I think Grizzly Bear, hands down, no contest, will give the best performance at this year's 'Fork. Why do you ask? Well, I'm pretty sure Ed Droste's voice will be so grand singing "Two Weeks" that I shall leave the fest impregnated by his awesomeness. I shall name the child Veckatimest. Sure, the other kids will make fun of his name in school, but I'll know the true origin of my love child.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Because I like her bangs.

I second Gina and am worried about getting pregnant.

Grizzly Bear for sure … Droste's melancholy baritone will draw charcoal-black clouds over the Chicago sky, lightening surges will ensue, surrounding trees will be set ablaze, and the entranced crowd's focus will not waver, despite the natural disasters at their periphery.

i vote for a meltdown-included wavves. not really a fan of the music, but damn i love drama.

My vote goes to Japandroids. They just played 2 great shows in NYC. The summer record for 09.

I'm a sucker for Matt& Kim!! They'll get everyone up on their dancing feet.

Tortoise puts on a great show, and they have years of touring to prove it!

I'll put my vote in for Fucked Up. They're one of the few bands that actually uses distortion, doesn't have a eunuch for a singer, and doesn't play in a tempo akin to my grandparents having sex. Since they've crossed over to the indie rock world of Matador Records, people will dance and do handclaps at the most inappropriate times, culminating into a chaotic party with a circle pit around it. The band played in Canada's MTV studios twice and twice the crowd/band physically destroyed the place. Post-college angst can be a real doozy!

THE KILLER WHALES! They are the underdogs and are from Chicago and kill every time. We need more Chicago blood.

No contest, the Jesus Lizard. There's not a single band aside that can compete with that kind of country fried aggression/unnecessary nudity. Close second to Fucked Up on most counts.

I'm really looking forward to the Jesus Lizard. Reports on them from the UK are phenomenal and I'm betting they'll be pretty triumphant on Friday.

Flaming Lips, and only if they do the UFO show because what's greater than teletubbies and girls running around the stage during the yeah yeah yeah song. Grizzly Bear comes in a close second

Yo La Tengo because they will give the best concert and are the best band around. They have huge presence on stage and are extremely dynamic and interesting to watch.

I debated beating someone up for their ticket, just for Yeasayer. When they came to town in October they were explosive and whimsical and had everyone (including opening band Charlift) dancing–but they didn't play "Germs." Wouldn't it be the perfect song for the July dusk?

Pains of Being Pure at Heart!!!! They are so good live and are easy on the eyes.

the very best (a haiku to explain)

make my body move, baby,
push boundaries, rewrite rules,
and then dance dance dance.

that is how i feel. the very best will be amazing. and i would love to witness them be amazing.

In attempting to see Matt & Kim I've been thwarted three times. For my successful fourth attempt, it's only fitting that they should melt my undies to my skin as I dance for all the shows that never were. I mean, I could've let the trouble diminish my appreciation, and yet here I anticipate them more hotly than ever. Exceeding my impossibly high expectations is the least they could do.

Hands down Grizzly Bear will give the greatest performance. When they performed in 2007, I think they were still getting their feet wet, but once Veckatimest released, everyone (especially Pitchfork), thought of them in a new way. I know so many people are anticipating hearing songs from their new album live, especially one like "Foreground." I'm even willing to compromise my spot for The Flaming Lips to see all of Grizzly Bear's set front and center.

My vote goes to Matt & Kim – hands down! Their music is filled with energy that is sure to get the crowd riled up.

My vote is for M83 simply because listening to saturdays = youth is like a john hughes movie for your ears. it is the soundtrack to late night bike rides and sneaking into apartment pools, kissing under the covers eyes closed, smiles wide and falling asleep in the park with your head in their lap.
they are sure to blow everyone away.

m83 – I can already hear the blissed out synths blanketing the park as the sun begins to set.

I look forward to seeing all the young kids who think they know a thing or two about noise getting their asses SCHOOLED by the Jesus Lizard. It high freakin' time the boys played again, and right here in the messiest "venue" in Chicago no less.

I gots the "Jesus Lizard" LastFM radio on full rotation until Friday. Thank you internets.

F**K YEAH VIVIAN GIRLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i'm pretty sure WOMEN are going to pull off the sleeper, surprise set of the weekend… early in the day Sunday, so be sure to get there in time and not get too f$%^ed up on Saturday.

From my personal experience, any band that follows the Flaming Lips, seems like a let down. Their live act is such a thrilling circus party, with all the balloons, confetti, dancers and good karmic enery that afterwards, you are drained from the emotional rollercoater. All you'll want to do is fire a fatty and pull the sweatty confetti from your dance weary sweetheart.

Matt and Kim because i've seen them several times and well I think this time, with a crowd that basically knows all their songs, so catchy and dancey there's no way the crowd won't erupt. ALSO really looking forward to Fucked Up. So it will be close.

The Flaming Lips are difficult to top when it comes to live performance, especially in festival settings. Their live shows are pretty much pure bliss – full of energy, fun, and many surprises. In addition to having an amazing auditory experience, Pitchfork goers will enjoy many great visual spectacles, from dancers in crazy costumes to giant inflatable objects. Not to mention, Wayne Coyne walking on top of you in a giant hamster ball. On top of all of that, the thing that I am most excited about when it comes to seeing the Flaming Lips is that they will be playing more of their older songs, thanks to "Write the Night." I am positive that Flaming Lips will put on one of the best and most memorable shows of the weekend!

I would find it mad if fucked up and jesus lizard forged a union of heat on stage. It would lift the crowd in an abandon of smoke caused from the many fires burst upon the scene. I would melt.

I am shocked that nobody has said that Ponytail will steal show… because they will. That band's raw, unfiltered-organic energy is the perfect recipe for a superb experience. Ponytail has the uncanny ability to make you feel good using only the most basic/primal of interplay. These kids have artistic integrity and a knack for bringing down the house!

The Flaming Lips should blow everyone away. Saw them tour with Beck and they out-performed him. They are loud enough and crazy enough and always do something special.

If their video for Daylight is any indication, Matt & Kim will be the highlight for me.

I'm astounded no one has had the insight to say that Mew will be the best performance of the festival. It has been far too long since they have played in the US, and while many people still consider Frengers their masterpiece, And The Glass Handed Kites was beautiful in its own right. I'm stoked about No More Stories, and if the EP is any indication, Mew still has plenty of amazing music left in them to astound those of us across the ocean. The complex rhythms and meters are a driving force behind Mew's energy, which sometimes seems ethereal due to Jonas' light, wispy vocals. Mew may not be the most aggressive band, and they may not inspire raucous dancing, but aesthetically speaking, Mew will undoubtedly provide the best performance of the evening for those who appreciate highly refined art.

The Supervillian DOOM will verbally dominate this festival. The greatest performance will be because of a DOOM line like- "To all rappers shut up with ya shuttin up/ And keep your shirt on, at least a button up/ Yuck, is they rhymers or stripper males?/ Outta work jerks since they shut down Chippendales"

m83. they have that kind of raw energy you need to bring the best out of a crowd and they feed on it.

fingers crossed, jesus lizard and fucked up get it together, to bring serious heat, random fires ignite and the crowd is lifted in a dervish of blast and haze…

Fucked Up's performance will have you talking for two years. .. With that name, they get no mainstream publicity. This is the most influential and important venue of their career and they'll make the most of it. You'll be able to brag that you were there when… And that too, is part of the fun of rock n roll.

DOOM is going to have everyone going bananas. Everyone is expecting the Jesus Lizard to just kill it, but DOOM brings the heat. And on a hot pitchfork day, this leads to madness.