Be Careful Who You Choose To Open Your Show- Fever 333 Almost Steals The Show From Bring Me The Horizon

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Where to even begin with last night? There are some bands that have such a wow factor that they leave any band they are playing with in their dust. When you have a band like that open a show, it’s truly hard for anyone else to hold a candle to them. That was the case last night. It’s not that any of the bands were bad (hell, the second band to take the stage- Thrice- is one of my all time favorites) but the opening set from Fever 333 truly set the tone for the night and set up the other two bands for failure (maybe that’s a bit harsh but I can’t think of a better word for it).

I caught Fever 333 a couple times last year at various festivals around the midwest. I knew from the first time I saw them that they would be a force to be reckoned with. I mean, I guess that’s a given when you have Jason Butler from Letlive on vocals, Stephen Harrison from The Chariot on guitars, and Aric Improta from Night Verses on drums. A super-group for my generation, they have a sound unlike anything else and a live show that will truly make you stop everything and gasp. I thought that this effect their live show had on me was because I was seeing them outside in the sun while living in the high life working a festival complete with a media tent with unlimited energy drinks (truly living the dream). I learned within seconds of their set last night that this was not the case. The weather was crappy and cold, the venue (although one of my favorites in time) was still an indoor venue, and, well, it’s the middle of winter with snow on the ground. All of these factors didn’t stop Fever 333 for instantly capturing my heart and having me texting every single one of my friends about the mistake they had made by not going to last night’s show.

The show started promptly at 7PM and instead of the band coming out to a roar of applause, Jason Butler took the stage front and center and just stood there with his arms and hands crossed politely in front of him and a black hood covering his face. You could hear sound clips from various different political events which gave the whole moment an extremely creepy yet jaw-droppingly powerful vibe. This feeling lasted a couple of minutes before the rest of the band joined him on stage and he whipped off his hood and instantly started stalking the stage with a sense of aggression and fury.

Fever 333’s music is a bit (don’t kill me) nu-metal mixed with some politics, metal, punk, rap, and all tied up in a bow of pure energy. It’s truly an original sound but, again, when you have a frontman like Jason Butler contributing to the song writing, that’s not a shock. Having only been around since 2017, Fever 333 have only put out one album and one EP and seem to be spending the rest of their time touring. Their eight song opening set  on Wednesday night seemed to happen in the blink of an eye and left the audience in shock. There was just so much energy and so much fury that it was almost hard to catch everything that was going on.

A prime example of the chaos that unfolded during their quick set would be the moment that Jason disappeared from stage and then appeared literally right next to me as he walked through the audience with his microphone in hand. I saw him eyeing the balcony but thought to myself- there’s no way. Then, just like that, he whipped his microphone up over the side of the balcony and disappeared into the staircase only to reappear momentarily standing on the edge of the balcony. Now, some bands have this shtick and you can tell it’s exactly that– a shtick. But something about his excitement as he had the audience help lift him down from the balcony (but not before asking them to just hold him up there for a wee bit because he was loving it) made it clear that this action was clearly organic.

People were clearly shook by the performance and when I started to wander around after their set, every single conversation I heard was about the power Fever 333 had. I wasn’t surprised, I knew they were going to kill it and be the talking point of the night but I was still just as impressed as I was the first time I saw them. Towards the end of the set, Jason mentioned a couple of times that he was loving the crowd and the energy in The Armory. He admitted that they don’t come to Minnesota much (which they really don’t) but that they would be changing that because Wednesday night’s show was truly one of the best they have played.

Following an act as powerful as Fever 333 is not an easy task but Thrice tried their best. Their set consisted of mostly new songs which was a bit disappointing to an old fan like myself but they sounded absolutely amazing. Clearly a bit more subdued, their show focused more on tricky rhythms and patterns with just a subtle light show instead of chaos and carnage being left in their wake. Their eleven song set lasted nearly an hour and while some people were clearly turned off by the calmness that came over the venue as Thrice played, some (including myself) appreciated the chance to catch our breath after what Fever 333 had put us through and what was to come.

Headlining this already amazing night was the one and only Bring Me The Horizon. BMTH has been a force in the scene since they started in 2004 and although their sound has definitely changed over the years including their newest album that has been put into the pop charts (although I wouldn’t call it a straight up pop album). Even with the ever evolving sound, BMTH has a devout following and that was made clear as I found myself lost in an audience screaming along to every word of every song. Their live show had a sense of power behind it that made it impossible to ignore or tune out. They commanded your attention without asking and their light show mixed with the confetti and plumes of smoke shooting up from the stage was captivating to say the least. 

Their sixteen song set did a great job of covering everything from new to old and slow to fast. Just being able to witness the different styles and talents of this band in a span of just over an hour was definitely impressive. I was honestly a bit surprised when the band left the audience pleading for more in the form of an encore and never came back out but it also made sense. Their set was done with a sense of perfection and intent that made sense. An encore would have just messed that all up.

I’ve been going to a show nearly every night for the past five years (not a joke). I honestly don’t think I’ve seen a band with as impressive of a live show as Fever 333 (not being dramatic). Seriously, do yourself a favor and catch them live.

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