No Shaq in the Snake Pit? No problem. Indy 500 Turn 3 rumbles with booze, bass

Turn 3 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval once again filled with bass, booze and bare skin for Indy's biggest EDM party, the Indy 500 Snake Pit.

Headliner Kaskade led a spirited set capped by seamless transitions from original tracks to sing-a-long classics "Sweet Caroline" and "Livin' on a Prayer."

It was standing room only by the time Kaskade hit the stage just after 12:30 p.m. Sunday at the 107th racing of the Indianapolis 500. Inflatable animals and tens of thousands of hands filled the air, as fire spewed from cannons along the floor and roof of a massive stage.

A last-minute cancellation from this year's biggest Snake Pit star, DJ Diesel, also known as retired NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal, did not seem to impact attendance. If it bummed anyone out, folks left that vibe at the entry gate.

Big miss: IMS: Shaq cancels highly anticipated Snake Pit set due to 'scheduling complications'

Erick Roman drove to his first Snake Pit from the Chicago suburbs. Dressed in a Subtronics jersey, boots and pajama pants patterned with whiskey bottles, Roman said he was a little disappointed Shaq could not make it but understood.

"He had a good reason," Roman said.

Roman praised the overall strength of the lineup, including Shaq's substitute, Los Angeles DJ Valentino Khan.

For his part, Khan offered up a stellar set from the unenviable 8:15 a.m. timeslot. He opted not to sleep the night before due to the early start.

Not everyone agreed with Roman.

Zayhn Enfield, Ashley Smith, Taylor Hobbs and Rex Buckley are self-professed EDM fans who were there to see Kaskade and Subtronics.

They were also looking forward to Shaq, and his cancellation didn’t sit well with them.

“They didn’t even switch him out for the same genre,” Hobbs said.

Several men dressed in Shaq jerseys told me they weren't incredibly disappointed with the big man's absence. Instead, they were growing agitated with people constantly asking if they were disappointed with the big man's absence.

Fair enough.

Clothing in the Snake Pit remained largely optional, especially once a pleasant, overcast morning gave way to some humidity at race time. As usual, checkered and American-flag print were the most popular choices, as well as Pacers gear and neon.

Tank top slogans highlights included: "I kissed the bricks, and I liked it," "abolish sleevery" with a photo of Abraham Lincoln and "first of all, she was my second cousin."

Creativity of dress was matched only by alcohol consumption ingenuity.

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Several attendees carried jugs of neon-shaded liquor. The internet and several of my younger colleagues who will remain nameless to avoid incrimination tell me these are called "borgs," which stands for "black out rage gallon."

Borgs: Indy 500 attendees seen with jugs of liquid. What's in them?

One group of friends gave their borgs names: Borgan Wallen, Tracy Borgan, Borg to be Wild and AstroBorg. An unnamed fifth jug had its own denim sleeve.

Those were some impressive puns, but how did no one go with Borg-Warner? We're at the Indianapolis 500. It was right there for the taking.

Jauz, the morning's second act, put on a stellar show. He told the crowd he had worked for five years to secure his gig, calling the Snake Pit and Indy 500 "the greatest Sunday of the year."

A reconfigured spectator area pushed attendees closer together, as vendor and VIP areas appeared to grow compared to last year's Snake Pit. The 2022 concert marked the return of the race day tradition after two years off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Subtronics then took the energy even higher with the 10:30 a.m. slot. Fireworks, fire spits and smoke rose from the stage at various intervals of each set.

Prior to the start of the race, Matthew Martin, of Danville, stood just outside of the Snake Pit entrance at his seventh consecutive Indy 500. He came prepared with an American flag printed belt with holsters for six beers that he strapped across his Kiss T-shirt.

As always, careful preparation was key in the Snake Pit.

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Rory Appleton is the pop culture reporter and columnist at IndyStar. Contact him at 317-552-9044 and rappleton@indystar.com, or follow him on Twitter at @RoryDoesPhonics.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy 500 Snake Pit: No Shaq but plenty of bass, booze, bare skin