With so many festivals and concerts around the country set for Memorial Day Weekend, it’s a buyer’s market. We’ve now got Amberland, Bisco Inferno, DelFest, StrangeCreek, Phish at Bethel Woods, Sasquatch! and plenty of other events sharing the weekend with Summer Camp. The Chillicothe, IL-based festival aimed to set itself apart from some of the other options with a batch of lineup additions that included keyboardist Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers, Leeds funk/soulsters The New Mastersounds, Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann’s 7 Walkers outfit and a “one-of-a-kind” set from a Huey Lewis and Umphrey’s McGee collaboration called rUMors.
Other acts announced during the festival’s social media “leaks” over the last few days were Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, SOJA, Tea Leaf Green, MiMOSA, Reverend Payton’s Big Damn Band, Orgone, Rebirth Brass Band, BoomBox, Euforquestra, The Mother Hips and The Werks. Of particular note, besides the inclusion of two former members of the Grateful Dead, was the addition of rUMors. Take a look at the “official” description of the set…
We’ll have a one of a kind experience with Huey Lewis and the rUMors, a band put together especially for Summer Camp featuring all of Umphrey’s McGee, a full horn section, backing vocals, and of course the one and only Huey Lewis on vocals & harmonica! Expect a variety of Umphrey’s originals, Huey classics and a slew of covers for this one of a kind set.
Lewis met the members of Umphrey’s at a rehearsal for the 2005 Jammys and set off on a night of debauchery with guitarist Brendan Bayliss detailed on The Floor. The friendship yielded an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, a number of Huey sit-ins at Umphrey’s gigs and a few Bayliss appearances at Lewis’ shows as well as a Huey Lewis guest spot on UM’s Safety In Numbers LP in 2006. Tickets for Summer Camp are available now through the festival’s website.
