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NEWS : STORIES
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Insane Clown Posse are, well, insane. They're even pretty good showmen with some funny lyrics and boundless energy. But when it comes to musical talent, they come up empty. Drawing largely from their
The Detroit-based rapping duo were dropped from Disney-owned Hollywood Records due to their explicit lyrics; the act was subsequently signed by Island Records. In San Francisco, they showed the crowd they're worth all the hype. Not nearly a hip-hop show, not quite a GWAR concert and not really a '70s Alice Cooper-style performance, the ICP's Sunday show did borrow heavily from all three of those musical icons. Shaggy 2 Dope (Joey Ulster) and Violent J (Joseph Bruce), rapped over pre-recorded tracks and continually sprayed the audience with Faygo soda, continued the rock 'n' roll tradition of giving your all even when, musically speaking, you don't have that much to give. Let's first address the amount of soda dumped on the adoring masses at the foot of the stage. Throughout the hour-long set, the boys were never without a two-liter of Faygo soda in hand -- sometimes a bottle in each hand. They sprayed the crowd while rapping. They sprayed the crowd while dancing. They sprayed the crowd while waiting for the next song to start. Just when you thought they were out of Faygo brand Moon Mist Cola and Orange Soda to throw at you, an assistant dressed in a Halloween mask would creep on stage and fill their trough with a fresh supply of bottles. When the bottles were empty, they were thrown into the soaking wet crowd and collected as if they were valuable souvenirs. We're talking empty plastic soda bottles. Things that people usually recycle for five cents were fought over and carried out of the venue as if they were guitar picks, drum sticks and rock-star-sweat-soaked towels. This was more rock concert than hip-hop experience. In contrast to your average hip-hop show, the stage was elaborate: a giant Great Milenko head dominating the set and funhouse mirrors on either side of the performers, strobe lights used to great effect early and often and a parade of costumed characters continually rushing on stage to dance with the Clowns and bring them more Faygo. There was no DJ cutting and scratching, there was no call and response, there was no "now somebody, anybody, everybody scream!!" And there was no freestyling. In fact, it even sounded like the group was lip-syncing at points. And if they weren't, the difference between the live sound of their between song patter and the sound of their rapping was painfully obvious to those who were paying attention. Lucky for the Clowns, most weren't. Certainly, no one in their right mind came to the show expecting musical genius. They came to get a little "Clown Luv" and declare that they were "Down With The Clown." They came with their faces painted and dancing shoes firmly attached to their feet. They paid their ticket and got to travel on a testosterone- fueled sonic carnival ride. They came to see two guys curse like sailors on shore leave while dressed like circus performers. The crowd was there to have fun, and the Insane Clown Posse were there to deliver. Their guitar-heavy songs "Hall Of Illusions" and "Southwest Voodoo" brought life to the pit, while "Boogie Woogie Wu" and "Hokus Pokus" elicited the highest amount of crowd participation. The audience-performer energy axis was fully electrified, with the crowd cheering loudly between each song and Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J tirelessly jumping about while energetically hitting the audience with lyrics about killing racists ("Piggie Pie"), exposing religious hypocrisy ("Hellalujah") and chasing girls ("What Is A Juggalo?"). What the Clown Posse lacked in talent, they made up for in energy. When the lights came up, there was no doubt that the crowd, standing ankle deep in Faygo puddles and chanting "ICP! ICP!," had just been rocked. [Thurs., Sept. 25, 1997, 9 a.m. PDT]
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