The Final Installment of the “Juggalo Weekend 2022” series is here. ROX-TV takes the readers inside the venue, discusses the set list, and more.

Welcome back to the ROX-TV website. As always, we want to thank the returning readers for coming back once again. As for anyone who is stopping by for the first time, we are glad to have you on board. We’ve been covering the “Juggalo Weekend 2022” content for the last couple of days and tonight we will be finishing up the series with the finale. Thats right, we will be breaking down the set list, discussing the music, the actual concert at the Rialto Theatre, and anything else of interest. If you haven’t read Part 1 or 2 of the series that’s ok, but I do want to let you know that they run in succession and when read in order, gives a thorough blow by blow account of our time in Tucson, Arizona. If that’s not your thing, read it any way you like…in any order, backwards, or upside down. We don’t employ a lot of rules here at the website. All we ask is that you enjoy yourself. So, without further to do, let’s get into it…

Location: Tucson, Arizona

Time: 9:20am

Condition: A little fuzzy

I woke up around 8:45am and took stock of my surroundings. I was in the hotel, lying in bed. The fucking heater had been turned on in the night and the room was dried out and hot. This wasn’t a good fit for someone who may have partied a little the night before and my mouth was as dry as the New Mexico dirt. Blurry eyed, I slowly headed over to the sink and found a plastic wrapped cup near the coffee pot. When I was a kid, they used to be glass and reasonable. These days all you get is a chintzy plastic job that holds slightly more than a shot glass. I down’d about eight cups before my thirst was quenched. I had a slight headache which was to be expected, but overall, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. I opened the door to the room and let some fresh air fill the space. The cool air felt good against the dryness and heat of the room.

This day was very important, because it was the final day of Juggalo Weekend and ROX-TV was on a mission. We had been tasked with covering the concert at the Rialto and also filming ICP’s set. There was no time to fall apart. The mission was clear, and we would have one shot at getting it right. I woke up Bob and we slowly started to get ourselves together for the coming challenges. By 11:00am, we had packed up and hit the road.

Location: Mutiple stops around the city

Time: 12:03pm

We cruised around for a bit, just taking in the city of Tucson. The further away you got from the downtown area, like in most cities, the neighborhoods became more residential and less commercial. It’s hard to describe but the city really has an undercurrent of history in the air. As we were travelling down side streets and cutting back into the blocks, I could feel that “old time” vibe that only existing for a long time can bring. It was sad in a way because you could see where modernization and progress, was slowly reaching into these older Barrios. The new construction was slowly spreading like a virus in certain spots, gobbling up history, and spitting out new streets, sidewalks, and buildings. Some call it gentrification, the art of re-investing in an area, only to drive the local population out with an increase in housing costs. It goes on everywhere and it’s a shame. Certain areas of Detroit are experiencing this at the moment. It happened after Hurricane Katrina and will continue I’m afraid. As soon as an area gets “hot”, the rich pour in and the locals get the stick.

Location: Whataburger

Address: Near W. St. Mary’s Rd and N. Melrose St

Time: 1:45pm

Most of the discomfort from the precious night’s party had worn off and I was happy for that. The next thing that needed to be done was to eat something. An empty stomach can become a source of trouble, so food was needed to calm things down. Plus, I needed the energy. Nothing sounded good at the moment, but a burger and salty fries washed down with shitty fountain pop sounded like a hot ticket. I had sworn off McDonalds days earlier, so we settled on this joint called “Whataburger”. I must admit, the name wasn’t all that creative, but the building was splashed with Halloween Orange and that spoke to me on some higher level. Whataburger it was and I hoped it didn’t suck.

We parked and entered the building. There was no line, so I bopped up to the counter and started ordering. The staff was friendly enough and they brought the food out. I was impressed by the quality of the food, even on a hard morning. I ate in silence for the most part, thinking about Insane Clown Posse’s set and what might pop up during the “Old School Heat” portion.

I’m from the 1990’s and obviously I will always lean into the first six Joker’s Cards. I dig everything but, that was the music that first introduced me to the Dark Carnival, and it happened at a time when I was coming of age. Everything seems more important when your young and learning the ways of the world. Not a child anymore, but not really a full-grown adult either. It’s the in between time, when shit gets figured out, preferences are established, and the course is set for your journey through life.

As I slowly ate my burger, my mind went back to those early years…1992, 1995, 1997…and flashes of the past blew by in my mind. I remember seeing “Dog Beats” for the first time at my cousin’s house. The “Carnival of Carnage”, which had a striking image of a clown that somehow drew me in. The wicked and forever dope “Ringmaster” and on it went. There were so many songs that I wanted to hear and that had clung to me over the last thirty years or so. With a catalogue like Insane Clown Posse had, there was no telling what might get played at the show. I finished eating and with a solid stomach, we hit the road. Setup was at 5pm, so we had a few hours to kill before heading over to the Rialto Theatre.

Location: Hippie Gypsy

Address: 351 N. 4th Avenue

Time: 2:40pm

We stopped into a dope looking shop called the Hippie Gypsy. I wanted to buy my kids some shirts and it looked like a place to do it. It had some amazing murals on the outside of the building which featured some of the greats including Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, The Beatles (although I’m not a huge fan), Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, and of course…the Lizard King, Jim Morrison of The Doors. There were also mushrooms and a bust of Frank Zappa as well. All in all, you could smell the Pachulia four blocks away.

I hit the inside and they had an impressive assortment of pipes and bongs, the kind of place that the sixteen-year-old version of myself would have been enthralled by, but at forty…just didn’t hold the same kick. I’ve been around and seen some shit, and each year it takes a little more to get me fired up. I’m just not as excitable as I used to be. If you don’t understand just wait. Time has a funny way of doing it to us all. I brought a shirt for each of my daughters. There were tie-dye peace symbol shirts, and I knew they would enjoy them. The cost was close to fifty bucks (the hippies have figured out capitalism) and it stung a bit. Sadly, the shirts were stolen later on towards the end of the trip. I leave justice up to karma on that one.

Location: Rialto Theatre

Time: 5:02pm

With all the bullshit out of the way, it was finally time to get down to business. ROX-TV would be filming Insane Clown Posse’s set and it was the most important assignment I’ve taken on at ROX-TV to date. I have to say that it was also a dream come true for Bob and me. We have been lifelong fans of the Insane Clown Posse/Inner City Posse and grew up with this music. Can you imagine listening to ICP in 1992 as a twelve-year-old kid, and twenty-eight years later get the chance to record their concert for them? For me personally, it still hasn’t sunk in after six days, but words like “surreal” and “magical” and “amazing” all come to mind. I was living out a childhood fantasy and it was all coming true.

Words really do the experience no justice. To say that I was proud and excited, would be an understatement. We had been given a job to do, and we were up to the task. Bob and I pulled into the alley behind the Rialto Theatre to unload the gear. There was a barricade and a guy posted up, getting ready to direct us to leave, when we rolled down the window and said the magic words, I’ve waited a lifetime to say out loud: “Hey brother, we are the film crew that will be recording ICP’s set tonight, can we unload here?”. The guy was all smiles and said “right this way”. It wasn’t just a dream; we really were the film crew, and we were finally getting to see how the other side of the coin looked. The view that most don’t get to see, and it was like a shot of adrenaline and happy, mixed together to form some kind of crazy speedball of sorts.

We parked near the side entrance and as I got outside of the vehicle to start unloading, I saw it. A small field of Faygo, just waiting to bless the Juggalos and Juggalettes later on in the night. I couldn’t let this opportunity pass me bye, so I snapped a quick picture of the sacred two liters. After getting a few pictures, I went back to the task at hand. We had four cameras to set up, along with some other electrical shit that I would never understand (Bob was the guy for that). We started hoofing the gear through another barricade and past the venue’s security team, which was getting ready for the big night.

I felt like I was doing something illegal, as I walked past the barricade and security, but they only smiled. For them, it was just another 9 to 5 gig. See one camera man, they’ve seen em all. I was probably about as interesting to them as a stop light on their daily commute. Mostly invisible, but I don’t blame them. I think we all get that way in our lives to some extent. This was their domain. It only felt different to me because I wasn’t operating in this capacity on a daily basis.

Bob and I did our thing and slowly began un-packing the equipment near the main soundboards and light controls. Everything was coming together but it was taking time. The plan was to set up a couple stationary cameras, run a floater in the pit, and another from the balcony. For the first time in my life, I had a job that wasn’t a job at all, we were filming an event, that I would have gladly paid to watch as a fan. It doesn’t get any better than that. Although there was some pressure, because you only get one chance to film a live event, we were up to the task and calm.

Doors Open: 6:30pm

“Go Time”

The main doors started letting in the Juggalos at 6:30pm. Just before they started to pour in, I ran around the venue and took pictures for the article and for the preservation of history. I believe in documenting the history for future generations of fans and anyone else who will wonder what we were getting up to during our lifetimes. The world is bigger than the now time, and someday, someone, somewhere will be looking back at this ICP show. I know that to be true because there are people looking back at the shows that came in the 1990’s. By that logic, some Juggalo or Juggalette will be doing the same thing with these Ultra Live Monster 5 shows down the road. We are living in history every day; it just takes time to see it in that light. Today is yesterday’s future and tomorrow is really just the past that hasn’t happened yet. Everything is relevant and so I document as much as I can for all time.

Because the mission was the top priority, I didn’t get to focus on the opening acts as much as I would have. We were still testing the equipment and solving minor problems until the first performer took the stage. The guy’s name was Big Chronic and while we were fucking with our equipment I would look up from time to time and observe the cat on the stage. Although I was partially distracted, Big Chronic was working his ass off and really putting everything he had into the performance. I thought he did a good set and kept the energy up the entire time. Check him out if you get a chance.

By the time Big Chronic had finished his set, Bob and I were finished tinkering with the cameras and what not. Everything was solid and we could breathe a little bit easier. The plan was that when there were a few minutes left of Ouija Macc’s set, we would take positions and get ready to record.

9:00pm Roadside Ghost hits the stage

I hadn’t heard of Roadside Ghost prior to their set, but I will not soon forget them. They are a four-piece band and can jam with the best of them. They took command of the stage and started belting out these great rock songs, with a thunderous driving beat from the drums and some wailing guitars to boot. I like music that sounds good to me, and they most certainly were that. For those of you who might not be aware, they are featured on a track from Yum Yum Bedlam (“Ain’t no time”, track 16). I was so impressed by the Roadside Ghost set, that I spoke with their drummer about doing an interview for the ROX-TV website. If you haven’t heard of these guys, either wait for the interview to drop or start investigating on your own. You will not be disappointed. They have a hard rocking energy about them, the music is good, and the delivery is on point.

9:40ish pm Ouija Macc performs

This was the second night I was getting to see Ouija perform and I felt like I was getting away with something. The previous night’s performance had been off the charts, and I expected the same from him on that Saturday. I’ve said it before but Ouija has a great stage presence. His energy always seems to be peaking and he never shows any signs of slowing down. Another thing that I always key into when I see Ouija perform is that he knows how to handle the crowd. “The hang of the reigns” so to speak I suppose.

He engages with the crowd, says funny shit that actually gets the entire crowd laughing. I don’t suppose this is an easy feat. I’ve known people my whole life who thought they were funny and couldn’t get a smile off a group of people. Ouija drops some entertaining one liners, combined with his expressions and mannerisms and the crowd is eating it up. I guess it shouldn’t be too big of a shock though, talented people have a tendency to be good at anything they set their minds to.

Just like the previous night, Ouija killed his set and the crowd went crazy for more. I’ve said this alot, and I will probably get tired of repeating myself at some point, but I strongly urge anyone who digs the Psychopathic Records Universe, to get out and see this guy live. He will be one of the artists that people will be kicking stories down, ages from now. Some people have that bigger than life thing going on and you have to catch them before they blow the game wide open. You can’t say you weren’t warned…

Now this is when things started to get real for me. I had a job to do and it was time to make the move upstairs. The Clowns were coming on and we were going to capture every second of it. All the hard work of the last year was paying off and I was right where I wanted to be, doing exactly what I wanted to do. It was a beautiful thing my friends.

Insane Clown Posse’s Old School Heat Performance

The lights went out and the excitement had reached critical mass for the Juggalos and Juggalettes in the building. The show had begun and the crowd was about to get what they all came for. As my camera on the balcony rolled, sounds started coming from the stage. It was almost like desolate sounds in the woods, wind in the trees type of shit at midnight…and every so often a sliver of a glorious old school track would echo from the distance briefly before fading back into the darkness. The effect gave me chills and the crowd were spell bound.

With an intro like that, I knew at around the 1-minute mark that the show was going to blow everyone away. I steadied myself and waited for the lights to kick on, until that happened though I trained my camera into the dark unknown. It was pitch black in there, and only the light of a hundred cell phones was visible. From the balcony it looked like a moonless sky on the main floor, dotted with stars (cell phone light).

Time: Two minutes, seventeen seconds

Track: “Dead Body Man”

One of the most recognizable songs Insane Clown Posse has, the Dead Body Man has been featured many times over the years. The “Dead Body Man” was on the 1994 release “Terror Wheel”, the 1995 Riddle Box Sampler “The Jokers Wild Show”, the “Riddle Box” also in 1995, the “Mutilation Mix” in 2003, and again on “The Old Shit” in 2010. The D.B.M. also turned up on the 1994 soundtrack for “The Fear” horror movie. I feel like I’m somehow missing one, but we must keep moving. The Juggalos and Juggalettes in the crowd and in the balcony were going word for word on this one and it took me back to the 1990’s when I was a young Juggalo. This track seems to be woven into the jurisdictional fabric of the Insane Clown Posse’s discography and that’s a good thing.

Time: Four minutes, twenty-four seconds

Track: “Hocus Pocus”

If you were down with the Clown in the 1990’s, (1997 to be exact) than this song and the album “The Great Milenko” will forever be burnt into your musical soul. I was there the day this album came out, and after I purchased my copy, they pulled the album from the shelves. It all started when Alex Abbiss and Disney negotiated a deal freeing ICP from the Battery/Jive label, shelling out a million bones to do so. Ironically, Hollywood Records, which Disney owned, would release “The Great Milenko” on June 24th, 1997. The label then pulled the album from the shelves hours after the release due to pressure from church groups. Eventually Island Records negotiated the re-issue and “The Great Milenko” lived again.

For Juggalos at the time, it was a roller coaster of emotions. Our favorite group was about to break wide open, before seemingly having that opportunity erased in a day. Had we known the kind of publicity that banning caused, we would have rested easy. But for a minute, we thought things were doomed. The world was not ready to embrace the Clowns in 1997 and we had to fight for the music sometimes as fans. Hocus Pocus is a Juggalo staple and captures the essence of the mid to late 90’s Clown Sound. The main floor was going crazy during this song and singing along to every word. Faygo rained down on the crowd.

Time: Six minutes, forty-two seconds

Track: “The Juggla”

The pace never slowed down, and the Clowns jumped right into “The Juggla” off the 1992 release “Carnival of Carnage”. This was the first album I got after being introduced to “Dog Beats”. The imagery on the cover and the content on the album had me hooked from jump street. The Dark Carnival had rolled into my life at that point and so it went. I was thrilled that the Insane Clown Posse were hitting these old school fire tracks (Old School Heat? Indeed) and they took me back.

Time: Eight minutes, thirty-one seconds

Track: “Hey Vato”

What can I say, the set kept getting better and better. “Hey Vato” was on “Forgotten Freshness” in 1995, “Forgotten Freshness Vol. 1 and 2” in 1998, released again on the “Mutilation Mix” in 2003, and “The Old Shit” in 2010. Much like Dead Body Man, this track has been woven into the fabric of ICP’s musical legacy. Back in the 90’s, a lot of the Juggalos were on that gangster shit and the music that Insane Clown Posse made during that time reflected the gangster sentiments that had swept the country, particularly in the inner cities, but not exclusively. Gang shit was turning up everywhere, from the cornfields to the desert. The kids were bored and ready for some action. From my perch in the balcony, this went over extremely well with the Juggalos and Juggalettes.

“You Motherfuckers are the real deal tonight, for real”

-Violent J addressing the crowd

It was very apparent that this show was special. Sure, the old school heat was great. To hear the songs that were so pivotal for the older Juggalos in the room, that was nice. But by the fourth song something else was going on. The energy was so strong, that even Violent J had to comment on it. I could see from the balcony how crazy shit was getting on the main floor and I’m sure that’s what caught Violent J’s attention. It was impossible to miss. I can say this now because I was at the show, but even when it was happening…it was probably one of the best ICP shows I had seen in my lifetime. Everything seemed to be hitting right on the money, and the crowd was fucking amped up with electricity. Bob and I talked about it for thirty hours on the way home. This was one of the best shows I’ve ever attended.

Time: Eleven minutes, thirty-four seconds

Track: “Your Rebel Flag”

This is an interesting track for a lot of reasons. It was released on “Carnival of Carnage” in 1992, when Inner City Posse switched things up and took it in another direction. The Dark Carnival had rolled into town and the path was set. The crazy thing about this song is that ICP was fighting against bigotry and racism 30 fucking years ago. It wasn’t popular at the time to do so, and I can’t think of too many artists who so boldly went after the racist elements of society in such a loud and clear way. Insane Clown Posse will never get credit for doing that, but that’s ok. If someone only fought injustice to be popular and have fame, I wouldn’t want to know them anyway. We fight injustice because it’s the right thing to do. No one gave them any credit for it, but they did it anyway. That’s real class. When a good thing is done for the sake of the good thing, it’s pure and true.

Time: Fourteen minutes, zero seconds

Track: “Fuck Off”

A nice oldy from 2 Dope’s “Fuck Off” EP which was released in 1994. The crowd most definitely approved.

Time: Sixteen minutes, five seconds

Track: “Cotton Candy”

This was a great song off the “Tunnel of Love”. Released in 1996, the CD had some killer tracks on it. One of them, was Cotton Candy and if you don’t know by now, I can’t help you. During the song, the Juggalettes took to the stage and while the Clowns rapped, the wonderful Juggalettes pelted the crowd with Faygo. It was a nice touch to have them on stage and only increased the intensity of the party.

Time: Nineteen minutes, thirty-four seconds

Track: “Mr. Happy”

The Clowns launched into another ice-cold jam, this time from the Bizzar album. Released on Oct. 31st, 2000 Bizzar and Bizaar would go on to sell over 400,000 albums. After the release, ICP would eventually leave Island Records. During the song, a guy that had jumped up on stage during Cotton Candy, had to be dragged off by one of the Faygo monsters. The show continued to roll on. The “Ape Boy” and “Many Faces” locked in their cages looked on as the song ended and another Faygo break came, much to the delight of the main floor.

Time: Twenty-two minutes, twenty-two seconds

Track: “First Day Out”

Another dope track from the Carnival of Carnage release. The crowd was going word for word, but they had for every other song so by the twenty-minute mark it was to be expected. The energy in the crowd never let up.

(Author’s Note: I won’t give away the entire set list though because I have a feeling that this concert and footage will turn up again soon. To find out the rest of the songs, you’re going to have to watch for yourselves. I would start on Twitch but who knows? Giving it all away here would ruin the experience)

The set continued on, and the intensity never waned or slowed down. I couldn’t believe it. After the show ended, I stayed up in the balcony, filming the madness once the lights came on. There were hundreds of crushed Faygo bottles heaped everywhere. The Faygo on the floor had pooled and I watched Juggalos and Juggalettes stomping through the sea of Detroit Pop. I even saw a touching love scene, where a Lo and Lette (holding hands) walked through the pooled up Faygo together. It was really cool to see that. I wish them luck, whether it was a one-time thing, or they get married and have Juggalo babies. Everyone deserves to be happy.

Eventually the security crew was able to get everyone out the door. The hard part was just starting for them. They had the job of sopping up all that fucking pop and I didn’t envy them. They were using large squeegee type equipment and pushing the pop into garbage cans, that were tipped over sideways on the ground. At that rate it was going to take a very long time to get it cleaned up, but no one seemed too set back over it.

Final Actions of the Night

After watching the greatest ICP show I had ever seen, observing one of the best crowds I’d seen at a show, and recording the whole thing, it was time to get going. We were exhausted for a lot of different reasons, but we were relieved to have been victorious in our mission. We had been tasked to complete a certain function, and even in the face of some minor bullshit, all was well. We packed up the equipment, which had taken some Faygo during the course of the show and would need to be cleaned up later. The equipment was carried outside, and Bob went to retrieve the car. The Tucson Police were still hanging tough, but not bothering anyone and the Juggalos also drifted around the area but weren’t exactly dispersing either. Regardless, there was no trouble and we decided to call it a day. We drove in silence back to the Ramada Inn and went up to our room. I sat down in the chair and slowly faded away.

The dream job for taping the ICP set was almost too much to comprehend, and I would need a week for that information to properly settle in my brain. I had come a long way from those early years in the 1990’s, when I first laid eyes on “Dog Beats”. Fast forward three decades into the future and I was able to fulfill a lifelong dream of mine.

I will say this, whatever you want to do, wherever you want to go, it’s all possible no matter how crazy it might seem. The mind is powerful and with the proper manifesting and a little hard work, you can be anyone you want to be, go anywhere you want to go, and achieve your dreams. Don’t listen to negative forces, just focus on your goals and see it happening. The Laws of Attraction are real and powerful. Put them to good use and watch your life take off.

So, I will leave it there, and besides…this computer program starts to act fucked up at the 4,500-word count. We are at 4,916 and I haven’t put any pictures or videos in yet. This concludes the Juggalo Weekend 2022 Series and I hope it shed light on the events for Juggalos who couldn’t make it. Keep coming back to the website because we have some big things coming down the line, so stay tuned and we will catch you on the flipside.

“Streaming is great, but seeing it in the flesh is the only way to fully understand what an ICP show is really like. Read the articles, watch the videos, but if you can…get your ass to a show before it passes you by”.