Pitchfork Music Festival 2021 feels like a blur to me. The 2020 edition of the now defunct Chicago staple was cancelled due to the pandemic and even though things were still a little iffy in 2021, the show must go on. But with with all the stress of the pandemic, wearing a mask, and just the general exhaustion that happened when covering PMF, I completely forgot that both Kim Gordon and The Fiery Furnaces performed at the festival. The second each band took the stage at Metro this past week all those memories flooded back to me. My excitement for the show only grew with the realization, especially since the half decade in-between these performance have seen excellent new albums and a continued rise in both acts legacy.
The Fiery Furnaces , the brother and sister duo of Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger, opened up the night with a set that almost didn’t happen. Their flight from New York got cancelled but instead of call it a day, the siblings drove straight to Chicago. Considering this is a homecoming show for the Oak Park natives, I’m delighted they went above and beyond for this night.
Their set was short but undeniably great as they played as a two piece, something that has been cemented since their return to the band in 2020 after a near decade long hiatus. Gentle and hypnotic, The Fiery Furnaces serenaded the crowd with favorites “Blueberry Boat”, “My Egyptian Grammar”, and “Single Again”. With Matthew’s keys floating around Eleanor’s soft and immersive vocals, one couldn’t help but fall in love with the Fiery Furnaces again and again.
While no where near as harrowing as having to drive half way across the country to make it to your set, there were some technical issues before Kim Gordon was able to take the stage. Given the uniwue and electronic nuances of her music lately, I’m surprised it didn’t take longer to get everything into place. Especially as great as the set would end up being.
Most bands with such a storied and iconic history would likely try to acquiesce to the general audience and rely on the hits of yesteryear. Not Kim Gordon, whose recent output doesn’t just live up to her fantastic back-catalog, but usually surpasses it. Gordon and her band performed the entirety of her latest album PLAY ME to start the night and you couldn’t find a person in the crowd not giving into its industrial soundscapes. The set-list followed along with the album track list, reaching a crazy height with “Nail Biter” before diving into “BYE BYE”, where the crowd was just completely letting loose to the incredible noisy songs.
Immediately after the crowd surged again with “I’m a Man”, which continued the switch to songs off Gordon‘s The Collective. The whole night felt like mini sets of her latest albums (including “Paprika Pony” and “Cookie Butter” off No Home Record), which finally culminated in an encore of “Cigarette” which only underlined Kim Gordon’ coolness as she delivered every line with perfect percision.
