Method Man, De La Soul, Phantom Planet draw crowds to Juice Jam 2004
Few people were waiting outside the gates at the Standart Street parking lot on Sunday morning before Juice Jam 2004, but by the time Method Man took the stage late in the afternoon, the sold-out crowd packed the stage area of the first-year event.
The day’s jam-packed concert lineup included performances from The Like, Sahara Hot Nights, Phantom Planet, De La Soul and Method Man.
As The Like finished up its set, the audience was less-than-average in size.
‘We’d like to thank you guys for coming out,’ said Elizabeth Berg, guitarist and lead singer for The Like, ‘all ten of you.’
Still, the small crowds during the early hours of the festival did not have coordinators worried.
‘I think it’s going really well right now,’ said Nicole Walters, University Union member and sophomore retail major. ‘More people will show up once the major acts start playing.’
By the time The Like finished its set, more people were walking around and enjoying the obstacle course, organization booths, bungee races, sumo wrestling and inflatable jousting that UU had set up, but few had made their way to the stage. After an unenthusiastic performance from The Like, those who had seen the set seemed a little disappointed.
‘I didn’t really understand the first group,’ said Kelsey Leverich, a freshman drama major. ‘It didn’t seem like they wanted to be here.’
When Sahara Hot Nights took the stage, though, it was a different story. With their passionate, high-energy performance, people began to watch and listen. People who were mere festival-ground wanderers slowly migrated to the stage. And as Sahara Hot Nights left the stage, it was clear that they had made more than a few new fans with their performance.
‘Sahara Hot Nights had a lot more energy than The Like,’ said Meaghan Monfort, a freshman international relations major. ‘You could tell they were drawing a crowd.’
When the better known Phantom Planet began its set, a decent sized crowd gathered in front of the stage. The band pulled out some older favorites like ‘Always on My Mind’ before spawning more crowd participation with their more popular tunes.
Then fans of the TV series ‘The O.C.’ heard what they were waiting for. After a brief finger-picked intro, lead singer Alex Greenwald began ‘California,’ theme song to the hit show. Herds of people, mainly female, surged forward to the tune of the familiar notes.
‘We’ve been on the run, driving in the sun, looking out for number one, California here we come,’ Greenwald sang.
Phantom Planet’s performance ended the rock portion of the show, and with the crowd still alive and well, De La Soul took the stage and brought the festival to a higher level with call-and-answer bits and numerous references to Syracuse University. The performance culminated with 15 to 20 girls dancing onstage to the song ‘Baby Fat.’
‘They really woke our asses up and turned up the energy,’ said Alex Gramajo, an undecided sophomore in the School of Management. ‘And the half-naked girls on stage didn’t hurt.’
At the end of De La Soul’s set, the audience was listening, excited and ready for Method Man.
Meth took the stage after about a half-hour wait and pumped up the crowd as only he could do.
As expected, Method Man’s performance was full of life, but the conversations he had with the crowd between songs proved just as entertaining. Before one of his slow jams, Method Man invited the crowd to participate in a little marijuana break.
‘We gonna take a smoke break right now,’ Meth said. ‘I know there’s some cops around here, but if you standing in the middle [of the crowd] feel free.’
Method Man’s performance ended Juice Jam on a high note after the slow start. Sherlen Archibald, Juice Jam organizer and co-executive chairman of UU and psychology and music industry major, said that the crowd’s response to the mixture of rock and rap acts, and reactions from students and faculty, provided a prime example for future SU events.
