Pitchfork: Day One

so i'm coppin' pitchfork's pictures, what're you gonna do about it

I walked in the front gates just as Mission of Burma began their set. If I were to characterize a 'textbook' post-punk sound, it would definitely be this band. Sporadic rhythym, abrupt changes in speed, and really great lyrics that speak volumes with a few simple words. I particularly enjoyed "The Ballad of Johnny Burma": "I said my mother's dead/well I don't care about it/I said my father's dead/well I don't care about it/it happens anyway." And more importantly, they can do all this despite their age. HARD ROCKING, to say the least. They did not disappoint.

After that, I skipped Sebadoh and left the C stage so that I could get a good spot for Public Enemy. Brothers Hank and Keith Shocklee, better known as The Bomb Squad, opened and "played" some beats to rile everyone up. It didn't sound anything like the production they're known for on It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back; It was really skeletal, with most of it being built around bass-heavy snares and kicks with short, loud synths. It reminded me a lot of UK grime (this is good). I got my groove on. After more waiting (WHY do hip-hop concerts always feel obligated to start late?), Chuck D came on and tore me a new asshole. He performed with a frenzied intensity that was exhausting and mesmerizing to watch. When Flava Flav finally came on after two songs, he essentially functioned as a foil for Chuck. Between every song, he would get the crowd going on some stupid call-and-response bs, while D would sit there and roll his eyes. Then he tried to tell the audience that he was still legit despite his reality tv career. When they booed, he got a little upset and said something like "there ain't no ghosts in this place! Boo is something you say to your spouse!" very humorous.

Once they finished It Takes A Nation Of Millions, PE put on a sort of late-night variety show: DJ Lord had a little solo to show that he was just as competent as Terminator X (who runs an ostrich farm in South Carolina since retiring), Flava gave a "Fuck John McCain and George W. Bush" speech, and they played the rest of their singles from other albums. The show quickly went from classic to cliched and tedious. Throughout all this, the S1W's (pictured above) continued to do their same three dance moves over and over. I have no idea why they were holding toy katanas instead of the usual Uzis. After several warnings to Flav regarding time constraints, Chuck D simply said "No, it's over" and left the stage. Flav gave one last rant about how we're all one race (the human race, in case you were wondering) and then we all got to go home, finally. A good night, I think.