Blonde Redhead | Photo by Audrey Leon

Blonde Redhead’s frontwoman Kazu Makino cautiously and politely entered Pritzker Pavillion’s large, yet empty stage smiling and wearing what appeared to be a short-enough-to-be-a-shirt Native American-style khaki dress complete with fringe and beads. She was soon followed by twins Amadeo (guitar) and Simone Pace (drums) who wore matching black jeans and white button-down dress shirts.

Co-vocalist Amadeo won the vocalist coin-toss as the band kicked off the concert with the slow, breathy and brooding, minimalist track “Black Guitar” from Blonde Redhead’s most recent album Penny Sparkle. The group quickly followed with the Makino-helmed “Here Sometimes.” The dreamy, more upbeat pop song seemed as if it were made for an outdoor concert.

For the most part, the sound at Pritzker was nearly as lush as it appears on record. However, there were several hiccups during the set. When Makino plugged back into her guitar, no power ran through it. You could hear strumming in her microphone as she hoped it would kick back on.

The guitar was put aside while the band launched into “Spain.” More tech issues with Makino’s guitar ensued followed by Blonde Redhead pressing ahead with the Amadeo-helmed oldie “Suimasen” from 1998’s In an Expression of the Inexpressible.

Blonde Redhead | Photo by Audrey Leon

With the exception of “Suimasen,” the trio made a point to cull the set list from the last three Blonde Redhead releases 2010’s Penny Sparkle, 2007’s 23 and 2004’s Misery is a Butterfly.

The trio finished its main set with the title track off 23, a song that fully encapsulates the current musical incarnation of Blonde Redhead, a swirling mix of both ethereal and high-pitched vocals, samples and echoy guitar. Unfortunately, Amadeo’s guitar was as loud, or maybe even louder than, Makino’s vocals, almost as if the two were in a competition to be heard.

Despite the technical difficulties, Blonde Redhead came away with an impressive set that demonstrates the pop group’s ability to weather anything.

My Gold Mask | Photo by Audrey Leon

Chicago’s own art rockers My Gold Mask opened the free show at Pritzker. Singer Gretta Rochelle’s ghostly wails could be heard throughout the park. The duo whipped through songs off of its two EPs A Million Miles (From Where We Were Last) and A Thousand Voices. Songs such as haunting set closer “Violet Eyes” drew fierce applause from the crowd. My Gold Mask is certainly ready for the outdoor festival circuit.

Video of My Gold Mask performing their song “All Up in the Air” from A Thousand Voices and a cover of Robyn’s “Dancing on my Own” from YouTube user “rpmime“.

Blonde Redhead’s set list
Black Guitar
Here Sometimes
Dr Strangeluv
Spring And By Summer Fall
Spain
Suimasen (In an Expression of the Inexpressible 1998)
SW
Not Getting There
23

Encore
Falling Man
Silently

The concert series, which is presented by the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture, will returning to Chicago’s beautiful Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park in late May and span for 10 weeks over the summer. All shows are free and start at 6:30 p.m.

This year’s the lineup once again include big names in indie and popular music including Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Iron and Wine, Low, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists and more.

Check out the complete schedule is after the jump.

May 23: Bonnie Prince Billy featuring the Cairo Gang + Special Guest

May 30: Justin Townes Earle + Andre Williams and the Goldstars

June 6: Iron and Wine + The Head and the Heart

June 13: Campbell Brothers

June 20: Kings Go Forth + Ben L’Oncle Soul

June 27: Low + Special Guest

July 4: Seefeel + Cave

July 11: Delicate Steve + Bombino

July 16: Blonde Redhead + Special Guest

July 25: Ted Leo and the Pharmacists + Rachel Ries

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wB7AVgzSh8

Stephen Malkmus of Pavement | Photo by Richard Giraldi

Back in July, Chicago saw Pavement headlining the sold out day three of Pitchfork Music Festival 2010. Sure, they rocked the festival, but something was lacking whether it was the fact that Malkmus’ voice was obviously shot from touring or the band shrugging off their best known songs without much care or interaction. But last night at the magnificent Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, Pavement returned a more rejuvenated band in high spirits as they ripped through a two-hour set that was pure ear-candy to those who had stuck with them for nearly two decades.

The stage set up mimicked their Pitchfork Festival set with low strung string-lights, but that’s the only aspect of last night’s Pavement show that recalled the Pitchfork gig. Instead of nearly 20,000 festival-going teens, tweens and hipsters, the light crowd in Millennium Park on Monday night was an odd mix of suited, post-work middle agers and sometimes disinterested young adults.

But Pavement certainly did not entertain as if it were a festival. Instead, last night was clearly a gig for the Pavement faithful. They reached deep into their back catalog rather than a straight “hits” set. Three songs in, Malkmus, who was more smiles than one would expect, mused, “This is the portion of the show where we play our old Drag City songs,” before launching into “Heckler Spray” from their 1991 10″ EP Perfect Sound Forever, which was released on the Chicago imprint. After, the barely minute-long song was over, the band bookended it with the disorganized fuzz of “In the Mouth a Desert” from their 1992 debut Slanted and Enchanted.

They indeed delivered the “hits,” if you can consider them that, including “Unfair”, “Cut Your Hair”, “Stereo” and “Gold Soundz”, which was recently named as top track of the 1990′s by the “Pitchfork Consortium” as Malkmus so kindly referred to web publication when he half-heartedly thanked them for their festival booking earlier this summer.

Yet the band spent much of the night reminiscing about their early days as sometimes back up vocalist, sometimes drummer and always otherist Bob Nastanovich joked that Pritzker Pavilion reminded him of the first time he walked into Lounge Axe, the former rock club on Lincoln that the band frequented during their heyday. Later, Malkmus even added, “The next song is called ‘Rattled By The Rush’. It should have been a megahit. Should have been, mother fuckers. It was the beginning of the end,” as they ripped into the nearly-metallic tune from ’94′s Wowee Zowee.

Some of the band’s best moments last night came during takes from Wowee Zowee, often hailed as their most difficult record. “Fight This Generation” opens at barely a snail’s pace, as if the song might seemingly fall apart at any moment, but Pavement turned the barely 4-minute take into a 7-minute epic with a shredding, jam-out section during its driving second half. The twirling, disjointed melody line of “Kennel District” garnered one of the night’s biggest receptions as it was unleashed in the set’s second encore.

One obvious sentiment about Pavement is that they’ve never been the tightest band. Their songs are as disheveled as the band members’ hair. As their Pitchfork Music Festival set began with a botched start, Monday night’s affair ended with a the band having to restart their last song, the tongue-in-cheek snapshot of the alternative era, “Range Life”. But in the end, Pavement gave it their all and smiled and joked throughout, which is about as close as one will ever get to a great Pavement performance.

After “Range Life”, Malkmus said, “See you again. In 10 years?” It was said in jesting tone, but if the band is as comfortable and jovial as they were with each other last night, the Pavement 2020 Reunion 2 Tour should be a real winner.

Pavement – Pritzker Pavilion – Sept. 13, 2010 – Setlist
Silence Kit
Ikea
Heckler Spray/In the Mouth of a Desert
Grounded
Starlings
Gold Soundz
Father to a Sister of a Thought
Unfair
Perfume V
We Dance
Cut Your Hair
Frontwards
Stop Breathing
Trigger Cut
Fight This Generation
Shady Lane
Linden
Here
Stereo
LS II
Rattled By The Rush
_
Spit
Conduit For Sale
Shoot the Singer
Fin
_
Box Elder
Kennel Distrcit
Range Life

Swing Gitan

2. Look at all these people that will also be helping out: Tony Ballog, Beau Sample, Jason Miller, Howard Levy, Gerald Dowd, Pat Mallinger, Steve Gibons, Nicolae Feraru, Juliano Milo and Larry Bowen. Not to mention Ensemble Zaiti from France and Stephane Wrembel and Arturo Martinez from New York. That’s a lot of people that you, the jazz lover, surely know and are drooling over.

3. Ok, so I may be in over my head here. The only reason I know Django is because I love Woody Allen, and, you know, Django is the muse in The Sweet and the Lowdown. Also, I worked at a bookstore that also sold rad, very cheap box sets so I picked up the Django one. You, the jazz affectionado, probably didn’t need a big city Jew to hip you to Django or another big city Jew to try to get you out to see a night of his music. How about a video then? Great. Here’s one now:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iJ7bs4mTUY

www.youtube.com/watch?v=icL1I2trUeg

First up, Wavves brings their brand of noisy surf pop to Lincoln Hall on September 12 (I guess the 90-day radius clause has been eased?). Also, Cymbals Eat Guitars will join The Thermals at Logan Square Auditorium on October 3, and the country-folk of Mumford & Sons swings its way into the Vic on October 31 a.k.a Halloween.

But that’s not all! The lovely Neko Case is coming back with The New Pornographers on October 14 to the Riviera Theatre. Also, during the festival the Chicago Tribune’s Greg Kot tweeted that Hot Chip are planning a Chicago stop with LCD Soundsystem (!) in December at the Aragon.

Speaking of LCD Soundsystem, there’s no shortage of bands from Pitchfork Festival 2010 on their way back here either.

Sunday, Sepetmber 18, finds Pitchforkers Titus Andronicus at the Metro along with fellow festival acts Best Coast and Free Energy. Neon Indian will also hit up the Metro on October 11, and Surfer Blood bring their power pop to Lincoln Hall on October 14, the same night the New Pornographers hit the Riv (Decisions!). And lets not forget Broken Social Scene at the Vic on October 2 at Pavement who play the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park on September 13 with No Age.

And that’s just a tip of the iceberg! Our excellent commentariat have picked up the slack where we left off. Scroll down for Chicago return dates for The Dirty Projectors, The Walkmen, Stars, Social Distortion and more!

So, there’s two ways you can look at this. Either if you miss the big two Chicago fests, you’ll probably get chance to catch the acts again soon, or $90 (Pitchfork) or $215 (Lollapalooza) for a three-day pass to see all those great bands is still a pretty good deal. Now, when’s Arcade Fire coming back?

1. I love Tortoise for many reasons, one of them being that they love their hometown. Either they’re playing incredible shows in Chicago like the one last February at Lincoln Hall or they’re playing with other incredible musicians such as when John McEntire joined Broken Social Scene at Pitchfork Music Festival. Well, tonight is no different as the band joins some of Chicago’s top jazz players including cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm, multi-reedist from 8 Bold Souls Ed Wilkerson Jr., sax player Greg Ward, flautist Nicole Mitchell and pianist Jim Baker to kick off the Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz series.

2. The Chicago Reader’s Peter Margasak explains how even though Tortoise are world class improvisers, there isn’t much of that going on tonight.

Per Margasak:
…won’t merely be stepping up in turn to improvise solos—they were invited to rehearsals to develop their own parts and help shape the work.

So, tonight we’ll hear fully formed pieces that will be a collision of post-rock and jazz? Count me in.

3. Sure, they won’t be playing this song tonight, but I think this video is worth a repost in case the two reasons above have not swayed you to make the trip over to Millennium Park on this crisp, nearly cool, summer day. Here’s Tortoise at Lincoln Hall on February 20 of this year absolutely killing it with their song “Salt The Skies”. Enjoy:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNp2DHDHW0Y

6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 29. Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park. All Ages. FREE!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6K2H4NiZRY

IT’S HERE! Pitchfork Music Festival 2010 starts TODAY! Who’s excited? Of course, you’ll probably be sweating yourself silly in Union Park this weekend, but there are some other shows worth checking out this weekend.

This weekend we’re highlighting Radar Eyes at Cal’s, the Radar Brothers at Schubas, Sybris at Millennium Park, Black Arrow at the Mutiny and, of course, Dickfork!

And before we go, we’re going to have some really cool Pitchfork Music Festival coverage right here all weekend long beginning today with the first of three live blogs! Oh yeah! It should go up around 3 p.m.-ish this afternoon. Before you hit up the fest, check out our Pitchfork Music Festival 2010 Preview, where we dish about all our must-see acts.

Let’s get to it, shall we?

FRIDAY

RADAR EYES
After having my mind blown by Radar Eyes last week at their Laurie’s Planet of Sound in-store, I had to include them in Weekend Diversions. So tonight you’re all chilled back after Broken Social Scene and Modest Mouse, want to see some music that will get your blood pumping again? Look no farther than Cal’s Bar. Not only will Radar Eyes bring their dark, ocean-of-reverb psych-rock to the party, but Minneapolis’ Fuck Knights and those crazy Dumpster Babies. Should be a goon’un. (Richard Giraldi)

9:30 p.m. Friday, 7/16. Cal’s Bar. 21+. FREE (?)

RADAR BROTHERS
Southern California’s Radar Brothers is Jim Putnam’s new project. Putnam used to front the Radar Bros..See? Who am I fooling? Basically the rhythm section changed and Putnam extended the abbreviated Bros. to the fully spelled out Brothers. Musically, they are pretty much the same old Bros. 2010′s The Illustrated Garden is a little more raw than previous efforts but still retains their trademark slow and breezy sound. It’s good. Opener Bill Janovitz still fronts the insanely underrated Buffalo Tom. At first dubbed Dinosaur Jr. Jr. both for their big ass guitar sound and for being produced by J. Mascis himself, Buffalo Tom quickly steered towards a more countrified brand of big ass guitars. Janovitz’s solo material natural skews to the acoustic folky side of things. Either way, the dude writes great, earnest songs and deserves more recognition than he seems to get. Right now you’re probably thinking, “Bill who?” See. Check these two out. They’ve been kicking around the scene forever and know what they’re doing. (Ross Meyerson)

10:00 p.m. Friday, 7/16. Schubas. 21+. $12.

DICKFORK
Dickfork? On the same weekend as Pitchfork? GASP! But seriously, tonight’s Pitchfork aftershow at the Darkroom, cleverly titled Dickfork, is almost a mini-DJ fest that should be one heck of a time. Chicago DJ-duo The Hood Internet, who just released a rousing summer mixtape, headline the show. But there’s also Only Children, Les Trois Stooges and local MC Kid Static. Plus there will be really cool visuals from HEY! Cliché! video club. Rock on! (Richard Giraldi)

9:00 p.m. Friday, 7/16. Darkroom. 21+. $12 ($10 with P4K fest bracelet or ticket stub).

SATURDAY

SYBRIS
Chicago’s own Sybris – which sounds like every city has a Sybris – are pretty much what you’re looking for if you’re looking for indie rock. I mean, this is in the pocket classic style indie rock. How so? Because it’s first and foremost rock. That used to actually be a criteria in order to be considered indie rock. It’s right in the name, folks. You can hear Sonic Youth in there. Maybe a little Helium. I hear a smidge of Butterglory but you don’t know who they are. What I’m saying is that Sybris do this crazy thing we call indie rock right. And they seem genuinely excited for this show at Pritzker Pavilion so that can only mean good things. You’d be well served to set your alarms and catch them before heading over to that big old festival you’re probably heading over to later. (Ross Meyerson)

12:00 p.m. Saturday, 7/17. Pritzker Pavilion. All Ages. FREE!!!!

BLACK ARROW
Chicago’s Black Arrow are fresh. Like newbies to our city’s musical landscape. Be nice to them. If we nurture them and love them they just might grow up to be another fine addition to a fine fine scene. Their brand of old school pop punk (I know what you’re thinking but pop punk started long before Hot Topic even was a glimmer in some douchebags eye) reminds me of all those long forgotten tapes I used to gobble up at Gilman Street shows. This was when Green Day had mullets and Jawbreaker was being spat upon for not being punk enough. In a world where everything old is new again this kind of emo/punk is certainly not a bad thing to re-examine. Now where are my Dickies cut-offs and black and blue Air Jordans? (Ross Meyerson)

10:00 p.m. Saturday, 7/17. Mutiny. 21+. FREE!!!