Several weather delays ruined the schedule on Day 2 of the Pitchfork Music Festival.
But before the park was evacuated around 4:30 p.m., there was music to be had.
Here's a look at the three sets from Saturday afternoon:
Homeless
Vagabon, aka Laetitia Tamko, kicked off her Blue Stage set on Pitchfork on Saturday afternoon.
Just six minutes into his performance, the 30-year-old Cameroonian-American singer-songwriter's set was postponed due to bad weather.
But boy, did Laetitia Tamko (who goes by Vagabon) give it her all in those six minutes. Backed by a sultry saxophone and drums, Vagabon delivers luscious, luscious vocals that perfectly match his unique look.
Two days earlier, he released the video for his song “Do Your Worst.” Fans felt Vagabon's rage when he sang about his relationship with someone who was just dragging him down – and the rage continued as he cut the song short and security began escorting fans off the stage.
It's unclear if Vagabon will return to finish his set, but the little time he's been given is a great teaser of what's to come.
Deeper
Indie-rock quartet Chicago Deeper delivered a memorable win on Saturday. The band may perform their sets from 1 to 1:40 p.m. before festival officials stop the music due to lightning strikes in the area.
The group delivered a set that was exhilarating, jagged, infectious, and definitely musical.
There were dark clouds but no rain during the kinetic set, which was the excitement to kick off Day 2 of this year's festival.
Uncorking a sound influenced by bands like The Cure and Television, the band charms, making a hot afternoon in the sun feel more like a sweaty club scene — in the best way possible.
Deeper interjected some feedback-filled sonic sculpting that's sure to please fans who bought tickets to this year's festival specifically to see The Smile, which concludes Friday night's show.
Lead vocalist Nic Gohl and his band mates — Drew McBride (guitar, keyboards), Kevin Fairbairn (bass) and Shiraz Bhatti (drums) — hit their stride with the powerful “Sub,” which contains the lyrics “Here you come in your large company/ Sever me for your dogs, I won't bleed.”
Deeper stands out from the pack in part due to Bhatti's excellent playing on the original drum set. He added some muscle and tissue to the composition, keeping the rhythm from sounding cold or robotic.
Yes, there are machines involved in making Deeper's music, but human emotion and human creativity ultimately prevail.
The Deeper members offered almost no stage banter, other than telling the audience the group was from Chicago. Then, at the thunderous end of the set, Gohl said, “We'll play another time.”
Considering the impressive nature of this set, and the quality of the band's third album, “Careful!”, which will be released by Sub Pop on September 8, it seems likely that the band will indeed be returning to Pitchfork for future issues. —Bobby Reed
Black Belt Eagle Scout
Katherine Paul, who performs as the Black Belt Eagle Scout, performs the afternoon set on the Blue Stage at the Pitchfork Music Festival.
The Black Belt Eagle Scout sound, show name Katherine Paul, is no doubt inspired by the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community reservation where she grew up in the Pacific Northwest.
And Paul and his band really know how to rock. Even though many of their songs have happy and sweet melodies, there is a burning passion that they bring to the stage. Between Paul's vocals and his musician riffs, the Black Belt Eagle Scout has a sound that can only be informed by the waterways, mountains, salmon, and cedars that come from the Pacific Northwest.
Paul's vocals are soft and soulful, but his voice is somewhat drowned out by the accompanying band. Still, listening to Black Belt Eagle Scout music feels like a calming wave of water that can provide strength and healing.
Nature informs every aspect of Paul's music-making – and his versatility as a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter really shined during his first Pitchfork performances, especially on “Don't Give Up,” when his voice finally sounded throughout Union Park.
The song received the most applause from the audience, and Paul told fans that the song is about “knowing that land, sky and water will always be there” through all of life's trials and tribulations. — Amber Colon