Pitchfork has a knack for incorporating music royalty in their eclectic 3-day festival weekend line ups. Last year, the incomparable Chaka Khan shut down the mainstage in her hometown, with a string of classic hits spanning her 30+ year career. In that same vein, the Isley Brothers celebrated their 60thAnniversary at the fest, unleashing their musical mojo that set fire to 60’s and 70’s soul era and solidified the brothers as household names.
Their hour and a half-long set on the Pitchfork mainstage boasted hits spanning over four decades. With high energy reimagining of classics like “Footsteps in the Dark,” “That Lady,” “It’s Your Thing” and “Fight the Power.”
Tribute to legends passed on were curated by the sibling team with lead guitarist Ernie incorporating a soul searing, electric tribute to Prince in their cover of “Summer Breeze.” “If you love Prince like we do, I wanna hear you!” Ronald Isley encouraged the crowd, backing up his brother.
A powerful tribute to Aretha Franklin as Ron Isley somberly reminisced on their friendship, which he said spanned from the early 1960’s through her unfortunate passing in 2018. “I talked to her every day,” Ron recalls. “She was one of my best friends.”
Accompanied on stage by background vocalists, including his wife Kandy, formerly of the early 2000’s duo JS, and a line of vibrantly dressed background dancers, the Isley Brothers proved that they still have the ability to move crowds even several generations removed from their work.
Making sure to keep the ear of younger festival goers who may not have been as familiar with the groups four-decade long accolades, songs like “Between the Sheets,” most notably sampled in the legendary Notorious B.I.G.’s breakout hit “Big Poppa,” was remixed to include song and rapper vocals in their set. An ode was also given to Ice Cube during their performance of “Footsteps in the Dark,” famously sampled on the rapper’s 1992 classic “It Was a Good Day.”
Ron Isley’s larger-than- life “Mr. Biggs” alter ego also made an appearance, as he arrived with jeweled- out chalice and cane, donning a stark white suite appearing to be sprinkled with diamonds. The “Biggs” persona became Ron’s claim to fame after a string of collaborative hits produced with troubled Chicago singer R. Kelly. However, those chart toppers, released with Kelly from 1995 to the early 2000’s, were noticeably absent from the set list.
It is unclear if the songs were omitted purposefully, in relation to Kelly’s current string of pending sexual abuse indictments or simply in an effort to make sure their own music remained the highlight of the night.
To cap the epic night, the legendary team closed their set with a high-octane performance of their first gold single, “Shout” (famously rerecorded by the Beatles), proving that the brothers still have what it takes to rock a crowd and likely will for many more years to come.
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