On a cold, snowy night in Madison, WI, fans made their way into The Sylvee to let loose at The Shapeshifter Tour. Headliners Memphis May Fire and openers Rain City Drive, Nevertel, and If Not For Me played to a little over a half-full venue.
Rewind a day and we were lucky the show went on. The day before, Memphis May Fire’s production truck was involved in a serious accident on its way to their show in Chicago. Luckily the driver wasn’t hurt seriously; the band did lose a lot of their production equipment in the accident. The show must go on; the band’s team was able to salvage what they could out of the accident and get together some replacement production equipment without missing any shows. So the show wasn’t the full production seen at the previous shows. But it was still great!
The night opened up with a high-energy set by If Not For Me, a metalcore band out of Harrisburg, PA. About halfway through the band’s set, the audience finally got into the feel for the show and started a small mosh pit.
Once the band Nevertel took the stage, the audience was already warmed up and kept the energy going. Nevertel kinda reminded me of a mix of Linkin Park and From Ashes to New with the two vocalists. Most of the set was just one guitar and the drummer for instruments, and the rest was backing tracks. I really liked the stage presence of Nevertel and could tell the rest of the building was feeling it also.
Once Rain City Drive came on, I could tell they had a lot of fans in the house. The energy hit a new level, and about halfway through the band’s set, crowd surfing began and didn’t let up till the end of the band’s set. After the band’s opening song “Over Me,” singer Matt McAndrew said he was feeling under the weather and was having trouble with his voice. Matt said he could sing the lows and falsetto but needed help with the rest. When he spoke, I could tell he wasn’t feeling well, but he still sounded great singing. Matt McAndrew was the runner-up on the 7th season of The Voice. So it’s no wonder he still sounded great. I have never heard this band before, but I was really impressed and enjoyed the whole set.
Memphis May Fire, the headliners for the tour from out of Texas, came blazing onto the stage full of energy, ready to set a whole new tone for the rest of the night. A larger mosh pit and, of course, crowd surfing throughout most of the band’s set. The band’s set started out with songs off the latest album Shapeshifter. They started with “Paralyzed” and then “Shapeshifter,” two songs with full-on force to supercharge the audience right from the start. They had a great setlist, a mix from the newest album and many favorites from the band’s past catalog. Other songs from the set included “Somebody,” “Misery,” “Left for Dead,” and “The Otherside.” Songs had melodic choruses with punchy breakdowns full of raw energy that sounded great with singer Matty Mullins’ rough screams mixed with his smooth vocals. Memphis May Fire sounded great live and still had some nice production after their setback the day before. The stage had some cryo jets lining the front of the stage and in front of the drummer, along with two smaller video screens on the sides of the drums. A lot of strobing lights and tons of energy from the band.
The Shapeshifter Part 2 Tour is a packed bill, with some great bands that you do not want to miss. If you like metal and getting out and letting loose at live shows, this tour and each band on it won’t disappoint.
Memphis May Fire Tour
Photos: Jeremy Smith / Rock Documented – The Sylvee
