Wow. The first day of the Pitchfork Music Festival felt a little like a warm-up act for the rest of the weekend, but that didn’t detract from the day’s performances.

After nine hours of traveling, I showed up just 15 minutes late to shoot Mac DeMarco’s set, but his relaxed vibe quickly cured any frustration. DeMarco was exactly as laid-back as anyone could hope, even managing to lazily crowd surf with a self-assurance I’ve never seen before.

Next, I saw Noah Lennox, performing as Panda Bear. I’m most familiar with Lennox’s work with Animal Collective and collaborating with Daft Punk, but his solo performance was solid. I was a little disappointed with Lennox’s stage presence, but the crowd was definitely dancing to the music he was creating.

CHVRCHES performed what I believed to be the best show of the day. They were captivating. Their clean, upbeat electronic music sailed over the crowd and each member of the band absolutely nailed it. They were also a lot of fun to photograph, which is a huge plus for my tastes.

Finally, Wilco wrapped up the night. The band caused a bit of a stir when they suddenly dropped their newest album, “Star Wars,” on July 16. The first half of their set at Pitchfork consisted entirely of songs from the new album. They finished the night, however, with classic Wilco songs.

It has been an exhausting day shooting the Pitchfork Music Festival, but I can’t wait for two more. Tomorrow, A$AP Ferg, Vic Mensa and Sleater-Kinney await!