“Out of sight, out of mind” is how the saying normally goes. But there’s also “distance makes the heart grow fonder”. So which one is it? While I don’t think we’re fully qualified to help with processing all of that, it’s easy to know that the latter applies to Electric Forest in Rothbury, Michigan. The festival has not occurred since 2019 after being postponed twice due to the global pandemic. It’s been weird not having the festival, especially for the lot who have had the luxury of attending in the past years, even when it was named Rothbury. So, as of today, to see the confirmed dates and now the artists playing (June 23-26) is such a wonderful feeling.
There’s a lot to unpack here from today’s lineup drop! Again, it’s been two years in the making, and Forest has been going through some slight adjustments since 2015 or so. It has been slowly adding heavier bass artists over the years, and more widely recognized headliners (even though the infamous String Cheese Incident still is set to play 3 of the 4 days!). However, this year, there seems to be a very even mixture of bands, bass, house, vocalists, and more!
First off, Griz, Disclosure, Porter Robinson, Slander, Fisher, Big Gigantic are going to be the main headliners for 2022. Gracing Ranch Arena and Sherwood stage, the audience will be packing in to see these artists full of eco-friendly glowsticks and totems! The Disco Biscuits and Sylvan Esso are joining too! The thing about Forest is that sometimes, the fewer names you recognize on the lineup, the more reason for you to go. The undercard is always amazing at Forest, you’ve just got to trust the process.
In the smaller print, we’ve got some amazing names: Charlesthefirst, Chelsea Cutler, Clozee, LSDream, John Summit, Whethan, Yung Bae, and more. Also, there is some trance coming back to Forest! Markus Schulz, who is no stranger to lineups, is coming. Additionally, we have Tinlicker, Andrew Bayer, and Eli & Fur. Bayer is fresh off his collaboration and Red Rocks performance with Seven Lions. Toro y Moi and Anamanaguchi, good friends with Porter, are both coming to Sherwood Forest. Elrow’s favorite LP Giobbi will be performing with Blu Detiger, Of The Trees, and Cassian. Yeah, there’s a lot here.
Electric Forest is amazing. The music is why we gather in Michigan. Forest is one of those places where the music is an amazing added bonus. Go into it solo or with a few friends, with a smile and great attitude, and you will come away Monday morning feeling centered and optimistic again about everything. Remaining tickets go on sale on Friday at 10AM EST. They will go fast so make sure to utilize the ticket exchange platform provided by EF at their website!
