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File photo by Ross Field
By Ross Field, Contributing Writer
ROTHBURY — By Thursday afternoon the vast pastures of the Double JJ Resort will have become the largest campsite in the State of Michigan, and the hardwoods and pines that cover much of the ranch will be transformed by seven huge stages, art installations, and lights as the 12th annual Electric Forest festival begins its four-day run.
Like its predecessors, the 2024 Electric Forest will feature over 100 of the biggest musical acts on the international Electronic Dance Music (EDM) scene, acts such as Nelly Furtado, Pretty Lights, Subtronics, Ludacris, Seven Lions, John Summit, Excision, and many more up-and-coming groups and DJs.
While it is true that the Electric Forest as evolved over the years to primarily feature EDM acts, the rock, folk, and jam band scenes are still represented by acts such as The Disco Biscuits, Dumpstaphunk, Lettuce, Eggy, Hiatus Kaiyote, Neil Frances, and Umphrey’s McGee.
The lineup this year also includes two shows from the band most responsible for the creation of the Electric Forest way back in 2011, The String Cheese Incident. While The String Cheese Incident is known as a bluegrass-based jam band, its creative spirit and ability to flawlessly mix bluegrass, rock, jazz, and electronic music into long arcs of improvised music informs the whole strange universe of the Electric Forest.
It’s not all national and international acts, though, as Muskegon’s own purveyors of soulful rock and funk, Flexadecibel, will play a set on The Grand Artique stage, Sunday, at 3:30 p.m..
The Shelby High School Marching and Alumni Band at Electric Forest.
– Contributed photo
And another local band – the Shelby High School Marching Band – will be making their annual appearance at the festival by marching through the Sherwood Forest on Saturday at 3 p.m.. The Shelby High School Band program has participated in each of the festivals since the 2009 Rothbury festival.
Due to the COVID pandemic the Electric Forest did not take place in 2020 and 2021. When the festival returned in 2022, the art, lights, and installations in the Sherwood Forest seemed slightly less than expected, not as extravagant as in past years.
This year things should be back to normal with 28 artists and design groups from around the world transforming a typical Michigan forest into the magic tapestry of brilliant lights, lasers, and art that is the Sherwood Forest.
Not to be missed is one of the newer venues in the forest – The Chapel – where eight performance groups will provide comedy and variety shows and will likely preside over a few weddings. Yes, the Sherwood Forest has become a destination site for weddings.
The Electric Forest is back, it is as big as ever, and it starts this Thursday. On Monday morning, tens of thousands will begin their journeys home no doubt dreaming of the festival’s return in 2025.
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