Musically speaking, this was one of the best summers of my life. Over the past 6 months, I’ve hit up 10 festivals, dozens of live shows, and witnessed some pretty special musical moments in 2015. From Summer Camp to Farm Aid, GD50 to Magnaball, this summer was my “Summer of Love.” Below is a run down and some thoughts on many of the fests and special events I was fortunate enough to attend during the Summer of 2015:
1) The Fort aka “Making Lemonade”
Originally set to take place at a historic Civil War fort in San Fernandina, Florida, The Fort had to be relocated to the St. Augustine Amphitheater at the last minute. Headliners Umphrey’s McGee changed the event’s nomenclature to “Making Lemonade” and we all just rolled with the punches as this once in a lifetime event unfolded before us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkuGN7kgK-0 Not only was this unique two day concert put on by Umphrey’s McGee, it also featured the funk machine Lettuce as its opening act. The two groups then got together the final night for a late night Moose Lodge throw down like no other. Check out my full review here.2) Summer Camp Music Festival
This year was my 11th Summer Camp, so I guess you can say I’m a veteran. I won’t go into too much detail since I already recapped my weekend HERE, but I will highlight the expansion of the woods, the nest that was built from the cleared branches, and my new found love of The Way Down Wanderers. Those boys killed their set at the Camping Stage! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6GE0E9MXgY I hope Summer Camp will always help kick off my yearly festivities, there’s really nothing else like it and every year the music just gets better and better.3) Blue Ox Music Festival
This was the first year of Blue Ox Music Festival and definitely not its last. Even though the inaugural event was plagued by rain, this northern Wisconsin stings summit somehow made the best of a muddy situation. The wooded camping area had some of the cleanest grounds I’ve ever camped on and the people were friendlier than Ned Flanders from the Simpsons. With Yonder, Greensky, and Horseshoes and Hand Grenades all on the same bill, you couldn’t go wrong. Not to mention this was my first time seeing Del McCroy do what he does live.
I was grinning ear to ear during his set, even if I was ankle deep in mud. I wrote a full review over at Music Festival Central… check it out!
4) Summerfest
Every year Milwaukee holds a two week long music festival that literally has it all: SUMMERFEST. Lucky for us, that includes both jam and bluegrass as well as DJs and EDM. This year I headed up to the festival grounds on a weekday to catch Horseshoes and Hand Grenades and Trampled By Turtles for Summerfest’s bluegrass night. Though I had to keep my composure as I learned to master the fest’s balance beam bleachers, I had a great line of sight and still managed to dance my ass off. With Summerfest less than an hour where I live, I feel lucky to have such an accessible music event going down so close to home.5) “Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of Grateful Dead”
I’m not sure if I have the words to describe the Grateful Dead’s 50th Anniversary event that took place in Chicago, other than GRATEFUL. This was hands down the musical highlight of my life and the type of event I’ve been chasing since my first Summer Camp over a decade ago. The community, the atmosphere, Chicago, and TREY ANASTASIO made this event everything the hype build it up to be.Even though the steep ticket price was borderline ridiculous and this being the largest crowd I had ever been in, I felt completely at home. This was it my friends, hands down.
6) Ravinia’s Summer 2015 Season
Chicago’s fancy North Shore neighborhood is home to a lot of things: Northwestern University, the Home Alone house, Krewella… But it also holds a summer long concert series at Ravinia Park that brings in some of the most notable musical acts to ever exist.©Kristine Condon Photography Posted by Kristine Condon Photography on Saturday, August 15, 2015
7) Phish’s MAGNABALL
The Phish from Vermont throw their own festival once every 5 years. That means they have plenty of time to scheme, plan, and build a once-in-a-lifetime experience for festival goers like myself. There were a few things about Magnaball that stood out to me that are worth mentioning… First, there was only one band! That means everyone there was there for the same reason: PHISH! Also, due to the open daily schedule, I got to spend all day enjoying myself and exploring all the awesome things Magnaball had to offer. From the dedicated FM radio station to the free daily newspaper that circulated throughout the grounds, the intricacies of this festival made it unlike any other out there. Then there was the secret late night set that took place at a drive-in movie theater set up on site. This audiovisual experience was better that seeing Star Wars for the first time! Finally, this one is extremely important: THE SHOWERS! I’ve never had a better festival shower experience than I did at Magnaball. I’m not sure how they pulled it off so flawlessly but I never had to wait too long, the water was actually hot, and they were FREE! Starting each day feeling so fresh and so clean made a huge difference when all when it finally came tiime to throw down with one of my all time favorite bands. Here’s the Drive-In Jam in all its glory. Turn off your mind, relax and float down stream… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGCUUfs2IIc I hope to never miss another Phish fest! Check out my full review over at The Barn.8) Shoe Fest
My first (and hopefully not my last) Shoe Fest experience was extra special this summer because I had the pleasure of bringing my dog along with me! I rescued Rosebud earlier this summer and being away from her whenever I venture off to festival land has been really tough. Luckily, Shoe Fest gave me an opportunity to combine the two things I love the most, music and my puppy! We only spent one day at the festival because I didn’t want to overwhelm her, but she loved it and we plan on being back next year. [caption id="attachment_22405" align="alignleft" width="960"]
Rosebud at Shoe Fest 2015[/caption]
Check out Rosebud’s full review of Shoe Fest here.
