I caught most of the set. The Swedish pop star danced, sang and entertained the entire time she was on the stage.
The highlight was probably “Don’t ****ing Tell Me What to Do” from her latest release, “Body Talk Pt. 1.” Here she danced to a sample of her voice intoning, “My drinking is killing me. My diet is killing me,” for most of the song until the music crested and she defiantly belted the title line.
Also, if you haven’t yet, go to YouTube and watch her perform “Dancing on My Own” on Letterman.
Major Lazer
Again, I only caught half the set, but this was probably the highlight of the festival. It was the only set I noticed that captured the attention of people in line for beer or queuing for another band.
Major Lazer is music rooted in Jamaican dancehall made by two deejays -- Diplo and Switch -- and the stage set up was Diplo spinning the music, a hypeman interacting with the crowd, a variety of dancers, some Chinese dragons and Hennessey.
The dancers and the hype man performed the dirtiest dance routines I’ve ever seen, some of which involved a step ladder.
Wolf Parade
Dan Boeckener, one of the two primary songwriters for the Canadian band Wolf Parade, introduced “Little Golden Age” as being about growing up in a small town in Canada. That song -- a rock anthem in the vein of Bruce Springsteen -- was the highlight of not only the set but the band’s latest album, “Expo 86.”
For all the acclaim the band’s 2005 album “Apologies to Queen Mary” earned, I think they remain underrated.
Pavement
Pavement was a little workmanlike as they churned through their fantastic back catalogue, but was still the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. My only real disappointment is that I had to leave before the very end and missed “Here,” “Stop Breathin” and “Gold Soundz.”
Also, Stephen Malkmus didn’t scream the “soul sick sucking part of me” line on “Unfair” because he said his voice was hurt, but that’s a minor quibble.
Best Coast
Best Coast was kind of boring. Bethany Consentino’s strongest songs remained strong, but I didn’t realized that, piled up like this, how much she relies on wordless “ohhhhs.”
Beer
At $5 a pop, I spent way too much on Heineken.
