This was going to be a crazy weekend and just goes to show how far Downtown Las Vegas has come to host an event like this! Not many places would take a chance on a Juggalo Weekend but a big shout out to the Fremont Country Club for hosting this event, not only in their two inside rooms but setting up an outdoor festival in their parking lot in the back.
The Juggalos are a family...tight, bonded, and this is stressed in every area of this festival. Isane Clown Posse has built up their own cult following of fans on their own, and love the branding of being called outcasts. The fans support these bands, and also buy a tremendous amount of merch, and the show had one of the biggest setups I have seen, with customers steady from the time the gates opened at 5pm until well past 1 am. ICP are marketing geniuses, the Juggalo Weekend is all about them, and all the performers for the event are signed to ICP’s own Psychopathic Records Label.
Opening the show on night #1 was local rapper DONNIE MENACE. Donnie is one of the best local rappers who has built up a big fanbase with his intense shows. I predicted long time ago that Donnie Menace is going to blow up big time very soon. In between acts from LA there was a Freakshow / Sideshow with various performers doing stunts such as knife swallowing, balloon swallowing, needles through the face, bullwhip demos, hanging bricks off their ears, nipples and farther down below...
Donnie Menace Photos: Harold Mountain /JustAFanPhotos
Freakshow Photos: Harold Mountain /JustAFanPhotos
Next was DJ CLAY, who at this show did not spin records but actually performed, He has sold over 200,000 mix tapes and is currently producing Shaggy 2 Dope’s new solo cd.
A crowd fav was next, the madness and traveling carnival fronted by Bill Manspeaker that goes by the name GREEN JELLY. If you have never seen a Green Jelly show you have no idea what you are missing. Bill brings a huge cast of characters and musicians to each and every show and this time I believe it was his biggest effort to date. No stage is big enough for Green Jelly as Bill gathers up members of the crowd to join him onstage with everyone wearing huge exaggerated puppet heads of various kinds. Bill then directs them all to go into the crowd and has them participate in what he calls the Punk Rock Puppet Mosh Pit, once again engaging everyone who is in attendance. Green Jelly is a carnival, freakshow and a hell of a good time.
Green Jelly Photos: Harold Mountain /JustAFanPhotos
A new member of Psychopathic Records, LYTE (Young Lyte), is already well known in the Juggalo world for his fierce lyrical and rhyming skills, Lyte will be dropping his debut album on Psychopathic within the next few months. Fast, smooth and a crowd fav - that is Lyte
American rapper RITTZ is known for his wild huge hair and is a cool, smooth performer on stage. Rittz likes to engage his audience talking to them more than the other performers, and plays Vegas frequently and has built up a nice following here.
LYTE Photos: Harold Mountain /JustAFanPhotos
RITTZ Photos: Harold Mountain /JustAFanPhotos
After Rittz finished it was time for night one of Insane Clown Posse - the night known as the HECKLES and JECKLES SHOW. This show was patterned after their Cd, The Amazing Jeckel Brothers, and is about the 9 circles of hell, and the morality of man as he is torn between righteousness and evil. This was a show that seemed more playful and quirky then the Saturday night show was going to be. the guys seemed to be enjoying themselves and very early into the show started spraying the huge crowd, who was outside in 44 degree weather, with bottle after bottle of FAYGO soda. At each show they have a truck load of Faygo delivered, and not only do they blast the crowd with flying bottles, but every few songs they take a break and demented clowns come running out onstage with buckets full of Faygo and toss it all over anybody in range. The amount of Faygo that gets tossed at the crowd at times is staggering and a sight to see, and the fans LOVE IT, and push forward to get doused by the continuous barrage of Faygo. Insane Clown Posse is Violent Jay and Shaggy 2 Dope, and the guys performed until approx. 1:30 am in Downtown Las Vegas. Soaked, tired and delighted the huge crowd filed out into the cold Vegas night air to get something to eat and then some sleep only to return the next night and do it all over again. Night 1 was a success, and on to Night 2 and the Maccabe Show... check our next night review!
Insane Clown Posse: Harold Mountain /JustAFanPhotos