The first-ever Independent Fest is set to take place this weekend at Lake Snowden.
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Bundled in blankets and parkas, audience members raised their phones in the air and climbed on each other’s shoulders as Juicy J finally made it on stage, cosied up in a white jacket and hat.
Juicy J could not ignore the chilly weather, but he thought some people in the crowd might be a little warmer.
“It’s cold as f--ck,” he said. “I know y’all got to be hot. I know y’all got to be some Jager Bombs, Fireball … some whiskey.”
Independent Fest took place Saturday at Lake Snowden in Albany, Ohio, with Juicy J as the main act and local acts performing throughout the day. The fest started at noon, and Juicy J came on stage at 11:30 p.m. for a 50 minute set.
Lake Snowden is a little more than 9 miles from Ohio University’s campus.
Event organizer S.W.I.M Team’s A.J. Castro, estimated that at least 2,000 people attended Independent Fest.
The rest of the campground became deserted as Juicy J played a mix of old ’90s hits from Three 6 Mafia along with tracks and songs he is featured on, such as “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry.
Before singing “Stoners Night Pt. 2,” Juicy J asked the crowd to light up.
“Light your iPhones up,” he shouted repeatedly.
When later singing “Bandz A Make Her Dance,” Juicy J had a moment alone with the audience. As the rest of the music stopped, Juicy J continued and paused again and again to hear the crowd screaming the lyrics back to him.
After performing “Jays on my Feet” by Dyme Squad, Juicy J took off his golden chains and offered them to the crowd, even though they had some sentimental value.
“Wiz Khalifa bought me this shit for my birthday, man,” Juicy J said. “Do you think he’ll get mad if I throw this shit out into the crowd tonight? I don’t really give a f--k. I like the fans.”
Despite not throwing the chains into the crowd, it left the audience “turnt,” said •Ty Kimble, a sophomore studying business management.
“I really thought he was going to throw them,” he added. “That was pretty cool… It was a great way to get the crowd involved.”
After a snippet of “We Dem Boys” and another new song from his upcoming mix tape, he announced there would only be one song left.
The crowd began to disperse before he finished, but many people stuck around dancing until the very last note.
“I thought it was a good show even though it was late… It was a really good show. He performed some of his older songs from the ’90s so I was fine with that,” said •Alice Ragland, a Cleveland native.
Opening acts included performances from Mojoflo, Brandon “DJ B-Funk” Thompson, Mac Carter, Atari Jones and more. Independent Fest was made to put a focus on independent acts, but having Juicy J was to put the event on a larger scale, according to a previous Post article.
While the crowd bounced and cheered as DJs took over the stage, people seemed less excited about some other artists. During a set by Jones, a singer from Cleveland State, the crowd began to chant “Juicy” and one fest-goer shouted for Jones to “wrap it up.”
Mac Carter and Mojoflo, on the other hand, got the crowd excited and shouting. Mojoflo did a rendition of “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson, in which the band sang “Mojoflo gonna give it to ya.”
Mac Carter’s set left attendees hyped up, despite having water thrown on them. But the cold didn’t seem to have an impact on the crowd or the performers, as a member of the crew, “Mr. Magic Murphy”, took off his sweatshirt and finished the show topless.
•Charity Lonberger, a teenager from Nelsonville, arrived at 3 p.m. and found some of the others acts entertaining, but she wasn’t familiar with any of them.
“We came for Juicy J, not all the other people,” she said.
Plans for a second Independent Fest in the fall are underway, Castro said.
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