Live Concert Review: Juicy Fest 2024 in Perth
Juicy Fest 2024 on the 14th of January 2024 at Fremantle Oval, Perth Western Australia
Juicy Fest 2024 are T-Pain, T.I., Ashanti, YG, Trey Songz, Mase, Fabulous, Mario, Bizzy Bone and Keri Hilson in Concert
Review by Sheldon Ang
Photography by Sheldon Ang Photography
2023 – “The line-up is too good to be true…it’s definitely a con job” – Sceptic 1
2024 – “The sequel will never be as good as the original – which was arguably one of the best festival line-up in Australia…” – Sceptic 1
For the soul groovers on the midnight train, the music of the 90s and 00s were the stickiest era for clubbing, courtesy of the jolly swags, materialistic indulgence and salacious predilections of R&B nation – catalysed by soul searching if not super horny lyrics of the honey drippers and gangstas. As for Juicy Fest 2024, there were so much flaunt on stage that fans were soaked in metaphorical and literal sweat on the historical ground of Fremantle Oval in Perth. The guest artists couldn’t have been more distant from their homes in the United States, but their hearts were enshrined in the world’s most isolated city, enshrouding over ten thousand fans with their undefined charisma. By the third song of the first act, fans were yearning for a cold shower – and it wasn’t just due to the hot January afternoon in the harbour town.
The line-up of Juicy Fest 2024 was headlined by T-Pain and T.I., alongside (in reversed order) Ashanti, YG, Trey Songz, Mase, Fabulous, Mario, Bizzy Bone and Keri Hilson. Despite a couple of late withdrawals in The Game and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (as the group), the class of 2024 was still super stellar with artists dominating both the RnB and contemporary charts in the 90’s and 00’s, with many earning the highest accolades including multiple Grammy Awards and even a Guinness Books of Records recognition. Perth fans had another opportunity to immerse themselves into reminiscent mode and board the groovy train once again on a nine hour journey across ten stations, thanks to the promoter from New Zealand.
So at 1:35pm the heat compounded through the plush vocals and slithering slides of Keri Hilson – the songwriter turned professional singer who sparked Juicy Fest of 2024 to a fireball. The artist from Atlanta is known for her writing foliage across the likes of Mary J Blight, The Pussycat Dolls, Britney Spears and tonight’s second headliner T.I. All was forgotten on the day thanks to her stage presence and plush vocal, with the former being captivating through her slithering presence. For the commercial listeners, it was the studio collaboration with Timberland, The Way I Are that ignited the passion of the 00’s. Hilson’s sass has so much of zest, often shaking her hips to complement her high notes. Most felt she deserved a later start.
(as for the rest – in reverse set order…)
At the headline end of Juicy Festival 2024, the final act T-Pain stormed onto the stage as if he’s been caffeinated for the next 48 hours as he darted between left and right on the massive stage like a bushmaster with ants in his pants. And despite his heart rate would have trembled over a hundred and fifty beats a minute, the godfather of auto tune managed to cross genre mellifluously, from the medley of the fast rap Low (Apple bottle jeans…boots with the fur – you know that song) and Black and Yellow to the contemporary Bartender and slow jam Buy You a Drank, showcasing his vocal dexterity on stage. The only downside was most fans wished he had performed a full version of Low – arguably the biggest club banger across the globe. The six-time Grammy Award winner’s persona was overwhelming if not entertaining, as he asserted his confidence on stage and vocally – which was a far cry from his days of being depressed. But tonight he closed one of the biggest festivals in Australia and New Zealand.
One of trap music’s pioneers took the penultimate spot on Juicy Fest of 2024. T.I. – a three-time Grammy winner, is best known on the contemporary charts for the non-rap Whatever You Like – which is the hookiest song in a synch driven beat. This seminal track rose to number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. With the “late night sex” and “feels so tight” combined with the theme of money makes people happy resonating with the fans – or at least fantasising – taking fans from the minutiae and banalities of life to being free in those moments. With T.I.’s smooth lyrics, easy beats and mellifluous onstage swagger, he pitched perfectly to the ladies in the crowd. The memorable hook became a ear worm for many long after the night, along from hits such as Bring Em Out, Blurred Lines and Live Your Life as part of his 21-song set list.
The Queen of RnB Ashanti continued the female sass from Keri Hilson earlier in the day. “They said I wouldn’t make it…but now I’ve been on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for over two years…also on the Guinness Books of Records for the fastest selling female debut artist for the album Ashanti”. With lyrics resonating hurt, love and empowerment, the multi-platinum artist captivated the crowd with tracks such as What’s Luv, Foolish and Always On Time through her swoony tempo and contagious lyrics, transmitting the thematic indulgence onto the fans, turning them into self-appointed back up vocalists. They are still massive radio hits, songs that mirrored our times when love and hate collided, surging through the consequential loop of emotional complexities swelled within our subconscious. Fans were awed by the choreography flanked by several dancers. For many, Ashanti was the headline act.
Through his raspy and slightly forceful vocals, YG or Young Gangsta sparked his night with the biggest hit in his career – My N*gga – arguably his seminal song from My Krazy Life. This West Coast rapper connected with the audience with perfect chemistry, becoming an instant banger of the night thanks to the loops of the addictive hook and the gangsta beats. The track is an ode to his fellow men, but in those moment, everyone became the brothers of YG . The surge continued with “F*ck Donald Trump” (FDT) – the anthem against bigotry during the presidency and progressed into the celebratory track following Biden’s win. Again, the crowd chanted with ardent conviction as if they were paid members of The Democrats, with the three words echoing in Fremantle Oval which was probably amplified across the café strips in Fremantle – a surreal notion about the political dirt of Washington. With these tracks already played early into the setlist, those chanting tracks had erupted the Perth fans into a point of no return. The super horny YG also made a few request from the ladies in the audience which shall not be repeated here. Don’t Tell Em (Rhythm is a dancer) sleek rhythm was a gear shift as the crowd wined down.
Trey Songz released a host of albums that peaked in the top 20 in the Billboard 200 charts, this mainstream artist has managed to stay on the contemporary charts. (Oh) Na Na a commercial hit in Australia and a club banger propelled the crowd singing with hands in the air thanks to his swooping vocals. It’s clear he’s a bonafide star as the crowd was charmed through his lyrics. Trey Songz was engaging, his onstage bravado saw him ripping his shirt and offering his sweat to a lucky fan. His dexterous ability to change tones and rhythm is super impressive, from squeezing a short melody of 50 Cent’s In Da Club to ending his night with Bottoms Up.
(Puff) Diddy would be proud of Mase – who’s signed with Bad Boy Label. The rapper has transcended across the scene with the likes of Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, Brandy, Mya, Blackstreet, DMX, Puff Diddy and even Mariah Carey. The flow of rap takes over from his protégé and side kick PD – through his chillax style of rap, similar in style with his protégé, which ignited the gentle head bopping effect, a perfect flow of grace for the audience. The single Feel So Good felt just like that, and so was Welcome Back with those recognisable intros.
East coast rapper Fabulous from Brooklyn is a crowd favourite thanks to his lyrical tracks through his catalogue such as Into You, Can’t Let you Go and Make Me Better. His swag is undeniable, hypernated with his Diddy relax style rap. His smooth monotone was like a silent assassin on stage.
The evening transcended into a super suave mode, with former church singer turned soul searching singer as Mario took the stage with hits such as Let Me Love You – written by the suave Neyo. The live version melted the walls of the football stands as his performance was smooth and it was danceable, The artist sang with expression and variety, as he pleads for the character in his lyrics. How Do I Breath is another chart topper that is chilled as an ice cooler. As expected by an RnB artist of his physical nature, it was expected for him to rip his shirt and threw into the audience.The east coast rapper from Brooklyn NY combined his roots with south and west side gangsta, the five time album chart topper onstage presence stems from his Grammy nominated performance and two decades in the game, with a host of collaboration including Nate Dogg.
Bizzy Bone took over the duty of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, he shined like the talent with a combination of lighting bolt rap and relaxed style of rap. The crowd were finding difficult to keep up with his 12 syllables per second rap, such as the neck breaking rap speed in Fried Day.
“What we do is this right here; we bring the beautiful people together – Black, White, Asian, and Aboriginal…every race, every creed, every colour. This is what hip hop is. I want to show y’all tonight the power of love” – Ja Rule of Juicy Fest 2023.
“You could be anywhere in the world today, but you chose to be with us” – Trey Songz of Juicy Fest 2024.
Based on the crowd’s reaction – the hysterics to the fist pumping in the air from across the sea of ten thousand, Juicy Fest 2024 has transcended the expectations of the original.
Tickets to the remainder shows in Canberra and Gold Coast can be found on Juicyfest.co
The writer would like to thank Juicy Fest for the Press Accreditation.
About the Writer/Photographer: Sheldon Ang Media (est. May 2022) have been accredited to photograph and review over 60 of the hottest acts in Perth including Coldplay, Juicy Fest 2023, KISS, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Rod Stewart with reviews shared by the likes of UB40, Delta Goodrem and Toni Childs on social media. He has interviewed rockers Ace Frehley (KISS), John Steel (The Animals), Frank Ferrer (Guns N Roses), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Andrew Farris (INXS) and over forty legends.
