Summer Camp 2011

Summer Camp Music Festival may very well be the best festival I have ever been to. It was over Memorial Day Weekend in Chillicothe, IL which is about three hours south of Chicago. So Friday, May 27th we got in the car and drove down through farmland all the way to Three Sisters Park.

We got there a little bit late on Friday so we were only able to make it to the last shows, but wow were they great. First we saw Umphrey’s McGee play at set, followed by STS9 on the big main stage which was so amazing, and then another round of Umphrey’s.

Saturday we started our day off right, with some music. It rained a little big in the morning so we hid in our tents a little bit listening to the Rebirth Brass Band and Gaelic Storm. When the rain finally let up, we made our way over the main stage to get our reggae on and see SOJA, followed by some Wiz Khalifa, then Slightly Stoopid, then over to a little dance party with some Girl Talk. By now, the night had fallen and it was time for a little more Umphrey’s McGee, cuz hey you can never get enough of UM. They played a cover of the Beatles’ Live and Let Die which was definitely the highlight of my weekend. Followed by Mimosa, another set of Umphrey’s, then a late night set of Moe. over at the big stage. And wow do Moe really know how to set up a light show! THen there was some late night dubstep shows playing over in the 312 Vibe Tent, including Babylon System and Mimosa.

Now Sunday was truly going to be the Funday! Once again, it rained a little big in the morning. But from our tent, we could hear Cornmeal, Huey Lewis, Bruce Hornsby, and of course some more Umphrey’s. But once the rain let up, we were able to make our way over to the smaller stage to see Skrillex and Eoto. Then we headed over just in time to see WIDESPREAD MOTHAFUCKIN PANIC, who were awesome as always. Followed by Bassnectar who seriously threw down hard with some awesome mixes including Hello, then another late night Moe. show, and then some more late night dubstep by Babylon System and DJ Solo.

All in all the whole weekend was EPIC. Even though it rained and the whole place was all muddy, it was great to just take off your shoes and slip around in the mud and enjoy the music. All of the shows were great, the light shows are awesome, and the crowds were fantastic with all of their creative signs and poles and flags. What a great weekend, I hope next years lineup is as good as this years…I know it will be.