Fright Fest, Night 2 Review
For centuries, the thirtieth day of October has been known by many names – Mischief Night. Goosey Night. Cabbage Night. Devil’s Night. But within the Juggalo culture, on the eve of Halloween, October 30th has been earmarked for Twiztid’s biggest show of the year.
After supporting ICP for 5 years on their Hallowicked tours, Jamie Madrox and Monoxide broke away in 2003 to perform their own holiday show in Denver, Colorado. This inaugural show was dubbed “FrightFest,” and it took place on Halloween to give the Juggalo world an alternative to migrating to the Motor City. Fans were greeted with an amazing merch box including limited edition cd, tshirt and trading card among other goodies, as well as a once-in-a-lifetime performance. Two years later, Fright Fest reemerged, but this time it was in Worcester, MA at The Palladium. And not only did they bring back their labelmates and life-long friends like Blaze Ya Dead Homie and the ROC, but they brought out a group that hadn’t been seen for almost a decade – the House of Krazees. Fright Fest had established itself as something special in the Juggalo world.
Over the better part of the next decade, Twiztid supported ICP during their Hallowicked festivities. In 2008, Twiztid put on a memorable “Monster’s Ball” show for Devils Night, even painting their faces like their labelmates. But it took until the year 2013 for FrightFest to officially come back from the grave like a zombie. On Devils Night of that year, the Emerald Theater in Mt Clemens, MI, witnessed DriveBy, The ROC and D12’s Bizzare supporting Twiztid in the recapturing of the FrightFest magic, while the Diesel Lounge hosted the afterparty for a group of Juggalos who wanted all that Twiztid was willing to give on that evening. Soon, FrightFest moved to the Majestic Theater in Detroit and then it found its home at the legendary St Andrews Hall in downtown Detroit. While this date may land as part of a larger tour, or Twiztid may have traveled to perform a show the next night in another city, October 30th has thus been cemented as their special night in Detroit.
2017 saw the Mostasteless show roll into town. 2019 was a two-stage event that doubled as MNE's label-wide supershow dubbed, “Attack of the Ninjas.” 2022 gave us a sneak peek at an HOK reunion, and 2023 was the first show where Twiztid performed The Green Book front to back. But 2024 was truly magical, with two nights at 431 East Congress - Night One featuring the first House of Krazees set in 20 years; Night Two featuring a mix of talent headlined by a Twiztid performance that will go down in history.
The show featured MNE artists and friends such as Blaze, Anybody Killa, Boondox and Insane E, all of whom put on sets that moved the entire sold-out crowd. The show also featured the band, The Funeral Portrait, who happened to have the #1 rock song in the country at the moment. Certainly something that may be looked at in years to come, like how music fans today look back at FrightFest 2019 and see that JellyRoll was an opener for Twiztid. The floor of St Andrews stayed full, front to back, as the fans knew that they were witnessing an epic series of performances, and the best was yet to arrive. Also as always, the energy that artists from MNE give is tangible to the audience. It was apparent that E was grateful for his spot and was making the best of each second on stage to make new fans with every lyric; it was apparent that Funeral Portrait was playing in front a brand-new audience and they had to win over this hip-hop juggalo crowd with their stage presence and confidence; it was apparent that Blaze was having a good time on stage, wearing his Dracula costume for no reason. These are feelings that cannot be conveyed in the written word and have to be felt and seen to be understood.
The first thing that everyone noticed once Twiztid stepped on stage was the lack of physical props and the presence of a giant digital screen. While this screen was up for other artists, it wasn't utilized to its fullest until the Demented Duo appeared. Throughout the show, the screen was synced with the songs performed, showing either music videos, cartoon depictions of the duo or just spookiness in general. Michael Myers and Jason still appeared at various times throughout the show, adding their own flavor, but the addition of the technology is certainly something that should continue to be used going forward as Twiztid pushes their envelope and moves to bigger and different audiences, especially on tours with other bands such as Coal Chamber in 2025 or if they are on a festival loop like they did with the Vans Warped Tour in years past.
The first handful of songs showed everyone in attendance that this was not going to be your ordinary Twiztid set. While the last few years have been very heavy with the era of 1998 through 2004, highlighting their first four studio albums, 2024 started with a rare Halloween track, a track from the Songs of Samhain that has never been performed live, and a song from the often-forgotten album, "The Darkness." From five tracks off of WICKED to the first live performance of the recently rerecorded “Rock the Dead,” Twiztid’s attention to detail with the creation of this set list was felt by all of the fans in attendance who know and love the back catalog, but who have also been craving newer tracks. Ten studio albums were represented here on this night, and with so many more albums also available, this is a positive sign moving into the future.
On a weekend where Juggalos had multiple choices on how to spend their time and money, Majik Ninja knocked it out of the park in 2024. With two epic nights of shows, exclusive merch, amazing VIP items and experiences, A+ live performances and an overall feeling and aura lacking in drama or negativity, FrightFest 2024 will go down in Juggalo history as one of the most memorable shows in recent times. On a personal level, it was an honor to not only be able to help out in a very minor way for the first night, but it was a memorable experience to be able to soak in two nights of music with some of my best friends from across the country. From Chicago to Denver, from New Jersey to Wisconsin, from Toledo to Boston, from Pittsburgh to Australia and everywhere in between, I was able to spend an incredible 48 hours with some incredible people. Music aside, this is what makes weekends like this memorable. This is the magic that is created by events like Fright Fest.
Fright Fest Set List
Green Pumpkins - 9 Pound Hammer - Raw Deal - In Hell - That’s Wicked - Different - Hom Sha Bom - Whoop Whoop - Blink - Sex Drugs Money and Murder - Maniac Killer - HaHaHaHaHaHa - Rock The Dead 2024 - They Told Me - Karma - People Are Strange - Fall Apart - Kill Somebody - We Don’t Die