Sure, the headliners at Bonnaroo may leave something to be desired, and Coachella may be inching more towards "blah." But there are still plenty of other destination festivals worth a look -- and Pitchfork's just-announced lineup again promises an impressive showing. The notoriously cranky web site is now also famed for its feel-good annual shebang in its Chicago hometown, and this year marks another edition of the affordable, 100 percent independent festival.
This year's dates have been announced -- July 15 through 17 at Chicago's Union Park -- although there's no lineup yet. But with recent past performances by marquee names like LCD Soundsystem, Animal Collective, and Yoko Ono, it's bound to be good.
So why bother announcing anything now? Well, because tickets go on sale next Friday, March 4 -- and last year, the three-day festival pass sold out in five days, before a full slate of bands had even been announced. So if you're considering it at all this year, here's your chance to get armed and ready. Single-day passes cost $45, and those much-coveted weekend tickets cost $110. Visit pitchforkmusicfestival.com.
