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Juice Jam is a highlight of the fall semester, and this year was no different. Though this year’s concert looked a little different, the crowd was hyped to see some of their favorite artists, with expectations through the JMA Wireless Dome’s roof.

“I’m hoping (Quavo) brings out Lana Del Rey tonight for ‘Tough,’” freshman Kyle McMahan said. “That’s my favorite Quavo song.”

This year, University Union’s Juice Jam featured headliner Quavo with Maisie Peters and Smino as opening acts in the Dome. The rapper was announced to headline the concert after PARTYNEXTDOOR and his subsequent replacement Lil Tecca both dropped out for personal reasons.

The controversy surrounding the headlining acts may have limited crowd presence, some concertgoers said, but others felt Quavo was a satisfying headlining act.

“I think we got an upgrade,” junior Ameer Senor said. “No disrespect.”

Senor, who also liked the previous pick of PARTYNEXTDOOR as headliner, was enthusiastic about Juice Jam’s venue change. For him, Juice Jam inside the Dome was better than sitting in the heat at Skytop. In addition to the location, Juice Jam also changed to be open to the public this year.

Freshman Isaiah Moses said he wasn’t that disappointed about the headliner changes, as he was more familiar with Quavo than PARTYNEXTDOOR.

Jocelyn Guzman, a freshman who bought tickets for PARTYNEXTDOOR, figured she would still go for Quavo’s set, though she was more familiar with songs he’s featured on with Drake, Migos and Young Thug than his solo work. Others, like freshman Yasmina Gall, preferred Quavo as headliner over the other options.

Smino performed first to open the concert, playing his songs “Polynesian,” “Matinee” and “No L’s,” among others. When he ordered everyone’s hands in the air, the audience’s hands shot up toward the Dome’s roof.

Maisie Peters took the stage next. The Dome’s overhead lights shut down and the stage lights shined into the crowd with pink and purple hues. The stage backdrop switched to her logo, which is adorned with stars, as she played “Boy,” “Body Better” and “I’m Trying (Not Friends)” in succession. Her set was also marked by covers of well-known songs like Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out For A Hero” and The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.”

Some attended Juice Jam primarily for Peters, like Piper Moskow, who said her favorite Peters song is “Worst Of You.” Though others at Juice Jam came in with limited familiarity of the artist, her performance turned out to be their favorite of the night and they came away as fans.

“Maisie Peters was amazing,” freshman Dylan Lipof said. “Her interaction with the crowd, moving around and talking with them was just great.”

Smoke machines blew plumes of white in the air as Quavo opened his headlining set with his remix of Lenny Kravitz’s “FLY.” He played classic Migos hits like “Deadz,” “Slippery” and “Walk It Talk It,” prompting the crowd to show their enthusiasm for his hit-making work with Offset and his late nephew Takeoff by directing a call and response to the audience.

“If you’re a day one Migo fan, lemme get a ‘Migo,’” Quavo said.

Joe Zhao | Video Editor

Maisie Peters plays her acoustic guitar, swaying backward with her bangs in the air.

Quavo’s set was met with thrilling energy, with many leaving the stands to go down to the main floor. He ordered fans to open the pit up and several fans did so. The bass on the speakers was earth-shattering and could be heard clearly from outside the Dome.

As Quavo’s set continued, some people opted to leave early. Though plenty did stay, Quavo’s set contrasted the other performers and was notably louder. Some cited disappointment with the act, feeling that it wasn’t fulfilling and the openers didn’t follow the same vibe as Quavo, and others simply cited the noise level.

Senior Elena Cooper wasn’t a big fan of Quavo, and the loud noise of his set compounded with a general apathy toward Quavo led her to leave Juice Jam ahead of its finish.

Juice Jam at Skytop felt like a specific Syracuse experience to Cooper, who has been to three Juice Jams and felt “weird” about the new venue.

“It feels more like a real concert and less like Juice Jam,” Cooper said. “I feel like it’s better on Skytop.”

Though Juice Jam changed from its prior setup this year, many fans still had an excellent time, including Moses, who had never been to a concert before.

“I’m just happy to be here,” Moses said. “I feel good about it.”

Published on September 23, 2024 at 1:23 am