Electric Forest’s ‘sweaty mob of madness’: Greensky Bluegrass gives West Michigan twist to music festival’s final day

Amid high temps and humidity, Kalamazoo’s favorite sons delivered blazing bluegrass jams in the blazing sun — part of a fitting Electric Forest finale that included String Cheese Incident, GRiZ and more.

SCROLL DOWN FOR TWO PHOTO GALLERIES, VIDEO
More Electric Forest coverage and photo galleries online at Local Spins here.

 

JUNE 28 UPDATE: A 22-year-old Lansing man died Monday morning in an Electric Forest campground after completion of the four-day festival. Michigan State Police report that Michael John Stephenson “suffered a medical emergency” at about 9:30 a.m. Monday and “subsequently passed away.” The death remains under investigation with the Oceana County Medical Examiner’s Office awaiting results of an autopsy. It’s the only death reported at Electric Forest this year, though deaths due to drug overdoses have taken place at previous festivals. Police also reported making arrests this year, but didn’t provide further details.

 

Nothing defines the upbeat, uber-groovy atmosphere of Electric Forest better than West Michigan’s own Greensky Bluegrass.

Oh sure, EDM-styled acts dominate the landscape these days and Colorado’s String Cheese Incident serves as the de facto “house band,” playing long headlining sets for three straight nights every year.

But Greensky Bluegrass played the very first Rothbury in 2008 – the predecessor to Electric Forest – and has played a few of these festivals at Double JJ Resort in between, so in a way, they own the stages that draw 45,000 or so devotees every year.

The progressive bluegrass outfit’s gregarious attitude, world-class musicianship and jam-band prowess fuels positivity and a Woodstock-like milieu that’s the trademark of Electric Forest year after year. Not only that, but officially, Greensky Bluegrass was the only West Michigan band in the 2016 lineup.

So it’s only apropos that on Sunday, these guys helped headline the final night of hippie hoopla on the main Ranch Arena stage, with the Kalamazoo-bred band’s psychedelically virile stains echoing through the fields and woods on another scorching day. The group energized a hard-partying bunch that was clearly weary from four days of revelry.

“We, like you, were up all night, so we’re with you,” mandolinist Paul Hoffman told the gathering throng on a sun-drenched evening. “It’s one big sweaty mob of madness.”

The 75-minute set by West Michigan’s favorite sons seemed like a breath of fresh air (albeit steamy air) amid the throbbing EDM strains that filled most of the weekend in the woods.

“It’s hot as f— up here, but it’s a blast,” Hoffman declared, with the sun still beating down on the stage. “Go forth and prosper!”

Remarkably, many did just that, if prospering means twirling, bobbing and hula-hooping deep into the evening. They shook off any vestiges of festival fatigue as Colorado’s The String Cheese Incident fired up its final blast of Electric Forest with another epic three-hour-and-45-minute set.

“I don’t know how they do it,” marveled Grand Rapids singer Hannah Rose Graves, who attended the final day of the festival.

Michigan State Police confirmed there were arrests, as usual, during the four-day festival but couldn’t provide specific numbers and details as of Monday morning.

Indeed, it’s only appropriate that amid the longest days of the year, Electric Forest performances would extend into the wee morning hours each night — even Sunday’s headlining set on the Sherwood Court stage by electronic music hero GRiZ didn’t wrap up till nearly 2 a.m. Monday (with music by Preservation Hall Jazz Band in the Hangar and Beats Antique on the Jubilee stage continuing beyond that).

Clearly, many in this “mob of madness” just didn’t want to see it all come to an end.

PHOTO GALLERY 1: Greensky Bluegrass on Day 4
Photos by Anna Sink

VIDEO: Greensky Bluegrass at Electric Forest 2016

PHOTO GALLERY 2: Images of Electric Forest 2016
Photos by Anna Sink

Copyright 2016, Spins on Music LLC