Musical artists headline debut of Juice Jam
A parking lot seems the last place one would expect to find a concert of five major acts within a university festival – until now.
Juice Jam 2004, an outdoor festival, will rock out this Sunday in the Standart parking lot behind Lawrinson Hall. The festivities, which begin at 11 a.m., will include performances from Phantom Planet, The Like and Sahara Hot Nights during the day, with performances at night by Method Man and De La Soul.
Other activities include sumo wrestling, a bungee bounce, an Olympic pedestal and a rock climbing wall. Many different student organizations will be tabling at the festival, offering concessions and other activities.
‘After seeing the considerable budget cuts that many student organizations received last year, we decided to provide all student organizations with the opportunity to gain more exposure with new and returning students,’ said Adam Gorode, chairman of Juice Jam, executive chairman of University Union and junior music industry major.
But the main focus of the festival, organized by UU, the Student Association, National Pan-Hellenic Council and the Division of Student Affairs, was to bring together different genres of music, said Sherlen Archibald, co-executive chairman of UU and a senior majoring in psychology and music industry.
‘It’s cool to see such a diverse lineup,’ said Helen Cavanagh, a junior biology major. ‘It should be a good show.’
This year’s slate of performers is a considerable upgrade from that of last year’s Juice Jam, which featured Nappy Roots in the Goldstein Auditorium.
An outdoor festival on campus is a unique addition to the typical concerts and comedian events that are held in Goldstein Auditorium or the Carrier Dome, because it’s an all-day event where students can hang out and enjoy themselves before buckling down for the year, Archibald said.
‘We really wanted to take advantage of the warm weather while we have it, while at the same time provide students with an event that would give them an invigorating start to the year,’ Archibald said.
Juice Jam 2004 looks to set a new standard for university events and excite the student body for a new school year. All 3,000 tickets have been sold for the event, which is free to students with an SUID, and more tickets might become available. It is obvious that the student body is more than accepting of the new outdoor festival.
‘It’ll be great to see the bands outside,’ Cavanagh said. ‘The combination of the atmosphere and the music should be great.’
But organizing this year’s festival wasn’t easy. Festivals of this size usually take upwards of six months to plan, but the student organizations had only one month for this event, Archibald said.
In order to fund the festival, UU first submitted a petition to the Student Association’s Finance Board that included estimated costs, a list of needs, as well as a list of possible acts, Archibald said.
After receiving a grant, the organizing students began contacting and booking acts, some of which had never performed on the same stage, Archibald said. Method Man and De La Soul have never shared the same stage with each other or the other acts, although Phantom Planet, The Like and Sahara Hot Nights have played together before.
UU was hoping to produce an event that would attract a variety of students through diversity in music.
‘Our goal from the beginning was use the money to produce an event that is both enjoyable and affordable,’ Archibald said. ‘We wanted everyone to have a great time without having to worry about money.’
Distance also became a factor in planning, as most students were living in their home towns for the summer. It became difficult to keep in touch with students spread across the country.
‘It was tough with everybody being so spread out,’ Archibald said. ‘It definitely didn’t make things any easier.’
Sunday’s festival will serve as a trial run for future outdoor activities on campus, he added. Past events have usually been limited to indoor facilities because of weather constraints. Outdoor events may become a staple on campus during the summer and spring months.
‘If all goes well,’ Archibald said, ‘we’ll be able to continue having festivals like this in future years.’
