Funk and pop collide in violin bow-shredding performance by Juice at Funk ‘n Waffles

Lead singer Ben Stevens greeted a cheering crowd at Funk ‘n Waffles last night around 9:45 p.m.

“What’s up Syracuse, we’re Juice!”

Stevens and his bandmates stood under the purple stage lights, ready to perform for the audience gathered on South Clinton Street.

Juice, as part of an East Coast tour, lit up the stage with its eclectic sound on Thursday. The group consists of Boston College graduates that teamed up during their freshman year to combine their talents.

As Juice began its set, the crowd swayed and bopped their heads to the beat of the song. As soon as the group played its hit “Gold,” fans started to dance and sing along.

The fiery violin melody, backed by guitar and bass strumming, mixed in with the sound of the drums. The combination of sounds paired with Stevens’ vocals resulted in the fresh, new funk-pop sound that is Juice.

Christian Rose, the group’s violinist, also rapped in a few of the songs, including Juice’s rendition of “Gold Digger,” which it covered in a previous video posted to its website.

During its cover of the Kanye West original, Rose did a solo bit on his violin that sent the hairs of his bow flying everywhere. The performance got virtually everyone in the venue to set their drinks down and get on the dance floor.

Juice performed some slower songs as well, getting crowd members gathered at the base of the stage to swoon.

As the clock struck 11 p.m., Juice announced it would be playing the last song of the night: a new single that has yet to be released, titled “Sugar.” By the end of the track, the audience members knew all the words to the chorus and were singing along at the top of their lungs.

“Thanks so much, Syracuse. Have a good night,” Stevens said, but his statement was met by boos from the audience and a chanting of “encore.”

The bandmates ultimately decided to appease the crowd by playing one final song, which was met by enthusiastic whooping and hollering by the audience that had accumulated at the bottom of the stage.

Syracuse was the group’s first stop on the second leg of its winter tour, which will continue with shows in Rhode Island, New Jersey, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New York this month.

The tour follows the debut of Juice’s 2016 self-titled album, which will soon be followed by new releases. Prior to this tour, the band opened for DNCE at Summerfest 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

As the flashing lights turned off, the band waved to the screaming crowd and retreated backstage with one final goodbye.

“Goodnight, Syracuse, and in case you didn’t know, we’re Juice.”