Friday, October 19, 2018

Aftershock: The Fever 333. Catch the fever. It's infectious. There will be no cure.

Jason Aalon Butler, vocals, The Fever 333
The Fever 333
(Link to full photogallery is at the end of this post.)

If you read the Aftershock Preview, you will have seen my dilemma: which set to photograph/see/hear, Slash with Myles Kennedy, or The Fever 333? I wanted both, but they were on stage at exactly the same time: Slash on the Discovery stage, and The Fever 333 on the Capital stage at Monster Energy Aftershock 2018.

Jason Aalon Butler, vocals, The Fever 333
The Fever 333 at Aftershock, 2018
In the end, the decision was made easy for me: only a few photographers were approved to photograph Slash, so I headed to the Capital stage... and so very happy I did.

The Fever 333
The Fever 333, boundless energy, strong message
I overheard the security team being briefed on what to expect from the band. Having seen Jason Aalon Butler's previous band, letlive, a couple of times, I had an inkling... but the show started with a lone, hooded figure, tattooed hands clasped, wearing a navy boilersuit, standing silent and still for several minutes while soundbites play. Then all hell is let loose as Jason Aalon Butler rips off the hood, drummer Aric Improta and guitarist Stevis Harrison leap onto the stage, and the protest, the demonstration, the show, begins. With sky-high leaps, both on stage and into the crowd, constant movement, several water bottles poured and sprayed, the energy is intense, the message electric, the crowd empowered.

Jason Aalon Butler, vocals, The Fever 333
The Fever 333, Aftershock 2018
Right by the freeway bridge, with no backdrop between the performers and the blinding-bright sky, with concrete pillars and the metal of the Capital stage, it was the perfect setting for the gritty, fierce and high-power energy of The Fever 333.

The Fever 333
The Fever 333, Aftershock 2018
Some people think politics should be left out of music. Those same people do not share my musical tastes. Those people should probably avoid The Fever 333... because The Fever 333 are exposing and railing against the politics and culture that are the USA today. Against racism. Against misogyny. For human rights. Against abuse.

"Subversion is in the project’s dna. So is hip hop. So is punk. So is ART."

The Fever is here... catch it.

All the photos: http://www.alisontoon.com/-/galleries/music/the-fever-333/the-fever-333-aftershock-2018

(In case you were watching Slash, you missed a treat. Check out The Fever 333 on YouTube; find them on their website, on Facebook, and catch them on tour... European and UK dates coming up very soon!!!)

Jason Aalon Butler, vocals, The Fever 333
Jason Aalon Butler, The Fever 333

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