Juice Jam brings beloved classics, new music to SU
Juice Jam 2022 brings classics, new music to SU
This year’s Juice Jam opened with a usual rush of fans to the barricades for front-row spots and closed with a revved-up crowd bouncing right along with hip-hop star T-Pain’s headlining set.
University Union‘s annual fall concert drew a few thousand students to Syracuse University’s Skytop Field for a nearly non-stop revolving line-up of hip-hop artists, inflatable slides and bounce houses and promotional booths from campus organizations and energy drink companies.
First to take the Juice Jam stage was Doechii, who wore a blue patchwork maxi dress and pumps to match. Her second song of the set was an unreleased track full of upbeat rap that was well received by an enthusiastic early audience.
Doechii engaged with her audience until everyone was on their feet and dancing as the crowd grew larger and larger, leading up to the following performers. A blowup obstacle course and a bouncy house kept students busy in between sets.
Sophomore Olivia Riddoch was one of many participants in the obstacle course.
“Juice Jam is a cool mix of music and outdoor activities,” Riddoch said. “It feels like a festival.”
Not long after Doechii’s last song, Yung Gravy took the stage. Out of the four artists, Yung Gravy drew the largest crowd to the stage. Multiple students said they were most excited for his set.
“What’s popping Syracuse? How we doin’?” Gravy called out to the crowd as he began his set, his head bopping along to the beat.
The 26-year-old rapper played hit after hit including “Betty,” “Cheryl” and “Mr. Clean.” Like Doechii, he also played an unreleased song titled “C’est La Vie,” which will be released Friday and is full of high-energy rap with a snappy beat. With mellower energy compared to Doechii, his charisma and calm attitude throughout his performance kept the crowd fully engaged.
Unlike Yung Gravy’s calm demeanor, Flo Milli was animated and dominated the stage from the moment she stepped on. Playing crowd favorites like “May I,” “We Not Humping,” and “Snatched,” Flo Milli drew vibrant energy from the crowd. She closed her set with “In the Party,” one of her most popular songs that kept the crowd dancing and singing along to every word.
Last in the Juice Jam lineup was the greatly anticipated T-Pain. His extensive discography of both solo songs and features formed a well-rounded setlist. T-Pain opened with “Booty Wurk” to get the crowd moving. Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow,” Pitbull’s “Hey Baby” and Flo Rida’s “Low” were features that were quick to follow, along with T-Pain’s “Buy U a Drank” and “I’m N Luv,” that kept the crowd’s energy and focus.
Throughout his set, T-Pain did not stop moving. He bounced from one side of the stage to the other with dance moves that made the crowd laugh and dance along. His energy and interactions with the crowd reached an all-time high during his last song, DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win.”
SU sophomore Jackie Dipaolo says Juice Jam was a welcomed change to her typical Sunday routine.
“Usually Sundays are chill and all homework, but this is just awesome,” Dipaolo said. “It’s a fun day with friends.”
Yung Gravy looks toward the crowd during his set on Sunday.
Doechii looks toward the crowd during one of her songs on Sunday at Skytop Field.
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is a contributing photographer and reporter for The NewsHouse in the multimedia, photography and design master’s program. When she’s not taking photos or writing about pop culture, she’s trying the latest vegan recipe she found on Instagram.
