Summer Camp Music Festival in Chillicothe, IL may be fifteen years old, but still runs on the initial spirit that cultivated when five bands completed the festival lineup with an intimate audience of about 1,000. Summer Camp fever is easy to catch; now 20,000 folks gather at Three Sisters Park over Memorial Day weekend, and once you’ve been, you are definitely coming back. The rain and the mud, and the sun and dust of this well-balanced electronic-jam band festival provides SCampers with more than a kickoff to summer. For most, it’s a home away from home where the memories keep piling up… here’s a few that we’ll be talking about all festival season long in, “that one time at Summer Camp..”
…when Thievery Corporation played the set of the weekend.
With sitars and more than ten artists on stage at any given moment, Thievery took us on a mystical ride through reggae, Hindustani rock, hip hop and bossa nova. If you took in the show from anywhere in front of the sound tent you already know it felt like being in the grooviest lounge you ever stumbled into. The brass brigade of MarchFourth! joined Thievery for the duration of the set. Also it seemed a new vocalist arrived on stage for each song. With about four songs to go the rain the weather forecast promised began. We were left slightly mind blown that in the lights it looked like it was pouring but no one seemed to be getting very wet. The mystery only further maximized the groovy Friday night experience.
…when a little thunderstorm couldn’t keep us down.
About five songs into The Roots’ set (which was promising to say the least) band co-founder Black Thought informed the audience they had to “pause for the cause;” the cause being thunder and lightening. The rain was starting to fall. Many retreated to the shelter of the woods where my buds and I found the aptly named “Cosmic Village.” A glow-in-the-dark dead end in the trees created by SCampers. People were lying about taking it all in, lost in the good time were all having that we were in the neon trees rocking out for about an hour and a half past when stage music had started back up again. We had no idea, haha.
…when SBRN drew a surprisingly big crowd during the final moe./Umphrey’s set.
It’s no secret that Summer Camp is the Midwest’s jam band meca, but seriously, who knew the vibe tent would be so lit this year!? SBRN made a believer out of everyone when he played “Gangster Walk.” People heard Nate Dogg and came charging in from the fire dancing show just in front of the tent. Slow Magic and his live drum act was such a spectacle, augmented by the fact that the whole first few rows of people had neon wolf masks on. He must’ve been really feeling the crowd, as he became part of them- grabbing his drum, he hopped over the railing and started an impromptu drum circle jam with fans. The moment was something really special. Liquid Stranger drew such a huge crowd for his 1am set that people were actually fighting each other at the side entrances. Security removed us from the press pit after a kid ran up on the stage and started a head banging extravaganza – production thought the crowd was going to break the front railing. Meanwhile in VIP, Manic Focus played a smooth show filled with cameos like Chicago rapper Prob Cause. the expansive set sampled and covered everything from “Green Onions” (think Sandlot), to Destiny Child’s “Say My Name” to Red Hot Chili Peppers. The lounge started empty but filled quickly, even Jason Hann from String Cheese was posted up at the bar.
Side from Big Grizmatik though, the electronic weekend gameball goes to Savoy. After the rain stopped we emerged from the woods ready to scratch our dancing itch. We could hear the music coming from Starshine near the entrance of the grounds; it was loud. Maybe it was the timing, maybe the lasers, but Savoy managed to turn out a nonstop, totally cool, totally mesmerising electric guitar magic- upbeat and in your face. To be honest my buddy and I looked at each other, then the schedule, then the stage, then back at each other in disbelief that is was so good.. Kudos to the boys from Boulder. I would argue that if you’re headed to Electric Forest this weekend you should go check them out.
…when Tauk covered “Kashmir.”
The experimental prog-rock quartet Tauk blew the Starshine Stage patrons away with their out-of-nowhere cover of Led Zeppelin. The Tauk show for those who aren’t familiar is totally instrumental and often transitions seamlessly, leaving some to wonder if the set has just been one extra-long song. But when the anthemic “Kashmir” hook came through it rippled through the audience of folks “tauking” to each other and called every audience member to attention. It was 3pm in a cloudless, sweaty afternoon but the burst of electricity immediately transported us to a cool, sold-out stadium – everyone was going nuts. The uber-talented and high energy foursome just finished up a winter tour with pals Umphrey’s McGee in April, but if you get a chance to check them out this summer, by all means, definitely do so.
..when Grant “Griz” Kwiecinski and Dominic Lalli played a secret set out of a beer tent.
Sure, acts were doing this all weekend. Occasionally we would get texts from the summer camp app saying so-and-so would be playing a set from the Goose Island beer tent, but the crowd that formed when sax man Dom from Big Gigantic (bonus: +Griz) assumed the position at the tiny table was something straight from a main stage. To be fair they didn’t do much, but they didn’t have to. It felt like the whole festival was at the Parliament Funkadelic show on Sunday afternoon when news came through that half of Big G would be performing a pop-up set just behind us. The crowd basically turned around once George Clinton and company finished, expecting to hear some saxophone. It took a while, but patient fans were rewarded when Griz joined Dom for a Big Griz(matik) warm-up.
The full Big Grizmatik complement took the stage to the “2001: A Space Odyssey” intro theme. The set physically and proverbially shut down the festival- it was fabulous. There was a new Big Grizmatik tune, the new Big G x Griz track, layers of overhead bouncing lasers. Funkmaster George Clinton joined the guys onstage for a special rendition of “We Want the Funk.” I could see the faces of the younger dudes on stage clearly from the photo pit – jumping up and down, glancing at each other like they had just discovered a new instrument. Clinton had a hard time staying on pace and Griz was so into it the volume on another song another track came through the speakers.
While it wasn’t perfect, the moment kind of perfectly encapsulates the beauty of Summer Camp. The festival is a summit where old and new participate and learn from each other, both in musical acts/genres and audience members. It’s such a cool thing to see jam bands that have been around for forever collaborating with new electronic producers. Also fun is watching a new generation of fans excited to go to their first Tribe/Umphrey’s/moe./Yonder/Eoto show, and conversely, to see die-hard, tie-dye wearing grey beards in the Vibe Tent.
There is are new and old traditions being passed down and up, and of course any experience had in the woods or on Shakedown Street will create an instant bond between Scampers for life. There is wonderful harmony at Three Sisters Park, and it takes a special kind of people to maintain that feeling. And it’s not the same feeling as being at an all-dance music festival, or even at Electric Forest; Summer Camp is different – good different – and the folks that return every year will be sure to keep it that way.
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