The Hippest Festival in Town

Pitchfork 2009 takes place this weekend

By Kristin Nehls
|  Thursday, Jul 16, 2009  |  Updated 7:04 AM CST
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The Hippest Festival in Town

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Fans of the Flaming Lips rejoice at news of the band's Sunday set at Pitchfork 2009.

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The countdown is coming to a close, and Pitchfork Music Festival 2009 is officially here.

Well, almost here -- T-minus a few hours.

And city-dwellers, if you’re not yet prepared for the underground, indie-pop, hipster music geeks that will surely overtake Union Park and the surrounding area this weekend -- well, prepare yourself.

With this year’s lineup boasting headliners like Grizzly Bear, The Flaming Lips and The National, there are sure to be hipsters a’plenty.

The festival begins on Friday with the first performers – the experimental, instrumental, Chicago-rooted Tortoise – starting at 5 p.m. Long time indie rockers Built to Spill will wrap up Friday night with their 8:40 p.m. performance.

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But that’s only the beginning. Saturday kicks off at 1 p.m. with Cymbals Eat Guitars and Disappears, just in time to get over those Friday night hangovers. The National will wrap up Pitchfork day 2 at 8:40 p.m.

And yes, over 20 bands in two days is exhausting, but skipping out on Pitchfork’s third and final day is a surefire mistake. With Sunday’s performers also starting up at 1 p.m., you can catch acts like Vivian Girls, Mew, Frightened Rabbit and The Flaming Lips.

The complete schedule for Pitchfork Music Festival 2009 can be found here.

And lest you forgot, ‘tis the season for record breaking. Saucony Originals is teaming up with Universal Record Database to try and break multiple records at Pitchfork 2009 with their “Break a World Record Today with Universal Record Database” event.

Join in on Saturday as they attempt to break the world record of “Largest Group to Sing ‘Saturday in the Park.’” And be sure to wear sneakers, because Sunday’s world-record-breaking challenge is “the Most People With Shoelaces Tied Together.”

The CHIRP Record Fair, Coterie art fair and festival retail vendors will also be on the fairgrounds throughout the weekend.

And if festivals aren’t your thing – too much human body odor and sweaty accidental arm rubs with strangers, maybe? – there are always the Pitchfork after-shows.

So get ready for a weekend full of gladiator sandals, androgynous college kids and – most importantly – rockin’ (but don’t you dare call it mainstream) music.

Pitchfork, here we come.

Posted Monday, Jul 27, 2009 - 9:39 AM CST
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