The first time I saw Underoath was nearly 15 years ago at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At the time, the Tampa post-hardcore act was riding high off their breakthrough record, They’re Only Chasing Safety, and you could have argued that the sold out crowd, which went bonkers the entire night, represented what would be the height of the band’s popularity.
Since then, Underoath has released multiple gold records, landed at #2 on the Billboard 100, toured the world multiple times over, become one of the most influential bands in hardcore, broke up, and reunited, only to achieve even more success. This summer, a year after the release of their comeback album Erase Me, the band has landed a slot on Korn and Alice and Chain’s massive summer tour. You can’t make this stuff up.
The night Indianapolis began with an old friend. Since the disbandment of letlive. three years ago, vocalist Jason Aalon Butler has achieved newfound success in the form of Fever 333 – a rock band hellbent on getting their message across. That message, consisting largely of giving a voice to the marginalized, is soundtracked by ripping guitars and Butler’s signature flair on stage. It only took a few short songs before he found his way down into the pit and out into the audience, screaming toward onlookers seated on the lawn.
The band’s 2019 full-length debut, Strength in Numb333rs, as well as their 2018 EP, Made an America, are both full of fire, and songs like “One of Us” and “Trigger” are enough to wake up the early birds in attendance. Butler’s stage presence feels just as authentic in an amphitheater as it does at a club show, with the singer bounding and bellowing across the stage. It’s clear that the rock community at large has taken notice of Fever 333, and we’re all the better for it.
On this tour, Underoath finds themselves in a unique situation as opener, playing largely in front of an audience who is unaware of their history. While Erase Me has obviously opened new doors for the band and introduced them to an entirely new community of rock fans, they’re still newcomers in the eyes of mainstream listeners. It seems obvious then, that tracks from Erase Me dominate the setlist.
The band still finds time to sneak in performances of fan favorites “Writing on the Walls” and “Breathing in a New Mentality”, but everything else is fresh material. “On My Teeth”, which snagged a Grammy nomination earlier this year, leads the set, followed by a recently released b-side titled “Loneliness”, which is one of the best tracks the band has penned since their return.
Interestingly, the band sidesteps recent singles “Bloodlust” and “Wake Me” in favor of the more heavier tracks from their new album. “Hold Your Breath” and “Sink With You”, in particular, seem to reel the crowd in, while a brief slow down for “ihateit” invites some onlookers to sing along. At one point, vocalist Spencer Chamberlain asks the crowd, “Who here is seeing us for the very first time?” I look around me as most of the crowd inside the Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center amphitheater raise their hands. It’s a site I never would have imaged all those years ago in Tulsa.
Korn and Alice in Chains, both with well over two decades of experience end relevancy, and both with recent new releases, obviously highlight the night for the packed crowd. It’s a stark reminder of the divide between mainstream rock and the underground, especially when music from the scene has at times felt like the last stand for rock as a whole.
Still, both Butler and Chamberlain take time on stage to share stories from their youth about how these bands impacted and shaped them. If it weren’t for Korn, would Butler have ever grabbed a microphone? If not for Alice in Chains, would Chamberlain have ever found his voice? It’s interesting to ponder, but regardless, it’s impressive as hell to see these two worlds collide.
by Kiel Hauck
Kiel Hauck is the editor in chief at It’s All Dead. Over the past decade, he has been a contributor for multiple online and print publications and was most recently an editor at PopMatters. Kiel currently resides in Indianapolis, IN with his wife and their imaginary pet, Hand Dog. You can follow him on Twitter.
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