Although Juice Jam’s weather was totally awesome, a collection of mediocre performers and the cancelation of the headliner made it a less-than-stellar event.
Fetty Wap
Nobody was Fetty Wap’s trap queen at Juice Jam Sunday. Students waited over an hour for a musician that didn’t come — regardless of how hard they chanted. A statement from University Union cited travel issues as the reason for the singer’s no-show, but this isn’t the first time Fetty Wap has stood up a college. In April, Fetty didn’t show up at the State University of New York at Brockport. No matter what happened, it totally sucked for people who paid for a ticket just to see him only to wind up disappointed. Enjoy all those angry direct tweets, Fetty.
Tove Lo
While Tove Lo did sing her main hits, “Cool Girl,” Talkin’ Body” and “Not on Drugs,” her performance came across as lackluster and a bit pitchy. There was a sleepiness to her new stuff, perhaps due to lack of familiarity. And despite the large crowd watching her, there weren’t very many cheers. People woke up for her last song, “Stay High,” but at that point, the performance had already ended.
Marshmello
This one is all on me, honestly. Although most students adored the DJ, I couldn’t get into him. His set blurred together in one long thread of electronic beats. Like a vulture, he took the best bits of Justin Bieber, Florence and the Machine and even The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and blended it together with phat drops of b-b-b-oring. While students gyrated to loud beats of the tin can man, I tried not to fall asleep.
D.R.A.M.
D.R.A.M., aka Does. Real. Ass. Music., certainly delivered. His style is a fun mix of rap layered with smooth singing. Standouts included “Cha Cha,” as well as “Excessive” and “You Are Special.” As for how he found his sound, D.R.A.M. has always had it.
“I think it was when my mama gave birth to me,” he said in an interview after his set.
While there were some technical errors, D.R.A.M.’s charm and positivity made his set a standout.
Stephen
Stephen is the odd mix of Jack Garratt and BØRNS you didn’t know you needed. His cover of Adele’s “Hello,” was weird and strange and fab — a cool blend of indie and electronic. “Crossfire” was another audience favorite, as students danced and thrashed to the sick beat. As for his performance style, Stephen is about sharing his emotions.
“What I try do when I get on stage is to try to remember the emotions that went into creating the songs in the first place,” Stephen said in an interview after his set.
The audience was definitely feeling it.
LOLO
While fierce onstage, her best moments were her quietest ones, especially in songs like “The Courtyard.” LOLO may not have drawn a huge crowd, but her vocal range was incredibly impressive, as was the heart she so obviously poured into the performance.

Emera Riley is a junior magazine journalism major. Her column appears weekly in Pulp. You can email her at elril100@syr.edu.