Columbus, Ohio’s A&R Music Bar was a haven for some rock and a bit of metal on Thursday, March 5 as it welcomed “Tour In The U.S.A.”.
Although it was dismal and damp outdoors, the mood was warm and upbeat inside. The venue was occupied by attendees waving their arms in the air, occasional metal horns and frequent loud cheers as headliner Jeris Johnson took the stage, alongside support from Butcher Babies, Eva Under Fire and LYLVC.
Highlights
LYLVC (pronounced “lilac”), 20-minute set
-Energetic, well-blended dual vocal styles: Rap (Oscar Romero—whom their upcoming new single “Starless” reflects on as a survivor of suicide) and Rock (Alyse Zavala—who mentioned she’s from Sandusky, Ohio)
-Rhythm guitarist Cam Gillette jumped off stage and performed within the crowd for part of a song
Watch “Barely Human”
Eva Under Fire, 30-minute set
-Having somewhat of an absence from touring, superb wide-ranging lead vocalist Eva Marie explained: “We did not just disappear on you, we were away working hard on writing a brand new album.”
-Performed crowd receptive and engaging songs, including: “Coming For Blood” (song with From Ashes To New), “Villainous” (during which guitarist Chris Slapnik laughingly encouraged the crowd to jump around like a 90’s music video), fantastic brand new song “Murder Scene”
Watch “Murder Scene”
Butcher Babies, 40-minute set
-After welcomingly blasting the crowd with ferocious thrash bangers “Street O’ Tennessee” and “Red Thunder,” lead vocalist Heidi Shepherd (solo since Carla Harvey departed the band in 2024) thanked the crowd: “Thank you all for being here,” jokingly adding, “even on a school night.” (since it was a Thursday/week night show)
-“Sincerity” showcased Shepard’s powerful clean vocals
-Towards the end of “Spittin’ Teeth,” Shepherd requested the crowd to “open that shit up,” and before you know it, she was in the pit to mosh with fans
-Performed sure-to-be-a-hit personal new single “Lost In Your Touch,” which was just released a few days ago. The song—from an upcoming brand new album—has a diverse blend of rock/metal music styles and dirty/clean vocal styles
-Shepard mentioned this show was their 14th consecutive performance in a row; after playing one-off headline shows between dates on this tour. Late March, Butcher Babies will travel overseas for an extensive 29-date co-headline tour.
Watch “Lost In Your Touch”
Jeris Johnson, 60-minute set
-Initial music and sound likeness takeaways: Methods Of Mayhem, Andrew W.K., Bloodhound Gang, Kottonmouth Kings, Sum 41
-Mentioned late vocalist Brad Arnold and how Arnold gave blessings to Johnson to release his cover/interpretation of 3 Doors Down hit “Kryptonite”
-Performed viral TikTok song “damn!” and collaborative Papa Roach cover “Last Resort (Reloaded). Nearly 20-song setlist with intros to “John” and “Welcome To The Underground”
-Three additional band members, Johnson performed guitar, energetic, some humor, crowd was engaged and dancing throughout the set
Listen To “Hell Yeah Brother”
Each band member of the stacked four artist lineup gave it their all. For nearly three and a half hours, fans indulged and absorbed the rock-and-roll energy; going home with a natural, euphoric buzz from the live music experience and energetic band members’ showmanship.
The tour concludes March 19 on the West Coast.
Tour Dates
JERIS JOHNSON (click to enlarge)
BUTCHER BABIES (click to enlarge)
EVA UNDER FIRE (click to enlarge)
LYLVC (click to enlarge)
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