Michael Berg is a partner and talent buyer for Collectiv Presents, the event promotion and production company behind festivals such as North Coast Music Festival, Suwannee Hulaween, and the recent debut of The Miracle In Mundelein, which made history this September as the first Illinois concert to permit onsite cannabis consumption. Most recently, Berg produced the 2023 edition of Suwannee Hulaween, which ran October 26-29 at Spirit of Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida. Headliners included Pretty Lights, The String Cheese Incident, Trey Anastasio Band, Goose, John Summit, Elderbrook, Big Wild, Channel Tres, Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, Joe Russo's Almost Dead, Smino, and Dispatch.
Michael Berg And The Miracle In Mundelein: Illinois' First Concert With Onsite Cannabis Consumption
The history-making The Miracle in Mundelein, which took place September 9-10 just outside of Chicago, was an unforgettable celebration of cannabis, music, art that fostered camaraderie across communities. Presented by RYTHM Premium Cannabis, Sacred Rose, and Dayglo Presents, the two-day event spanned multiple genres, offering up a cultural mix of hip-hop, jam, reggae and funk artists. The weekend’s lineup featured legendary, multi-platinum hip-hop group Cypress Hill, underground rap icon, cannabis enthusiast, chef, and media personality Action Bronson, eight-time Grammy-winning reggae artist Stephen Marley doing a rare, full band acoustic set, and local artist DJ Papa G, Grateful Dead offshoot Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, funk-fusion group Lettuce, jam/experimental bassist Karina Rykman, and Chicago DJ Mitch Please.
In addition to the acutely curated music programming, The Miracle offered attendees singular non-music experiences such as a dab bar, cannabis beverage garden, joint rolling, and chilled bongs. Though cannabis sales were not permitted inside the event, it did take place across from RISE Dispensary Mundelein, owned by Green Thumb Industries, so that patrons could purchase legal cannabis products before enjoying them at The Miracle.
Of the groundbreaking gathering, Berg stated, “After decades of providing live music experiences, and as a long-time advocate for the medical benefits and recreational adult use of cannabis, contributing to this event [was] an honor and a special moment for the collective community in Illinois and the Chicagoland area. Growing up and attending high school only one town over and seeing how far things have evolved over the past three decades, it’s truly a miracle that we’re able to create such a unique and first-of-its-kind concert. Our extended team [worked] closely with the village of Mundelein to ensure The Miracle [was] equal parts safe and fun for all attendees to celebrate the culture with performances from artists who align with the lifestyle.”
Michael Berg's Weedsday Playlist: The Miracle Of Cannabis-Inspired Artists
For his Weedsday Playlist, Michael Berg was inspired by The Miracle in Mundelein’s unique vibrations. Instead of individual tracks, however, he decided to highlight specific artists’ catalogues of work.
According to Berg, "This is a selection of some of my favorite artists of all time - who are not only great to chill and smoke to, but are a perfect gateway into cannabis culture at large. These artists and vibes reflect the environment of inclusivity, community, and musical virtuosity we cultivated with the inaugural Miracle In Mundelein event - a two-day music concert event experience that celebrated all things weed and music."
Pink Floyd
Rotating between Dark Side of the Moon, Meddle, Wish You Were Here and Animals. Dark Side and these other legendary albums were all ahead of their time, just like we hope The Miracle will prove to be one day. Pink Floyd has proven the test of time, to remain not only one of the first but most poignant psychedelic bands in rock and roll history.
*Editor's Note: Did you know? Musician Lauren Morrow chose Pink Floyd's "Us And Them" for her Weedsday Playlist. Pink Floyd also appears on our list of the top 5 bands to listen to while consuming cannabis.
Grateful Dead
Rotating between American Beauty and Terrapin Station as my two favorite studio albums from The Dead [got] me hyped for a two set show by Joe Russo's Almost Dead, [which closed] out the inaugural Miracle in Mundelein event. We all need A Miracle and no American band has ever created such a cultural fabric of authenticity through their legions of fans and insane songbook of original material.
Bob Marley
Rotating between Exodus and Kaya as my two favorite albums from Bob Marley [got] me excited to see his son Stephen Marley doing the opening 4:20 set on the first day of The Miracle. Reggae and Rasta culture has always been at the epicenter of the cannabis world.
*Editor's Note: Did you know? Bob Marley's son Damian Marley was on the cover of our FREEDOM issue. Check out the interview here, and get your copy of the issue here.
90s Hip Hop: Cypress Hill, Outkast, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, The Fugees, The Luniz And More
I love my 90s hip-hop playlist on Spotify - Includes Cypress Hill's song "Hits From The Bong" and countless other throwbacks from Classic-Era hip hop. That era of 90s hip-hop celebrated the cannabis lifestyle. From Outkast's "Crumblin' Erb," to Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg's hit "The Next Episode," to the Fugees' "Ready Or Not," to The Luniz’s "I Got 5 On It"- the list goes on and on.
*Editor's Note: Did you know? 90s hip hop is very popular with our Weedsday enthusiasts!
Cannabis consultant Andrew DeAngelo chose "Hits From The Bong" for his Weedsday Playlist, CelebStoner publisher Steve Bloom chose Cypress Hill's "Insane In The Brain", and music icon Rob Paine chose Cypress Hill's "I Wanna Get High". You can check out DeAngelo's list here, Bloom's list here, and Paine's list here. Bloom also chose Luniz's "I Got 5 On It."
Culinary and Cannabis founder Tamara Anderson chose Snoop Dogg's "Who Am I (What's My Name)?" for her Weedsday Playlist, as well as The Fugees' "Killing Me Softly With His Song." You can check out Anderson's list here. Chef Matt of Cali Supreme chose Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa's "OG" featuring Curren$y (not a 90s song, but hey, anything Snoop is a classic in our book). You can check out Chef Matt's list here.
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, the red hot band from Down Under, released an album in 2021 called Butterfly 3000. This recording from top to bottom presents itself as a masterclass on modern rock psychedelia, at its finest. I love to spin this one on vinyl and am impressed how this band will go from shredding progressive rock to something so melodic and tapped into this type of songwriting and performance energy.
For more about Michael Berg and upcoming events offered through Collectiv Presents, visit collectivpresents.com.
What are your favorite Weedsday tracks? Tell us about them - reach out at @honeysucklemagazine on Instagram and @HoneysuckleMag on Twitter!
Find Out More On Social
--
Featured image: Michael Berg (C) Collectiv Presents
