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Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope of Insane Clown Posse. Photograph by Edward Colver Positively Insane Insane Clown Posse gets in the face of the crowd at the Edge By Rob Pratt Even if Insane Clown Posse's in-your-face lyrics got the band bounced from a Disney-owned record label two years ago, the group showed (at the Edge Oct. 3) that it had learned a few lessons about entertaining from old Walt. Or from Vince McMahon of the World Wrestling Federation. Either way, ICP stormed the stage (neatly backdropped and curtained in Halloween colors) after a big buildup complete with dancing space aliens and theme music. Then all hell broke loose among the nearly sold-out crowd. Showering the shoving and kicking crowd with a steady stream of root beer, Jake and Jack led the place in a tussling sing-along of numbers from The Great Milenko, finally opening up a mosh pit with the antianthem "Fuck the World" from their (sort of) latest, The Amazing Jeckel Brothers. This performance, though, was a stop on a tour aimed at the faithful, a sideshow from the arenas where ICP has set up its twisted carnival for the past two years. And in a punchy set, the group played hits from nearly every album, only really losing the adoring crowd during brand-new songs from the band-sponsored semi-bootleg Psychopathics From Outer Space. With crisply choreographed stage moves, eye-catching props shooting streams of water, a seemingly endless supply of root beer and a probably focus-group-tested set list, this is a show that (if sanitized of foul language) could easily play during Friday-night prime time. But for the Insane Clown Posse--a band obviously in its element when it can insult its fans face-to-face--it truly is a small, rude world after all. [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]