TRAVERSE CITY — The Michigan band calls it a “carefully cultivated Greensky adventure.”
Progressive bluegrass powerhouse Greensky Bluegrass announced that its popular annual Camp Greensky festival will relocate from Michigan to Iceland come June 2023.
The three-day music festival held last summer at Shagbark Farm south of Grand Rapids will roll out more than 2,900 miles away in “the incredibly stunning” Eldborg Hall within the Harpa Concert & Conference Centre in Reykjavik, Iceland. The event originally took place in Wellston.
Dubbing it “the trip of a lifetime,” the three-night affair will also feature keyboardist and Michigan native Holly Bowling as well as special guests Fruition, Neighbor (with Greensky’s Dave Bruzza and Anders Beck) and The Lil Smokies (with Greensky’s Paul Hoffman and Michael Bont).
Tickets for the June 3-5 festival are being sold via a lottery system, with details online at greenskyiniceland.com. Pre-sale lotteries are under way for a premium “full session” ticket package priced at $629 (plus service charges) and for regular ticket packages costing $285-$375 (based on seat location).
“The Iceland trip presented a unique opportunity to curate a different type of event,” Hoffman told Local Spins. “The venue is spectacular, and we have heard glowing reviews from bands and fans alike.”
The far-flung event will actually kick off June 2 with a solo performance by Bowling at Harpa. After-shows featuring Neighbor and The Lil Smokies will take place at the Idno Theatre and Restaurant.
Harpa Conference Centre hosts several music festivals every year, and has featured past concerts by the likes of Umphrey’s McGee, Elvis Costello, Sigur Ros, Snarky Puppy, Kraftwerk, Patti Smith and Herbie Hancock. It’s home to the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Icelandic Opera.
Harpa’s website describes the 11-year-old venue as “one of Reykjavik’s most striking landmarks and a center of cultural and social life in the very heart of the city.”
Bowling frequently joins Greensky Bluegrass on stage and has even been regarded as the band’s sixth member. The keyboardist, who was born in Ludington and grew up in Grand Haven, played two sold-out shows with the bluegrass band last June on the rooftop at Pier 17 in New York City and is featured on the title track of Greensky’s latest album, “Stress Dreams.”
As for the festival’s future at Shagbark Farm, property owner John Crissman said he’s “still trying to sort this out.”
Hoffman insisted that band members “will never forget our home and are already planning some new shows in the Mitten.”
He added: “Unfortunately, we were going to be unable to pull off Camp Greensky in Michigan, and since these dates aligned, we thought it would be fun to take it abroad for a year and try something different. … The event is targeted more toward our fans traveling with us there, but I hope to attract some Icelandic fans and definitely can’t wait to check out the new place.”
Fan reaction to the move on Facebook was mixed, with some toasting the novel idea of relocating to an “incredible country.” Others noted that it’s simply too expensive and “unattainable for many to most of the supporters … to travel overseas” for the festival.