Juice Jam’s 21st anniversary delivers exciting blend of R&B and pop

On Saturday, Sept. 20, University Union celebrated its 21st anniversary of Juice Jam, a music festival open to all students. Located on Syracuse University’s Shaw Quadrangle, the early afternoon event was filled with outdoor activities, including bounce houses and a blow-up obstacle course. Students enjoyed a variety of snacks and drink options on the clear, sunny day.

Before the performances, students were busy capturing their time at the event; phones and cameras were all over the quad. Some students were even vlogging their experiences on Instagram and Snapchat. 

Students showed off a variety of outfits at the festival, turning the quad into a fashion runway. Some of the more popular styles included vintage pieces, retro sneakers, sundresses, and cowboy hats and boots. SU Fits was on the scene, snapping shots of Juice Jam’s best dressed.

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The lineup for this year’s concert included two artists: Jordan Ward and Ashe. St. Louis-born R&B singer Jordan Ward took the stage first. He brought the energy right away by sprinting onto the stage with air horns blasting in the background. His first song was “IDC,” presenting a laid-back instrumental as the crowd waved their phones around.

Over the course of his 60-minute set, Ward cracked jokes with the audience while performing some of his top songs, including  “Lil Baby Crush,” “311” and “Mustard.” Ward even performed “Juicy” from his next album, Backward, which is expected to be released later this fall.

Ward capped off his set by performing “FAMJAM400,” an upbeat summertime song with over 60 million streams on Spotify. The crowd assisted Ward by singing the song word-for-word.

San Jose artist Ashe followed up Ward’s exciting set as the final performance of the afternoon. 

Ashe’s set began with “omw,” a popular track from her 2022 album titled Rae. The crowd danced to the energetic drums and soft piano. 

Ashe dominated the first half of her set with solo tracks, including “Cherry Trees,” “Another Man’s Jeans” and “Hornet’s Nest.” In the back end of her performance, Ashe shared songs from her newest album, titled The Favors. The album was co-created with Los Angeles-based musician FINNEAS, the brother and producer of pop star Billie Eilish. 

The album, released a day before Juice Jam, was fresh in fans’ minds as Ashe spoiled the crowd with new tracks like “The Little Mess You Made” and “The Hudson,” featuring Ashe playing the piano as the crowd harmonized with her in the background.

Similar to Ward, Ashe concluded her set with her most popular song, “Moral of the Story.” The track, released in 2019, has almost one billion streams on Spotify. Students sang every word, keeping their phones glued to Ashe as she danced on stage. 

The vibrant atmosphere and sensational performances left students counting the days until Block Party in 2026.