Rothbury was the four-day music festival that took place near the Michigan town of the same name. Produced by AEG Live and Madison House Presents, Rothbury rocked the Mitten State the last two summers on consecutive Fourth of July weekends and included performances by Bob Dylan, Snoop Dogg, Widespread Panic, Primus, Trey Anastasio, Cold War Kids, Umphrey’s McGee and The Hold Steady.
But Rothbury isn’t returning this year – bad news for local residents hoping to profit from thousands of music fans descending onto their community. However, one local businessman hopes to soften this year’s Rothbury absence by planning his own music festival.
Called “L3 Lucky Lake Live,” the festival has already announced a 50-band lineup and plans to add more acts to the bill in the weeks to come. Unlike Rothbury’s Independence Day timing, this festival is scheduled for August 20-23 at the Lucky Lake Campground, located near the original Rothbury site at the Double JJ Resort.
The man behind the event is Don McCormick, owner of the Lucky Lake Campground. During the previous two years McCormick leased his campgrounds to Rothbury organizers and was looking forward to doing it again this year. When organizers pulled the plug on a third Rothbury, McCormick, in partnership with John Kunz and Arrowhead Productions, decided to create a new music festival.
“We will be announcing over 25 more artists and a full DJ tent lineup in the next week,” Kunz told the Muskegon Chronicle. “An unbelievable array of talent statewide will make L3 the destination spot for music lovers.”
Maybe so, but don’t expect Lucky Lake to draw nearly as many festivalgoers as Rothbury did, if only because the campgrounds can only hold about 2,000 people.
Tickets go on sale Saturday exclusively through the L3 Lucky Lake Live website. Just click here for more info and here to read the complete Muskegon Chronicle item.