The Insane Clown Posse pounded me with Faygo Saturday night in the photo pit at The Rave Ballroom, and I was absolutely drenched by the time my three songs were up. I was constantly wiping the UV Filter on my camera lens to try and "clear the way" to get a shot of the chaos happening all around me.
Photo Gallery: ICP in Milwaukee
That's just how it goes at an ICP show, Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope show no mercy in their dojo, and I wouldn't have it any other way. It marked the second time in two days I found myself in adverse conditions in a photo pit, my camera and myself wrapped up in plastic.
The American Psycho Tour theme extended onstage, and the colors of the American flag were present everywhere you looked, including the four Faygo stations that held a copious and never-ending supply of 2 liter bottles. What flavor you ask ? Diet root beer. I still smell it, I think some is still lodged way up in my nasal cavity. And in case you're wondering, it burns your eyes. The last time I photographed ICP I spent a fair amount of time to the side of the stage, but last night I got right up into the belly of the beast, determined to get a photo of Shaggy & Violent J together. You would think it's an easy task to photograph two musicians together onstage. It turns out my plan failed, my photos were blurry and soda stained, I missed every shot I tried to take of the duo standing together. Maybe next time...
The show was outstanding, intense, and unmistakably cherished by the fans. The opening bands included numerous acts on Psychopathic records including Wolfpac, Hutch, Blaze & Twiztid. ICP took the stage for a little over an hour and they played a setlist heavy on the hits, including "In Your Face", "Chicken Huntin'", The Sly Fox cover "Let's Go All The Way" and the viral hit "Miracles" from their CD "Bang ! Pow ! Boom !" released in 2009. The finale, per usual ICP style, included everyone onstage uncapping bottle after bottle of Faygo onto the crowd. It's not something you see everyday, and not something you can easily forget. It's a unique experience in the music industry from a band that has captured the heart and soul of their fan base.
Juggalos and Juggalettes flooded The Rave in huge numbers. I'm always impressed with the turnout at Milwaukee ICP shows. We have a huge population of Ninjas in the Midwest.
If you're confused by my terms and slang, don't worry, just do a Google search, you'll find a couple million results just by typing in "Insane Clown Posse." They are, after all, in their own words "The world's most hated band", and more than a few words have been written about them in the press.
