As my roommate Becky and I approached the Motel 6 late Thursday night, we knew it would be the start of a pretty memorable weekend. Having booked very last minute accommodations, we knew not to expect the penthouse suite, but were also not expecting the small tarantula that would wind up coming (for free!) with our charming two star room.
Taking a quick look back at the week going into Eaux Claires Music & Art Festival, Becky and I were on the fence on whether or not we could make this Midwestern journey happen. We had been super stoked since getting tickets in the spring and had been talking about how it was going to be a great start to Summer 2017. All our excitement must have gotten the best of Becky, however, when she took a tumble riding her bike the weekend before the festival, walking away from the accident with a broken left wrist and right elbow. Cue a brace on one arm, sling on the other.
Thinking we’d have to cancel the trip altogether, the news that she at least wouldn’t need any casts made the Wisconsin trip seem more manageable. And with some pain meds on board, anything seemed possible! So I helped Becky pack her bag, and we were off to America’s Dairyland. Having grown up in nearby Chicago, Wisconsin was always a nice spot for my family to get away from the city and, more importantly, see some cows. So, I had some idea of what we were getting into, but let me tell you, we were definitely not in Allston anymore.
Day One
Hopping on the hotel shuttle early Friday afternoon was the first of many pleasant surprises that this festival had to offer. They made arrangements for different shuttles to bring festivalgoers to and from the grounds (and campgrounds) each day, fully equipped with witty and politically savvy bus drivers. One of which made an announcement that Eaux Claires’ ticketing system had been hacked “probably by the Russians,” and that they had hired ex-FBI director James Comey to investigate since he “recently has a lot of time on his hands.” Oof.
With the soothing tunes of Paris-based This is the Kit guiding us in the background, we ventured off onto the forest trails to see some art. Just off the central field with the 2 main stages were trails leading into the forest lit by bright purple lights and strewn with bright red wood chips (think: that sawdust that appeared from the depths of your grade school whenever a sick kid threw up her bologna sandwich all over the hallway).
Some trails led to small installations that we viewed just walking by, while others led to bigger and more profound setups. The Pickup Music Project, which hails from Boston, returned to Eaux Claires with a sound piece called “Fluid Process” that created music through falling water. Located in the middle of the forest, it encouraged festivalgoers to use different buttons on an electronic screen to get the water to fall from the top of the woodwork. This project “mirror[ed] the organic, unpredictable nature of rain.”
Other installations included a build-your-own log sculpture, tilted monkey bars, coloring wall, and a living room scene built within the trees that seemed to turn into a prime festivalgoer’s dream photobooth. People were invited to “get comfortable” in this Midwestern ‘70s vibe living room by sitting on a couch and listening to a vintage stereo console. Becky and I watched from afar -- the line to “get comfortable” was a bit too long -- as friends and families posed for photos that most likely went straight to the ‘gram.
As we explored the grounds within the forest, we also came across a couple wooden stages that were hand-built for smaller acts and secret musical collaborations. The first one we made sure to catch was indie-folk trio Mountain Man from Vermont, of which Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath makes up 1/3. Singing mostly a cappella with the exception of a soft acoustic guitar on a few tunes, the 3 women of Mountain Man really brought some vocal beauty to the woods. Despite the tiny stage that they performed on, the woodsy area around them was packed with people coming to watch their performance, which was their first in about 5 years. At one point while singing a rather angelic tune, one of them started laughing and tearing up saying something along the lines of, “well it wouldn’t be a true Mountain Man set without one of us crying!”
After making our way out of the crowded forest, Becky and I headed over to an area labeled The Creek to catch Francis and the Lights – one of my most anticipated sets of the weekend. The Creek turned out to be one of our favorite listening spots for the weekend, with many thanks to the multiple lawn chairs that were available to lounge our weary and broken bones in. As Francis appeared on the stage, everyone shot out of their chairs and was prepared to dance – everyone, that is, except Becky who had fallen asleep with a little help from her pain meds. Thinking that Francis’ high energy would jolt her from her slumber, her catnap lasted into the first part of his set, as he sat at the piano and played some slow tunes that had the crowd wondering, “Is this it? Should we sit back down?” Just as everyone started to reconsider their mood, Francis jumped out of his seat and shouted, “Let’s go Eaux Claires!” Playing many of his hits from his album Farewell, Starlite!, he flailed his body around the stage in true Francis-form and ended his performance by bringing up members of the audience, including many kids, to have some sort of spontaneous dance party. Although Becky has been skeptical of Francis’ appeal, she thought that everyone seemed to genuinely be having fun both on stage and in the crowd, ending her thoughts with, “You know what, Francis sounds like a hipster version of Phil Collins.” As for me, I’m here for it.
However, somewhat of a disappointing set for us was Bon Iver’s tribute to legend John Prine, which they titled “The American Songbook.” In what seemed like a consistent jumble of “and please welcome to the stage…” as different artists and bands were called to join Justin Vernon on stage, John Prine didn’t even appear on his own tribute until over an hour into the set just as the first downpour of the weekend began. Feeling a little bummed that this wasn’t the direction we expected the performance to go, we decided to take this time to do what we do best, eat.
After finding newfound energy in some dumplings and kimchi, Becky and I set off to catch Sylvan Esso at the Flambeaux stage, one of the bigger performance spaces of the festival. As the crew worked hard to dry off the equipment and the stage itself after what seemed like a never-ending cats-and-dogs type of rain, the clouds passed over exposing a fire-like sunset just as Sylvan Esso took the stage. From Durham, North Carolina, Sylvan Esso consists of singer Amelia Meath (of Mountain Man) and producer Nick Sanborn. Together they put on a performance for the books. With Meath’s vocal strength ranging from sweet to raspy and Sanborn’s catchy beats, they had the crowd absolutely beaming after being soaked to the bone. Performing songs from both their self-titled first album and recent What Now, Sylvan Esso seemed to be on point their entire set, with an equally impressive light show that shadowed the rhythm of their songs. Definitely a standout of the weekend!
Last, but certainly not least, Chicago hero Lil Chano from the 79th, or as most know him as Chance the Rapper, closed out the festival Friday night. After putting out his third mixtape Coloring Book last summer, he has most notably been popping up in the news for his generous donations to the Chicago Public Schools and his recent win of the Grammy’s 2017 Best New Artist. After recently watching him perform at Boston Calling, we had a feeling that he would bring his A-game once again to Eaux Claires. With a slideshow tribute of his friendship with Kanye and a choreographed dance with Francis + Justin Vernon on both “Friends” and “May I Have This Dance,” Chance had all eyes on him as he played the new hits and some old fan favorites, including “Acid Rap” and “Sunday Candy.” I walked out of day one on a very high note just thinking, “still can’t believe that dude is younger than me.”
Day Two
Amidst talk of schedule changes due to severe weather, we walked into day two determined to stay dry, watch some incredible sets, and finally eat some cheese curds from local vendor “Curd Girl” (funny, turns out this was also my nickname in college). One of the performances that I was most looking forward to on Saturday was Perfume Genius. I admit that I just recently hopped on this bandwagon after streaming their new album No Shape for about the past month since its release, despite having somehow missed the boat on their past three albums. Yikes! When frontman Mike Hadreas walked out onto the main stage in a flowing long-sleeved white blouse and strapless frilled jumpsuit, I was ready. Hadreas had a loose, yet strong energy that carried his body across the stage as he bounced up and down from mic to piano. Fan favorite “Slip Away” from No Shape got everyone up and dancing, wanting more by the end of it. Although ultimately I wish I could have seen Hadreas do his thing in a smaller setting surrounded by less tie-dyed jump-ropers, I was still stoked on it, nonetheless.
At this point in the day, Eaux Claires alerted us that many performances had to be cancelled, as well as other schedule changes for lead acts, due to an incoming storm. Everyone immediately started taking out their leftover ponchos from the day before and buckled down for whatever the rains would throw at them. Feist was able to play her new album Pleasure in full and surprise guests Jenny Lewis and The Staves snuck in their sets on two of the smaller wooden stages near the forest earlier in the day.
Luckily Becky and I were able to sneak in under a tent during the heavy rains, even though we did come prepared with bright blue ponchos, which turned out to be our outfits for pretty much the entire weekend. As the rains subsided, we got right back out there to check on our dude Paul Simon. He was set to play with New York chamber ensemble yMusic before Wilco could close out the festival. With the schedule being pushed forward earlier to accommodate for the weather, Simon and yMusic were able to play after some quick work of pushing all the rainwater off the stage. As yMusic began playing an instrumental version of “America” and Paul Simon walked out on the stage, Becky and I shared a moment of, “I’m not crying, you’re crying.” With Simon’s distinct voice bringing back moments of nostalgia mixed with the gentle instrumentation of yMusic, the sound was absolute magic. Simon played both new arrangements and old Simon & Garfunkel tunes, all of which were composed by different big names in contemporary classical music.
Unlike other big festivals that I’ve attended, Eaux Claires really kept things low-key, yet still exciting and leaving us wanting more. It didn’t deliver cliché or over-the-top side activities, such as ferris wheels or BYO flower crown stations. We were really impressed with the organization of the festival and all the communication surrounding the rough weather, keeping festivalgoers’ safety at the forefront. Despite the multiple set cancellations, some artists were still able to play at a nearby hotel later Saturday night that they announced via twitter.
After all, Eaux Claires is produced by Crash Line Productions, which is a Boston-based company that also owns and produces Boston Calling Music Festival – no wonder we felt so at home! I’m excited to see where Eaux Claires curators Vernon and Dessner take the festival next year, hoping to see some returning acts, as well as some new mind-bending art installations.
Stay cool, Eaux Claires.