‘Evil’ Electric Forest To Return In 2015

The Grant Township Board approved the annual mass gathering permit for the Electric Forest Festival by a 3-2 vote on Monday, November 10th. This means that, for the fifth consecutive year, Electric Forest will take place at the Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury, Michigan. The vote follows a successful 2014 edition of the four-day event, which sold 34,000 general admission tickets, according to township officials.

The township board members gave their reasoning for their votes, with some citing the economic benefit and others ‘swinging the bat for the little guy’. But it is the reason from township treasurer Joanne Heck which is most notable. Heck argued that ‘money doesn’t make evil right’, and she would therefore vote against approval for the permit, according to the Oceana County Press.

Evil. You know, sinful, immoral, corrupt, vile. The most immoral and corrupt thing at festivals like Electric Forest are the seemingly endless number of Big Room and Trap DJs getting booked. It’s a music festival, not a Ku Klux Klan gathering. People attend to listen to music, get away from the world, and enjoy time with friends. The fact that someone in a decision-making position would use the word evil (a word former President George W. Bush used to describe Al Qaeda) to describe a music festival that happens to provide her township with inarguable economic benefits, is a joke. Unfortunately, it’s a sad joke, rather than a funny one.

Nothing says evil like lasers and trees.

The dance music scene, and festivals in particular, are under intense scrutiny with each event. Something we’re all too familiar with in the Northwest, considering the circumstances surrounding FreakNight 2014. It is disheartening that, even when events like Electric Forest or FreakNight are a success, that some will bury their head in the sand and avoid critical thinking at all costs.

We would love to hear from township treasurer Heck on her decision or reasoning in further detail, and would like to hear her side. Let us know what you think of Electric Forest’s return in 2015 and township treasurer Heck’s reasoning for her vote. Comment below, on Facebook, or reply on Twitter!