Summer Camp Festival taking place in Chillicothe, Illinois over Memorial Day weekend is upon us! The festival has changed drastically over the years and I am excited to make my return. As a teenager I went to Summer Camp Festival from 2006 -2008 and in those years it had made some changes, but now things seem almost totally different.
Back then: In 2006, Summer Camp was mostly catering to the “hippie” crowd while moe. headlined every single night of Summer Camp with Umphreys McGee setting them up 2/3 nights. It was a great time if you liked jam music with festival staples such as Keller Williams and Yonder Mountain filling out the day and a smattering of new artists to tempt your eyes and ears. Back then, the Late Night Red Barn was free for everyone that could go, as long as it was not over capacity. They had some amazing shows in there with the Disco Biscuits w/ Tea Leaf Green and moe. + Umphreys combinations that made the festival goers crazy! In 2007, they started to sell tickets for the Red Barn shows and limit the access to those who has a wristband. In 2008, they added another stage for a secondary headliner to perform (Flaming Lips that year) so that festival goers had options at the end of the night and also changed the format so that Umphrey's and moe. would switch of closing sets. They also realized that those without wristbands for the limited Red Barn had nothing to do so they opened the Campfire Stage so everyone could keep the music going at night.
Now: They have adapted to the times while still sticking to their roots. They now have invited many EDM artists to the festival such as hard hitters Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, and Skrillex. They have also provided more late night options including the Vibe tent for those who love Dance music can watch some great producers early into the morning. They also have one of the best shows I've ever seen in the late night barn w/ STS9, Big Gigantic, Griz, & Gramatik. Also grabbing other EDM stars Diplo, Paper Diamond, Big Gigantic, Zeds Dead, Minnesota, Alvin Risk, Break Science, The M Machine. The one thing I like about Summer Camp over other festivals is that after all of these years they have not forgotten their roots. While sticking to their jam band and instrumental roots they also reach out to bands with an electronic sounds but play live instruments like Theivery Corporation, Savoy and Future Rock. I am headed out the door now and can't wait to see my fellow campers.
