Summer Camp Music Festival returned this past May 27-29 with an another impressive musical lineup and stellar weekend of production. While an ominous weather report built apprehension over the almighty power of mother nature, the rain and heat behaved themselves over the course of the weekend. Aside from a short string of showers on Friday and Saturday, music performances were not affected by the weather, making the sweet sound of music all that much better.
Things got riled up on Thursday with rowdy sets from artists such as Future Rock, Greensky Bluegrass and Break Science. During the Thursday pre-party, curators opened the doors of the always-exclusive Red Barn late-night venue to the public. Groups like The Werks, Louis the Child and Lettuce served up some raging performances to set the vibe for the weekend festivities.
When ‘Scampers’ awoke on Friday to face their hangovers, moe. kicked off the weekend with a daytime performance to get the crowd out of their funk. After a grip of funky daytime rage-sessions, Umphrey’s McGee threw-down two face-melting sets at the Sunshine Stage, while Thievery Corporation wowed crowds at the Moonshine Stage, followed by a gnarly Scamp debut performance by Excision. The Red Barn was ravished by collaborative performances from the talents of TAUKing McGee (members of TAUK & Umphrey’s McGee), Eoto and the constantly-entertaining, Keller Williams.
Things chilled out on Saturday with shows by The Wailers, Steve Kimock and The Roots. As storms approached, acts like Dopapod and Hard Working Americans raised the energy levels high. Umphrey’s McGee and moe. played at their respective stages amidst brief weather delays, building tension for the highly anticipated sets of the evening.
During Saturday’s late-night showcase, Cherub and Lotus rocked the Red Barn, while Colorado-based band Sunsquabi played a two-hour set just outside at the Campfire Stage. Meanwhile in the Vibe Tent (another late-night venue at Summer Camp), french-native and Basement Leak Records owner, Shiba San, repped his some of his new beats and those from his days at Dirtybird Records.
Sunday started off quickly with an early set from Umphrey’s McGee, followed by The New Mastersounds, who dished out some of their nasty funk. Things began to get heated as The Motet, Twiddle and Yonder Mountain String Band paved the way for acts like the elusive Here Comes the Mummies and Tom Petty‘s new side project, MUDCRUTCH. As night fell, moe. shook things up with absolutely stellar sets at the Moonshine Stage, featuring blissful lights and a tripped-out surround-sound type of effect on the lead guitar. The most hyped set of the weekend proved to be Big GRiZmatik (members of Big Gigantic, GRiZ, and, Gramatik). The collaboration of instrumental, funky squelches between the trio of groups brought havoc upon the dance floor Sunshine Stage.
Closing out the festival, Emancipator played a ridiculously fresh set of new styles and sounds of his relaxing, blissful beats. As the night went on, Hard Working Americans and Yonder Mountain String Band ended up jamming in the Red Barn for some fortunate fans to get their fill of raging, live music at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, Illinois until next year when Summer Camp 2017 kicks off.
Year after year, Summer Camp Music Festival proves itself as one of the best mid-scale music festivals in not only the midwest, but the country. With Wakarusa dropping out of the spotlight this year, festival curators at Jay Goldberg Entertainment stepped up with a stellar Summer Camp 2016 lineup to impress the masses. Furthermore, although music is the primary appeal at nearly every music festival, Summer Camp really sets itself apart from the rest with its vibe and character. While some festivals come on strong with their spirituality and purpose, others have transformed into a commercial cesspool. Summer Camp has found a middle ground where they can draw in a big crowd with a diverse lineup, yet remain rough around the edges. All these traits together make Summer Camp Music Festival a sure-fire solid festival experience time and time again.
