Faygo, Face Paint, and My First Night with Insane Clown Posse

Last Saturday was my first time diving down into the depths of the sick and sinister festivities hosted by Insane Clown Posse. When I shared with friends that I would be making my way down to The Novo to witness the madness, I heard unanimous warnings of Faygo showers, the tradition that goes back to ’93 when the duo showered a crowd of hecklers at one of their earlier shows. The soda was tied not only to a now famous concert ritual but to both the physical and cultural origins of Insane Clown Posse in Detroit, where Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope first linked up. "Ok sure," I said to everyone that kept excitedly warning me. I had been to crazy concerts where acts used water and splatter, so I expected this to be no different, but I was in store for something that would completely blow past any expectation I had.

As soon as I stepped into LA Live where The Novo is located, I knew this was now juggalo territory. The floor level was filled with an ocean of juggalo paint. It felt like there was no turning back. Oddly enough, and despite the paint that would otherwise scare the average onlooker, there was a real sense of altruism and community at The Novo that evening. "WOOP WOOP" would erupt and the entire line would chant it back. Everyone in attendance was excited to tell me more about the underground culture the group had built throughout their years in the music world.

The excitement built even further when I walked into the venue and noticed that the walls and floor were covered like I had never seen before. The curtains that usually stood beside the stage were covered head to toe in plastic. This is the first time it truly hit me that this wasn’t just any concert. To kick things off was JCW, which stands for Juggalo Championship Wrestling, and I couldn’t think of a better way to start the night. Acts like Luigi Primo, who tossed around pizza dough, and Steven Flow duked it out in the ring with pure chaos.

Community and inclusiveness were also felt outside of the ring when things picked up with rapper Lyonz and Wakko the Kidd. Both acts were personally selected by ICP and showed that even on the openers’ side of things, this whole night was a family affair.

By 11:30pm the crowd, and myself, were more than ready. With a rain poncho in tow, I was locked in and prepared for my ICP baptism. When the stage covers came down there were colors, lights, and a wall of sound that turned the room into the deep end of something I had only heard about until that moment.

By the end of the night, it was clear that Insane Clown Posse has gone far beyond just being an underground act. What they’ve built is something that runs deeper than a typical fanbase. It’s a community that rallies together around the freaks, the misfits, and anyone who has ever felt like they didn’t fit anywhere else.

Photos by Nucorejess.