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Favorite ThisElectric Forest Slideshow + Review / Double JJ Resort (Rothbury, MI) / Day 3-4

Published: July 29, 2013
Photos and story by: Esther Rubyan (Rubyan Photography)


The first half of Electric Forest only prepped attendees for what was in store for the following two days. The next two days of the festival filled in the any missing pieces there might have been. In the early afternoon of the third day of EF, more hammocks began to appear within the Sherwood Forest. As you walked through the tranquil yet tripped out woodland, clowns on stilts were performing ridiculous little skits while The Fungineers and Atmospheric Entertainment filled the forest with their downtempo sound waves. Down by the Tripolee stage Elm and Oak’s own Raw Russ started the day off with a hype mix of sounds, and attracted a pretty decent crowd of fans. Following Raw Russ, Moon Hooch took the stage and played music that seemed like a mix of ethnic funk and jam band electronica.  The afternoon’s line-up on the Tripolee stage started day three off in just the right way.

As the day continued on, the line-up of artists at each stage got better and better.  At 6 PM on the Ranch Arena stage, Lettuce assembled and started the evening off with a powerful sound. Lettuce, the seven piece old-school funk band, was joined by Big Gigantic’s own, Dominic Lalli. Dom added his classic saxophone flare into the mix of amazing sounds and visuals. While Lettuce jammed out for what seemed to be several magical hours, Manic Focus ruled the Sherwood Forest at the Forest Stage. Joined by one of the members of The Floozies, Manic Focus attracted a crowd that stretched farther than the eye could see.

The highlight of the night most definitely had to be Flosstradamus’ headlining set. Flosstradamus dropped every single one of their most popular songs including a whole range of music in between. The dynamic trap duo created a rollercoaster of sound, and kept the crowd at an ultimate high. Both their music and lights illuminated the Tripolee stage and most of the festival stayed camped at this stage for the entirety of their set.

Day three could be best described as a total mix of music. Even though the line-up was a bit scattered, there was definitely music for every kind of person. The Sherwood Forest was a space for chill time and each stage had something different to offer. The last day of the festival was on its way, but not one person at the festival was ready for it to end.

The final day of Electric Forest finally arrived, and you could tell by everyone’s faces that people had been going hard all weekend long. For some reason though, this did not stop attendees from the requisite raging. Even though the celebration continued, fans deemed Sunday as “chill day.” Most everyone had one plan for the daytime portion of the festival and that plan was to hangout in the forest one last time. 

If you weren’t basking in your last taste of the Sherwood Forest during the afternoon hours, than the best set of the afternoon to see on the last day had to be The Floozies. The Kansas-based duo played a lot of their well-known songs but also introduced a whole slew of new music. The crowd may not have been so large, but it didn’t’ matter because any person who walked by the Tripolee stage stopped in their tracks and watched their set for at least fifteen minutes. Around 3 PM, Greensky Bluegrass came on at the Ranch Arena stage. This homespun bluegrass mountain band definitely fed the crowd the feel-good music they were looking for on the last day of the festival. The daytime line-up didn’t have any huge names, but it for sure fit the mood for the final day.

As the evening came near, the buildup of the entire festival was coming to its peak, and who else would end it better than a headlining set of The String Cheese Incident and a festival close-out set by Pretty Lights. String Cheese played one last heart-warming jam. At the end of their third and final amazing set, fireworks were lit and the crowd went wild for their beloved musicians. The night approached quickly after the end of Cheese’s set, and already, fans were queued up for Pretty Lights.

When Pretty Lights finally began his set, almost the entire festival was raging right in front of him. Derek Vincent Smith played all of his greatest songs, but rewarded the audience with a bunch of his new music from his latest album. As always, the visuals were by far the best of the entire festival. Lasers, lights, fog and video visuals filled the stage and supported the earth-shattering music.  Everyone’s night ended perfectly, and the festival closed out on such a high note.

The Electric Forest Festival of 2013 proved itself to be one of the best festivals of the summer. Not one person left the festival bummed by their experience (we hope).  The Sherwood Forest was nothing but magic and bliss, and the lineup included a diverse range of music that pleased every kind of audience.  It’s safe to say that EFF never fails to provide kickass festival entertainment, and unforgettable memories.  Who’s ready for EF 2014? Let the countdown begin!


Tags: BreaksDowntempoDrum and BassDubstepElectroGlitchHip HopHouseLivetronicaElectronica