The Fever 333, featuring front man Jason Butler (former singer of letlive), made a stop at the infamous Lost Horizon in Syracuse, NY on Friday March 30.
The Fever 333, Jason’s newly formed punk band, consists of Stephen Harrison (formerly with The Chariot) on guitar and Aric Improta (Night Verses) beating the drums. The band was greeted by a mixed bag of fans, some were familiar with their previous projects and some showed up because they were curious about all the mysterious buzz that has surrounded the supergroup. Jason has done an excellent job of shrouding the Fever 333 with mystique. He has created a slew of cryptic teasers about the band on social media and other platforms that has been successful in gaining attention.
The show itself was a little bizarre. Typically, one would expect that a newly formed band would bring along a few openers to get the crowd warmed up. That was not the case. Fever 333 showed up solo. The stage was starkly adorned with a handmade banner with 333 on it. There were no gimmicks, no special effects. It was clear the focus was on Fever 333 and their music.
Right around 8:45, the banner dropped and a hooded figure was standing at center stage. Butler threw back his hood as the band tore right into “Burn It,” a high-octane song off their recently released EP Made in America. Everything about the evening was raw. From the stark stage set up to the interaction with the crowd, it was completely organic. I admired how Jason Butler talked to the crowd in between songs. He talked about where he grew up, the importance of his roots and profusely thanked the fans for taking the time to check out the band. He was absolutely genuine.
Highlights of the evening included, “Made in America,” “Hunting Season,” and the gritty “Walking in My Shoes.” The band was somewhat reminiscent of Rage Against the Machine with the same type of primal emotion. After an intense sixty-minute set that included all the songs off their EP, the band invited the crowd to stay and hang out with them.
I enjoyed seeing the Fever 333 in such an intimate setting, enjoy the pictures and check out their Facebook page.
