Insane Clown Posse Live in Calgary July 12, 2016: The Greatest & Craziest Show on Earth [Concert Review]

by Keven Skinner | Jul 13, 2016

The Insane Clown Posse played the Marquee Beer Market & Stage in Calgary, Alberta last night to a rabid swarm of Canadian Juggalos on July 12, 2016. It’s been over a decade since ICP has stepped over the borders and played a show – so they went back in time and played all the hits we’ve been sorely missing from the wicked clowns.

ICP Live in Calgary July 12, 2016 / Photos by Keven Skinner

I’ve been a Juggalo since the Amazing Jeckel Brothers album came out (aka the original fifth Joker’s Card). I’ve never been able to see ICP live in concert until all these years later as a 31-year-old-man, who used to listen to the duo, after school, in my room, at age 14. Needless to say this was a long time coming , so thanks to True Rhythm for producing what in my opinion was the greatest and craziest show on earth last night. I’ve been to Pantera, Metallica, Motley Crue, Gwar, Lamb of God, KISS, System of a Down, Ozzy – you name it, but Insane Clown Posse put on the best concert I have ever attended.

ICP Live in Calgary July 12, 2016 / Photos by Keven Skinner

I knew that a blast of Faygo was coming my way but I did not expect an ocean to be dumped onto the crowd. For the uneducated, Faygo is a brand of soda that ICP (Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope) own and they go through buckets of it to spray the audience throughout their shows. I was drenched (which made getting pictures EXTREMELY difficult using a point and shoot camera). Props to the hilarious “Faygo break” interludes that broke up the show, to you know – REALLY – soak the crowd. They used diet Faygo, but it still burns the eyes and taking a moment to wipe one’s face in the middle of a Juggalo pit is next to impossible… Unless you want to risk busting your glasses or get a crowdsurfer’s foot to the face. On a side-note: I’ve never seen that much crowd-surfing in my life…

ICP Live in Calgary July 12, 2016 / Photos by Keven Skinner

ICP blasted through as many of their older hits as they could. I think that because of their lengthy absence from Canada, they felt it would be appropriate to go back into their older catalogue of songs and really deliver those tracks to the rabid Juggalos in attendance. They didn’t play anything later than Bang Pow Boom from what I recall… I love, LOVE the new album so I wouldn’t have minded if they had time to dip into it, but at the same time this was a show to deliver the wicked shit – the classics – and ICP did that in spades. ‘Chicken Huntin’ was a riot. I was damn close to the front of the stage for that one and it got crazy quick… They played every crowd favorite that they could from ‘Fuck The World’, ‘Halls of Illusions’, ‘Tilt-a-Whirl’ to the deeper cuts like ‘Yellow Bus’ and ‘Dead Body Man’. What a show…… I’m still feeling the shot of adrenaline (or is that Faygo mixed with blasts of weed smoke from the pit?) and the show was yesterday.

ICP Live in Calgary July 12, 2016 / Photos by Keven Skinner

The venue was packed with people too… The place was wall to wall with plastic draped from the ceiling and covering important sound equipment. During the encore there must have been 50 plus people on-stage engulfing Shaggy and J during ‘Bang, Pow, Boom’. I don’t think they had a chance to finish the song but it didn’t matter because it was a perfect way to cap the evening’s dark carnival festivities. 16 years since ICP has been here and for most of us — this was the first time we’ve been able to see the wicked clowns live and in-person. It was a dream come true and a show that I will never, ever forget for as long as I live. The chaos, the insanity of the crowd, the amazing performance by ICP… All of it was pure spectacle and I’m so happy that I was finally able to embrace the mayhem with my people – the misfits – the outcasts – the Juggalos.

#InsaneClownPosse getting swarmed on stage live in #Calgary #ICP / absolute mayhem.

A video posted by Fox Force Five News (@foxforcefivenews) on Jul 13, 2016 at 2:13am PDT