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Insane Clown Posse

"The Mighty Death Pop!" Tour

The Main St. Armory in Rochester, New York

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Well my Faygo-Luvin’ Juggalos, I am finally revived enough to bring you the inside scoop on what went down in Rochester, NY last night. Now for those of you who were not aware, I was live on the scene snapping photos and grabbing interviews for the Faygoluvers EXCLUSIVE review of the first stop of The Mighty Death Pop! Tour. I’m gonna give you a rundown on what to expect from the show, however I’m not going to tell you all the spoilers.. For those of you who DO wish to get a little more in-depth info like that, our homie Shifty Novak posted an article earlier containing the FULL list of ICP’s set, as well as a few other interesting tidbits. Also before I begin this I want to give a huge THANK YOU to my assistant Alan Krone for all of his help and hard work, and for putting up with me yet again. Many of the pics we got were due to his daring ninja tactics, so be sure to give him some props!

Now on to our adventure..

THE SETUP

We left Buffalo, NY at around 3pm, arriving in Rochester two hours later. I snagged a parking spot directly across the street from the venue, the parking attendant gave me his “prime spot” – between a pole and a wall, haha. It was all good though, they gave no hassle to the Juggalos at all. The line outside was starting to get anxious, “whoop whoop!”s and “family!” chants all around, but the security was getting into it as well, participating with the crowd.

Alan and I got inside and spoke with the Psychopathic Records liason, who had to go get our Media Passes. This took a moment due to the hectic atmosphere – everyone was bustling about to hang signs, get security in place, and get the VIPers through the door. Being that this was the first show of the tour, things were naturally a little chaotic. Unfortunately due to this reason we did not have time to sit and film our interviews with the touring acts. However I was able to kick it with them for a few, which I’ll tell you about in a little bit..

The security was decent and friendly, much better attitudes than some other shows I’ve been to. There was very little incident amongst the crowd, a couple scuffles, but nothing major. I saw one or two Juggalos get hauled out by security, but they weren’t real jerks about it. There was also a ninja who had a little too much to drink and had a bad reaction, but thankfully the medical staff was quick and efficient and got that homie on a stretcher and out of there. My thoughts go out to him, I hope he’s doing well.

Insane Clown Posse & Shock Paddles of Buffalo Juggalos

Insane Clown Posse & Shock Paddles of Buffalo Juggalos

The merch tables in this venue were placed at the back of the hall, on either sides of the door. The Psychopathic table boasted a very large collection, everything from Tour merchandise to stickers to Psychopathic jersies to Legz Diamond shirts. Kung Fu Vampire and Moonshine Bandits also had a variety of shirts, albums, jewelry, etc available. I wasn’t able to scope out the VIP area for the Meet & Greet, however a few of my Buffalo Juggalos homies were there and graciously sent me their pictures, so you can peep that out a little bit.

THE PERFORMANCES

Much to our surprise, the evening was emceed by none other than Jumpsteady himself. He came out and introduced all the acts, hyping up the crowd. However as we found out later, this wouldn’t be the only purpose Violent J’s brother would serve..

The first group on stage was the surprise act (which Violent J leaked to us last week on his Twitter anyway), which was the Axe Murder Boyz. I personally hadn’t seen the Garcia Brothers in a little while, so it was nice to see them kick the night off. They were on stage for about 15 to 20 minutes and played a variety of tracks, including a new “Young Wicked” song. They also played some Juggalo favorites, the most memorable for me was “I Stay Wicked.”

After AMB finished their set, we had a short break before Kung Fu Vampire came on. Now I just want to point out that I’ve noticed over the past year or so Psychopathic shows have been running more smoothly and on time. Five, ten years ago Psychopathic concerts would draaag: doors would open an hour late, there’d be 30+ minutes between acts, it was a nightmare. Nowadays they usually have it down to fifteen minutes or less in between acts, which is very nice.

Kung Fu Vampire entraps the crowd's attention

Kung Fu Vampire entraps the crowd’s attention

Kung Fu Vampire was joined on stage by a drummer and a bassist, which provided a nice ambiance to his sound. He didn’t wear face paint, which I’ve noticed he hasn’t been doing lately, however he did show off his hatchetman tattoo on his leg. He performed a variety of tracks, including classics like “Dead Girls (Don’t Say No)” and “iCount” (which is my favorite KFV track). Kung Fu Vampire was on stage for about a half hour. I met up with him afterwards for a picture and a few quick words, which is in the Interviews section below.

The Moonshine Bandits were on stage next, joined by DJ Chopstiqs on the tables. The crowd reaction was mixed at first, but by the middle of the set the whole room was moving. MSB quite honestly fit in a little better than I thought they would. I knew they would do great, but their style of music is so drastically different from the rest of the tour I was afraid it wouldn’t fit in and get a bad reception. But of course those Whiskey-Drinkin’ S.O.B.s came out and rocked the stage. The most memorable songs for me were “For the Outlawz” and “Whiskey River.”

The Mighty Death Pop! Tour stage setup

The Mighty Death Pop! Tour stage setup

After a quick cigarette and photo shoot with my new homie Ominous the Klown (that’s him and me in the Featured Image above), Alan and I stepped up past the barricade to resume our perch by the stage with our cameras in hand to get ready for Insane Clown Posse to emerge. When the time finally came, the lights dropped and the overhead music cut out, and after an anxious couple minutes of silent darkness the curtains drew back. My wig was immediately flipped by the stage design. I hadn’t seen a stage that dope since the Hell’s Pit Tour, or maybe the Tempest Tour. The past couple years they had toured with the Old Shit light-up “ICP” sign, it was very refreshing to see the layout they presented before us. There was an entire back wall made of yellow and purple, the colors of MDP, and in the center was giant replica of the Mighty Death Pop!’s head, which had light-up eyes and the flaps of its hat moved. On the stage were two giant clear canisters displaying the Faygo logo, one with a yellow bubbling liquid, and the other purple. There were four barrels toward the front of the stage holding the infamous 2-liters. There were also various ramps and entrance points for stage dancers, which included zombies, devils and clowns, and the Faygo refillers, who were decked out as ninjas. Also moving about the stage for a good chunk of the set was everyone’s favorite, the heavyweight JCW Champion himself, Evil Dead!

As the curtains drew back we were treated to an almost familiar sounding tune, and then immediately the lights and sound exploded as ICP stepped on stage. They opened right up with “Chris Benoit” then went into “The Mighty Death Pop!.” The Faygo started spraying at that point, and at mine and Alan’s vantage point we were immediately drenched. Needless to say, I broke in my Faygoluvers t-shirt that night! We snapped some photos for the first few songs, then went out into the crowd to watch the rest of the show.

They played a very wide variety of songs, and many of them songs you wouldn’t normally hear live. In fact, many songs I expected to hear I did not. They played a few old school tracks, including “Prom Queen” which featured a live (or dead?) prom queen dancing in the background. They played a lot of new tracks, including “Jump Around,” “When I’m Clownin’,” “Night of the Chainsaw,” and many more. I’ll include a short list below, but in an effort to keep the show fresh for y’all, if you want the FULL set you’ll have to refer to Shifty’s afore mentioned post.

Violent J reaches for a Faygo 2-Liter

Violent J reaches for a Faygo 2-Liter

They threw a good amount of Faygo, although not quite as much as I’ve experienced at other shows. Have no fears though, because they saved it for the end. The Faygo Armageddon at the end left me the most soaked I’ve ever been from an ICP show. They were joined on stage by the VIPers and other artists and stage crew for the ending track, which was “Bang! Pow! Boom!,” which I thought was interesting as I would have assumed they would close with “Forever.” But nonetheless it was explosive, an absolute perfect end to the night. The most noticable changes from past concerts were the variety of stage dancers, the stage design and the new “Faygo break” jingles. ICP didn’t talk a lot in between songs, they kept their set moving at a good pace. There was also an on-stage cameo from Legz Diamond, who came out shredding on the guitar for a track. All in all, ICP performed very well, the show was very solid. Some of the songs they chose to perform may not have been the best fit, but overall I was definitely satisfied with the show. ICP was on stage for almost an hour, although that time flew by quick!

The crowd dispersed in an incident-free fashion afterwards, many of them hitting up the merch booths. Psychopathic was already selling out of certain items on the first night! I personally picked up a couple of vinyl hatchetman decals for my new car as they were only five bucks. When most of the crowd was out I was able to slip over and have a few words with DJ Chopstiqs of the Moonshine Bandits, which you can also read about in the Interviews section below.

After making all my goodbyes, my crew and I left the building. The crowd outside wasn’t too rowdy, and there weren’t too many police officers in the area. In fact, I personally didn’t see one car pulled over on my trek home.

Whew! I know that was a lot to read, but I want to make sure you guys get the FULL experience of what’s going on, because this Tour is definitely one you do not want to miss. If I was asked to give it a “grade,” based on every ICP tour that I’ve been to over the past 9 years, I would give this tour an “A-.” The minus only because of the choice of some of their songs, and while the Moonshine Bandits totally rocked the stage, I feel Kung Fu Vampire should’ve went before ICP because he fits the theme a little better.

Here’s a short list of the tracks ICP performed:

  • Chris Benoit
  • Mighty Death Pop!
  • Get Ya Wicked On
  • What Is a Juggalo?
  • Bazooka Joey
  • Little Yellow Bus
  • Jump Around
  • Prom Queen
  • Burning Up
  • When I’m Clownin’
  • Night Of the Chainsaw
  • Fat Sweaty Betty
  • Bang! Pow! Boom!

Now that’s about two-thirds of the set, I’m purposely leaving the rest out so you can experience the magic for yourself. Once again, if you want the FULL set, refer to Shifty’s post.

THE INTERVIEWS

Polmar & Kung Fu Vampire

Polmar & Kung Fu Vampire

I had a chance to speak a few minutes with both Kung Fu Vampire and DJ Chopstiqs of the Moonshine Bandits. Now like I said I didn’t get to record these conversations, so please do not hold me to exact quotes.

Here’s what they had to say:

Polmar: What was the reaction like when Psychopathic called you asking you to join the tour?

Kung Fu Vampire: I was real excited. I have nothing but love for the family.

Moonshine Bandits: It was awesome! I got a text like two weeks ago saying we’re doing the ICP tour, it’s been hectic since then.

P: How do you feel the fans’ reaction to the news of you being on the tour was?

KFV: Awesome! I got a lot of props from all around, I always love touring with the Juggalos.

MSB: It was real interesting. We toured with Twiztid in the past and the family loved us.

P: Do you feel your performance tonight, as well as the crowd’s reaction to it, set a good mood for the duration of the tour?

KFV: Oh yes, indeed. I thought the sound was a little off at first, but the crowd really loved my set. Everyone was moving. This is gonna be great tour.

MSB: We loved it! We had so much fun! The crowd was great, showed us a lot of love. We’re real excited for the rest of the tour, it’s gonna be good run, and we get to party with the Juggalo Family everywhere.

Unfortunately my conversation with Kung Fu Vampire was short, however I was able to catch a few extra words with the Moonshine Bandits. One of the biggest questions I asked them, which I’m sure is on a lot of Juggalo’s minds, was their comment on the current Kottonmouth Kings/Kevin Zinger situation. Here’s what they had to say (paraphrasing, of course):

DJ Chopstiqs

DJ Chopstiqs

 

We’re friends with the Kings and everyone involved at Subnoize and SRH. We have nothing but love and respect for EVERYONE in the Underground. It sucks that this is going on, but its business, and we try not to let that affect us. We’re out here on the road to do a job and to enjoy ourselves and party with the family, and that’s what we concentrate on. We hope everything works out, because we are all friends, but everyone needs to understand that this is a business and unfortunately these things happen.

 

Well there you have it my friends. A complete and in-depth review on Insane Clown Posse’s “Mighty Death Pop!” Tour. I know it was lengthy, ScottieD is probably gonna kill me (haha), but he told me to capture the full experience for y’all. I hope this helps any of you last-minuters who are trying to decide on whether or not to buy tickets, and that this gives those who are already going some new hopes to look forward to. Below is a link to the Gallery displaying over 100 pictures, and there are more coming in soon. Once again, big shoutouts to Psychopathic Records for supporting FLH and letting us in to do this, Kung Fu Vampire and Moonshine Bandits for their humbleness, ScottieD for hooking this up for me, Alan Krone for everything he does, and of course, all of you JUGGALOS for keeping this wicked shit alive!

Remember to peep the Tour Gallery on your way out!

Location:

  • The Main St. Armory
  • New York
  • United States

Guests:

  • Moonshine Bandits, Kung Fu Vampire, Axe Murder Boyz

Tour:

  • "The Mighty Death Pop!" Tour

Record Label:

  • Psychopathic Records (main); Mad Insanity, Suburban Noize, Canonize (support)

Websites:

Reviewer:

Review Date:

  • 05/01/2013

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    Faygoluvers Comments

  1. Guest

    Guest

    Comment posted on Friday, May 3rd, 2013 08:14 am GMT -5 at 8:14 am

    Nice review. A few points:

    I agree about the time between acts. It used to be murder with late doors and long waits between sets. They have improved here quite a bit over the years.

    The “old shit light up icp sign” did not originate on that tour, that sign has been a gathering staple for at least a decade.

    Legz guitar playing, while awesome, is in no way close to a shredding style. I know you were just using the word in a casual way to discribe him playing guitar, but as a guitar player let me confirm: Legs Diamond does not shred. Yes, I am being picky here.

    Not sure what to say about your partial setlist. You hold back songs, BUT you list the songs that maybe might be more inclined to take people off gaurd. It seems more full at the begining of the show like you had a hard time keeping up with the list as the show got more hectic.

    You link to the same article twice. Kinda redundant right?

    Overall I give your review C+. Good job.

  2. PunkRockJuggalo

    Comment posted on Friday, May 3rd, 2013 08:38 am GMT -5 at 8:38 am

    that was a good review.
    thanks for the multiple shout outs.
    i’m more hyped for the show next week after reading this review.
    this confirmed my thought get merchandise before show starts so the stuff you want is not sold out.

  3. ganjadude

    ganjadude

    Comment posted on Friday, May 3rd, 2013 03:10 pm GMT -5 at 3:10 pm

    decent review Ill have one for you guys on sunday

  4. unidentifiedJUGGALO

    Comment posted on Friday, May 3rd, 2013 07:46 pm GMT -5 at 7:46 pm

    awesome review.. can’t wait for 2morrow! for those that said it wasn’t a good turn out the worcester show will make up for that!!! all that extra shit with ppl sayin there old and suck live now put a dick in it. nobody cares about ya opinions..icp will always have a following! it’s called loyalty and a love for the music and the memories we all have over the years! real ninjas find me on youtube search UnidentifiedJUGGALO and subscribe!! my suspension is up in a week!

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