Nothing better demonstrates Pitchfork’s cultural reach and music-­industry clout better than the booking of R&B superstar R. Kelly as this year’s Sunday headliner. His appearance at the festival is a win for all parties involved: Pitchfork continues to expand its authority beyond its old indie-rock stomping ground (and despite the efforts of WBEZ critic Jim DeRogatis, it doesn’t appear hurt by the accusations that still dog the singer), Kelly gets up close and personal with an audience he has yet to conquer (many of whom are too young to remember or care about his scandals), and the crowd can bump and grind to Kells at a fraction of the usual three-figure price for a decent ticket at one of his shows.

See our reviews and live coverage of the bands playing on:

Friday · Saturday · Sunday

Afterparties

Read on for writeups on every one of the festival’s 46 artists, day-by-day itineraries plotted by Reader staffers (and three lucky contest winners), and all the aftershows that are fit to print.

7/19-7/21, Fri 3-10 PM, Sat-Sun noon-10 PM, Union Park, Ashland and Lake, $50 per single-day pass, three-day passes sold out. All ages.

» As usual Pitchfork provides places to browse or shop during the festival, including the CHIRP Record Fair, the American Poster Institute’s Flatstock show, and the Coterie craft fair. At the Book Fort, presented by Columbia College’s creative writing department, you can flip through a good novel (and even buy it, if you’ve got any money left) or attend a reading or panel discussion. The Creative Lounge includes an interactive art station, a photo booth, and installations by Chicago artists Claire Ashley and Jenny Kendler.

» Many more details—directions, parking, stage locations, info about on-site lockers and prohibited items, et cetera—are available at pitch​fork​music​festival​.com. At press time three-day passes were long gone, but $50 single-day tickets were still on sale for all three days.