The String Cheese Incident Welcomes Guests & Offers Debuts At Electric Forest Opener

The first weekend of the Electric Forest Festival got underway on Thursday in Rothbury, Michigan. The eclectic multi-day and multi-weekend fest that in recent years has that leaned towards electronica acts features four headlining shows from the host band The String Cheese Incident. On Friday night the Colorado jam act delivered a guest-filled two-set show that included a number of live debuts including a new original.

SCI got their headlining set going with “Outside And Inside” the title track from their 2001 release. The band next paired “Joyful Sound” with “Rumble,” playing the tune for just the 14th since it was debuted in 2016. “You’ve Got The World To Give” came ahead of the debut of “Manga.” The tune, which percussionist Jason Hann offered a detailed explanation of on Facebook, takes its name from Cameroonian musician Andre Manga, who played on Paul Simon’s Rhythm of the Saints” and with Hann in his side-project Rhythmatronix. Later in the opening frame String Cheese offered up their second debut of the night as they dropped in a cover of R.E.M.’s “Superman” from the band 1986’s Life’s Rich Pageant in the middle of the set-closing “Rollover.”

The String Cheese Incident welcomed their first guest of the night when they returned for their second set as they were joined by GRiZ. The future-funk saxophonist assisted on the opening run that saw the band drop in a cover of Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon” from the keyboardist’s 1973 release Head Hunters in the middle of “Miss Brown’s Teahouse.” Everyone Orchestra’s Matt Butler emerged next as he played his usual role of the conductor leading the band through a no-holds-barred, free-form jam sequence. The cavalcade of guests continued as the Shook Twins got in on the action assisting the band on a pair of songs. First up was “Sirens” from 2003’s Untying the Not and which was followed by their third debut of the night a cover of the Eurythmics’ 1983 hit “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This).”

Australian singer-songwriter and didgeridoo player Xavier Rudd and SunSquabi’s Kevin Donohue were next up, as the augmented act dug in on Bob Marley’s “Exodus.” SCI went it alone for “Valley Of The Jig” which segued into yet another first-timer as they offered up Michael Jackson’s “Workin’ Day And Night.” The track from Jackson’s 1979 release Off the Wall featured some help from Cory Henry and Natalie Cressmam. “Rosie” came ahead of their final debut of the night as the jamgrass act was joined by The Glitch Mob and Matt Quinn of Mt. Joy for a show-closing version of The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army.”

[Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) | Captured by Shook Twins]

[Seven Nation Army | Captured by Christopher Burton]

Setlist (via Friends Of Cheese)

Set I: Outside and Inside, Joyful Sound > Rumble, You’ve Got The World, Manga%, Believe, Song In My Head > Rollover > Superman > Rollover

Set II: Miss Brown’s Teahouse1 > Chameleon1 > Miss Browns Teahouse1, Everyone Orchestra Jam2, Sirens3 > Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)3, Exodus4, Valley of the Jig > Workin’ Day and Night5, Rosie, Seven Nation Army6

1 with Griz, 2 with Matt Butler, 3 with Shook Twins, 4 with Xavier Rudd, Kevin Donohue (SunSquabi), 5 with Cory Henry & Natalie Cressman, 6 with The Glitch Mob & Matt Quinn (Mt. Joy)