Chicago’s North Coast Music Festival boasted one of the stronger and eclectic festival lineups of 2015, when it announced that electronic pioneers The Chemical Brothers (playing one of their few performances of the year), enigmatic neo-soul legend D’Angelo, and southern jam rockers Widespread Panic would be headlining. The whole lineup was solid from top to bottom, with Chromeo, Tycho, Portugal. The Man, The Disco Biscuits, Porter Robinson, The Glitch Mob, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Booka Shade, SOJA, Goldfish, and so many more!
In its sixth year, organizers of NCMF have settled very nicely into their groove and put together both a great lineup and a fantastic overall experience for fans to enjoy. With a whole weekend’s worth of music to be seen, let’s take a look at some of the highlights (in no particular order):
1. The Chemical Brothers
Coming off the heels of their latest release (and what a release it was!), the Chemical Brothers brought material new and old out to Chicago. These electronic music pioneers have been at it for over 30 years, and they’ve truly perfected their live performances. Check out footage from this rare live show below:
“Galvanize > Block Rockin’ Beats”
[via Jeff Randall]
2. D’Angelo and the Vanguard
Returning out of oblivion, D’Angelo surprised us all at the end of 2014 with his new album, Black Messiah. It was straight up fire! Ever since then, D’Angelo has been on a tear, impressing night after night with awe-inspiriing performances. Here’s his version of “Brown Sugar” from the festival:
“Brown Sugar”
[via FreaksTVOnline]
3. Widespread Panic
Panic always brings the big time jams whenever they perform. The jam band staples have been in high gear with new drummer Duane Trucks in the fold, but it’s familiar faces like John Bell, Jimmy Herring, JoJo Hermann and Dave Schools that always put a smile on their fans faces. The first of a three-night Labor Day weekend run (the following two shows in Nashville were just as great!), Panic brought the heat for this festival performance.
“Pilgrims > Bust It Big”:
4. Tycho
Downtempo beats aplenty, Tycho never fails to keep the crowd dancing with his ambient grooves. Check out his performance of “Awake”, the title track from his most recent release.
“Awake”
5. The Disco Biscuits
Playing their first of two shows at North Coast proper (The second was a late-night rager), the Disco Biscuits were on fire at the Chicago festival. The “Strobelights & Martinis > Story of the World > Tricycle” was a monster segment to start the set, and the “House Dog Party Favor” was one of the best played in years. Nothing but great times here!
[Photo via Chris Monaghan]
6. Chromeo:
The duo that comprise Chromeo know a thing or two about how to make electro-funk sound sexy. These guys throw down outrageous beats, and keep the party going nonstop. Never miss a chance to see Chromeo… you won’t regret it!
[Photo via Josh Timmermans]
7. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead
“Almost Dead” may be the exact opposite of what this band is, because this Grateful Dead tribute band is doing nothing but breathe life into this classic music. Their performance at North Coast was truly magical, playing a number of fan favorites including “Althea” and more!
[Photo via Josh Timmermans]
8. Porter Robinson:
Never failing to get the crowd going, Porter Robinson has emerged triumphantly as one of the best new producers around. Headlining festivals around the world, his set at North Coast made it easy to see why he’s so beloved: Robinson brings the noise!! There’s a reason dance music fans are raving about him! Check out some footage from his set:
[FreaksTVOnline]
9. Galactic w/ Macy Gray
NOLA-funk staples Galactic hit it big in 2015 with their new release, Into The Deep. Hosting an impressive array of guests, it’s no surprise that one of the more spectacular moments on the album was the song “I Try”, which featured vocals from the legendary Macy Gray. Gray came out during Galactic’s set at NCMF, and the rest was history.
[Photo via Josh Timmermans]
10. The Roots
Do we really need to explain the magic that is the Roots? These guys have been staples of the live music scene for decades now, uniquely blending hip hop, jazz, funk, and all the great groovy music under the sun. It’s always a pleasure getting down to the Roots’ music at a beautiful festival like North Coast.
[Photo via Josh Timmermans]
Of course, there were so many other incredible highlights, including Goldfish, Turkuaz, UM’s Joel Cummins with Turbo Suit, SOJA, Atmosphere and more. You can see pictures and more NCMF coverage here!
See you next year, Chicago!
[Cover Photo via Josh Timmermans]