After months of painstaking wait, Electric Forest is now in the rearview mirror. What seemed like time crawling by has now turned to a distant memory as we think back upon what transpired over the long weekend. Something about spending your time in Sherwood Forest felt perfect. Being surrounded by tens of thousands of beautiful people in nature makes you feel at home, regardless of the distance you are from your house. Whether it was the most joyful vibes I’ve ever been around, the amazingly balanced lineup, the iconic hammocks, or a combination of all of the above, I’m not alone when I say this was the most unique festival I’ve ever had the pleasure of attending.
After spending four nights on the JJ Ranch, I can confidently say that I have a different view of what a festival can be. Sure, the music was amazing; Insomniac put together one of the most complete and impressive lineups I’ve ever seen.
What made Forest different from the multitude of other festivals however, is the fact that it is a music festival that doesn’t rely solely on the music. This sounds like a crazy idea doesn’t it? Isn’t a music festival supposed to be all about the music? It’s what we’re all paying for right? Allow me to explain.
As I anxiously awaited the initial lineup drop a few months back, all I kept hearing was “It doesn’t matter who’s on the lineup. Sherwood Forest is so great, the lineup is simply a bonus.” I of course rolled my eyes and laughed at such a ridiculous idea. How can a festival not be heavily reliant on the lineup it calls its’ own? It’s all I really knew up to that point. I hopped from fest to fest having a great time at each, but never really reflecting on why I enjoyed it so much. I simply assumed it was all due to the artists. There’s no disputing the fact that seeing your favorite artist, or discovering new ones, at a festival plays a large role in your overall experience. What it doesn’t do though is separate it from the crowd. If that’s one of the ways we measure a festivals’ quality, by uniqueness, then Electric Forest resides high atop the throne.
The very first thing I noticed upon passing through security was the beautifully laid-out way the festival ground was set up. Unless you stayed your entire day at the Tripolee stage next to the entrance, you were forced to go through the forest to your next destination. As you roamed through you couldn’t help but be engulfed by any number of breathtaking art installations. From Insomniac-supplied mimes and performers to a dance battle dome, there were a plethora of activities to find yourself lost in. Whether it was the much loved old-school style Saloon or the Forest Stage tucked deep into the crevasses of Sherwood, there was no shortage of experiences to be had when music wasn’t the sole focus. In fact, at times music almost took a backseat to the atmosphere it was immersed in.
Which leads me to this.
“It’s another thing I can’t f*ckin’ stand, you know? Festivals are being branded bigger than the acts, which is totally backwards in my head. It’s ’cause of those acts that you’re a festival! Who wins? The promoter. The guy who’s throwing this festival that’s branded bigger than you, that you think you’re awesome for headlining. It’s a shame, so that’s why I’m pulling out.” – Deadmau5
If I took anything away from this weekend in time, it’s that the above quote couldn’t be any more misguided. When a festival is done correctly it’s about so much more than the celebrity DJ and their multi-million dollar stage setup. It’s not about the promoter either. What it is about though is the experience. Whatever you decide to define your experience is up to you, that’s the beauty of it. If you want to stay at your favorite sets all day and have the time of your life, you were able to. If you wanted to catch an early day Kygo set then retreat to your hammock for a midday nap with music as the soundtrack to your day, you were able to. If you wanted to roam around like a headless gypsy all day and use the forest as your playground, again, you were able to.
The music? The music was amazing and diverse enough for anyone of all walks of life to find a set to enjoy. Zeds Dead blew the electronic acts out of the water night 1 with a set that challenges any I’ve seen from them. Opening with “In The Beginning” set the heavy, dark tone which was on its way. Umphrey’s McGee played an astonishing three and a half hours over a two day span to quench the thirst of all jam band enthusiasts in attendance. STS9 also went the same route with two nights of breathtaking performance; a scene I won’t soon forget was hearing “When The Dust Settles” towards the end of their second set in the rain, it was perfection personified.
Excision laid down the some of the heaviest bass of the weekend until 3 AM the second night and had the crowd going wild till the very end. My vote for favorite set of the weekend however has to go to Flying Lotus. I’ve never in my life witnessed such a flawless meshing of hip hop and electronic. Some of the hardest hitting hop hop beats followed by surprisingly great lyricism supplied live by FlyLo made this a set that will live on long past last weekend. Of course this would not be complete without recognition to the head honchos of it all, The String Cheese Incident. The resident superstars played a mind-blowing three nights totaling nine and a half hours. This includes a show for the record books, an absurdly fun and funky four hour and 15 minute closing set on Sunday night.
As I said earlier Electric Forest changed what I believed a festival can accomplish. This is one of those classic scenarios where you absolutely need to experience it firsthand, or else you wouldn’t understand. Trust me, you cannot comprehend just how weird, amazing, unnerving, and unscripted Psychedelic Friendship Bingo is unless you sit in on a few minutes of it. What the Forest showed me was just how much power humans can have as a group when there is one focus for a weekend. The unity and overall happiness over the four nights is unrivaled from any festival I have experienced to date. It’s likely also one which won’t be topped until we all attend again next year.
(All photo credit to Electric Forest FB)
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This is fine and dandy but I seriously wish this website would stop acting as if insomniac does ANYTHING for electric forest besides write a 15,000 dollar check. It is ran by MADISON HOUSE PRODUCTIONS and you would know that if you attended any part of the tent where they had artists talking about different topics including the people who put on the festival; MADISON HOUSE. insomniac does not chose the line up, nor has any say who gets invited to play. It is supposed to be more jam band than electronic music so take your heads outta your asses and do some background history on the festival before you start yapping away false knowledge to people.