Insane Clown Posse‘s roots go back to Detroit of the 1980s, but the horrorcore rap duo and their various attendant ghouls seemed right at home on Saturday night in Hardeeville, South Carolina. ICP has long appealed to fans who find themselves on society’s fringes, who have been marginalized in our status-obsessed culture, so no surprise that hundreds would turn out for a show along a quiet stretch of highway in the deep South.
Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope have over the decades built a massive, faithful following, and a few nights ago at the Music Vault I felt a little bit of that draw, that energy, that magnetism (heh).
I don’t know ICP’s work well enough to write a traditional review of the show, but it was obvious that, even after all these years, the band connects viscerally with fans, whether those concertgoers identify as juggalos or not. Saturday’s performance was certainly filled with energy and with all sorts of antics, including the constant spray of Faygo, but there was also brilliant lighting, sound, and pacing. As the audience got lost in the music, the mood became increasingly exuberant, exhilarating, even joyful. The imagery in some of our photos here might seem eerie and frightening, but the effect was wildly different.
By the end of ICP’s set, there was a throng on stage, all drenched in Faygo and all spraying the audience. It was a dazzling spectacle.
ICP’s ongoing Marvelous Missing Link Tour also features some truly impressive opening acts, all of which helped set the stage for the manic, cathartic experience at the end of the night.
Like ICP, P.O.D. (Payable on Death) has been around for a while, but man, they can still bring it. Lead singer Sonny Sandoval’s charismatic presence was infectious (in a good way), especially when he was praising an older fan who ended up stage diving and when he was leading the crowd through their big anthem “Youth of the Nation”.
Saturday’s bill also included DJ Paul of Three 6 Mafia — another strong set and another upbeat stage vibe. (Our condolences to DJ Paul on the death of Three 6 Mafia member Koopsta Knicca.) Dope D.O.D., a rap duo from the Netherlands with over a quarter million Facebook fans, really impressed me, as did Young Wicked, whose confessional lyrics at times hit unexpected emotional chords. Great stuff.
I arrived at the show a little after the scheduled 8 p.m. start time, but by the time I got myself settled, I only saw a few minutes of the local support from Cult Cyph, but it’s clear that the Dope Sandwich-affiliated duo is an act worth watching.
This was my first trip, by the way, to the Music Vault, and I was impressed with the technical specs, the layout, the staff — everything.
Photographer Dave Spangenburg, who has contributed to hissing lawns previously, joined me at Saturday’s show. Between us, we took a lot of photos. Most of the shots in this post are mine, and the ones without watermark are Dave’s. We’ll have another post with more of his photos soon, and look for even more eventually on the hissing lawns Facebook page. Tons more after the jump:
