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June 10, 2016

THE 2016 SUMMER MUSIC FESTS

So you’ve bought your tickets and set your plans for all of northern Michigan’s great summer concert events, but you still want more music? No problem! The rest of the Midwest is alive with outdoor music festivals too. Behold, the best within an eight-hour drive:

ELECTRIC FOREST FESTIVAL

Rothbury, Mich.; June 23–26 Western Michigan’s only major music fest is the festival formerly known as Rothbury, which takes place in the town of the same name and features loads of jam bands, EDM acts, and more at the Double JJ Ranch. The String Cheese Incident, one of Electric Forest’s most popular return acts, will play three shows over the weekend; other performers include Bassnectar, Major Lazer, The Disco Biscuits, Fetty Wap, Baauer, and Greensky Bluegrass. EXPECT: The constant thud of low-end bass, patchouli, “hug-offs.” CONNECT: electricforestfestival.com TICKETS: General admission plus camping tickets start at $297.75 for the weekend.

SUMMERFEST

Milwaukee, Wisc.; June 29–July 10 How many performances can you watch in the 11 days of Summerfest? That’s the question every year in Milwaukee, as this behemoth of a festival attracts over 900,000 music fans to a long list of live shows in a range of genres. This year’s lineup across 11 stages will include The Roots, The Decemberists, Blake Shelton, Death Cab for Cutie, Garbage, DJ Mike D, Panic! at the Disco, Selena Gomez, Stephen Marley, Pitbull, and Weezer. EXPECT: People, people, and — hey look! — more people. CONNECT: summerfest.com TICKETS: General one-day admission starts at $13; the 11-day Power Pass is $110.

PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL

Chicago; July 15–17 Public transportation (train, bus, bicycle) is highly encouraged for your arrival at this curated festival with a heavy focus on indie-rock favorites, emerging bands, and established artists looking for street cred. Union Park will be the setting for live performances from the likes of Broken Social Scene, Beach House, Carly Rae Jepsen, FKA Twigs, Neon Indian, Digable Planets, and Michigan native singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens. EXPECT: Microbrews, photobooths, kale-kombucha mac ’n cheese. CONNECT: pitchforkmusicfestival.com TICKETS: Single-day passes start at $65, multi-day at $165

PROMOWEST FEST

Columbus, Ohio; July 15–17 From Atlas Genius to Walk the Moon and X Ambassadors, PromoWest covers the gamut of indie and import bands, including highlight appearances from Banners, LL Cool J, DJ Z- Trip, Red Wanting Blue, Ryan Adams, Tears for Fears,The Decemberists, The Wombats, Mac Miller, and the awesomely revitalized Garbage. About 60,000 people are expected to rock their way through the weekend at three stages located in McFerson Commons Park. EXPECT: Urban city views, Buckeyes T-shirts, sausage. CONNECT: promowestfest.com TICKETS: Start at $79 for single-day.

LOLLAPALOOZA

Chicago; July 28–31 In celebration of its 25th anniversary, Lolla has extended its usual three-day schedule to four days. The roster will roll out on Thursday with lower-level headliners like Lana Del Rey and Flosstradamus, but by the weekend, Grant Park will be rocking with sets from Foals, M83, Mutemath, Two Door Cinema Club, and major headliners Radiohead, LCD Soundsystem, Ellie Goulding, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. EXPECT: Dust, sore feet (the main stages are a mile apart), selfies. CONNECT: lollapalooza.com TICKETS: Start at $120 for one-day, $335 for four-days, higher for VIP packages.

SUMMER SET MUSIC & CAMPING FESTIVAL

Somerset, Wisc.; Aug. 12–14 Summer Set offers up three full days of an eclectic mix of performers on several stages in the wilds of northern Wisconsin, complete with camping. While the location might not seem suited for it, this fest is heavy on the EDM, so expect long nights of dancing to the likes of Bassnectar, Grimes, Skrillex, Chance the Rapper, Fetty Wap, and Steve Aoki, plus a few floats down the Apple River the next day to cool your tired feet. EXPECT: Glow sticks, mosquitos, tinnitus. CONNECT: summersetfestival.com TICKETS: Weekend tickets start at $229.

NORTH COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL

Chicago; Sept. 2–4 It’s the next-to-last splash for Chicago’s music fest season, in which North Coast lines up a long list of eclectic performances plus a series of rollicking after-parties and various contests for maximum end-of-summer fun. This year the fest will feature sets heavy on EDM and groove acts, including Bassnectar, Zedd, Logic, Umphrey’s McGee, Ty Dolla $ign, and the new Sean Lennon/Les Claypool (of Primus) side project, The Claypool Lennon Delirium. EXPECT: Silent discos, tambourines, noodle-dancing. CONNECT: northcoastfestival.com TICKETS: Start at $159 for a three-day general admission pass.

RIOT FEST

Chicago; Sept. 16–18 Following North Coast, Riot Fest really is Chicago’s final gasp of the season, and it pulls out all the stops with carnival thrill rides, some unusual food vendors, and, of course, the music. This year’s Douglas Park lineup veers from danceable (and slam-danceable) to pensive, with performances from The Specials, Morrissey, Jake Bugg, The Hives, Dan Deacon, Nas, NOFX, The Hold Steady, The Vandals, and a special appearance by the original Misfits. EXPECT: Doc Martens, tattoos, crowd-surfing. CONNECT: riotfest.org/chicago TICKETS: Three-day general admission starts at $179.

ROCK OUT OVERSEAS!

Run out of stateside music festivals? No problem — Europe has plenty of fests just waiting for you to hop a plane. Here are some of this year’s best:

Rock Werchter – Werchter, Belgium; June 30–July 3 – rockwerchter.be/en Featuring: Ellie Goulding, New Order, Kaiser Chiefs, James Blake

Roskilde Fest – Roskilde, Denmark; June 25–July 2 – roskilde-festival.dk Featuring: LCD Soundsystem, Macklemore and Lewis, Chvrches, New Order

Pukkelpop – Kiewit-Hasselt, Belgium; Aug. 17–20 – pukkelpop.be/nl Featuring: Battles, Crystal Castles, The Chemical Brothers, The Lumineers

V Festival – Chelmsford/Staffordshire, U.K.; Aug. 20–21 – vfestival.com Featuring: Sia, Rihanna, Bastille, Justin Bieber

Rock En Seine – Paris; Aug. 26–28 – rockenseine.com/en Featuring: The Last Shadow Puppets, Sigur Ros, Iggy Pop, The Temper Trap

Bestival – Isle of Wight, U.K.; Sept. 8–11 – bestival.net Featuring: Hot Chip, Fatboy Slim, Major Lazer, The Human League