CONCERT REVIEW + PHOTOS: Beartooth – The Sylvee – Madison WI

CONCERT REVIEW + PHOTOS

Beartooth

The Sylvee – 3/9/24 – Madison WI

Review + Photos © Justin Nuoffer

A rainy Madison evening brought a willing crowd out to The Sylvee. The Sylvee is considered by many to be the standard in brand-new concert facilities. The facade outside is modern with a twist of mid-1900’s to it. The marquee above the main entrance brightly projected out into the street with a single name on it, Beartooth. That is who the line wrapping around the corner and down the street was here to see. Even the fast pass line was backed up. All the fanfare makes a lot of sense considering this is the first time Beartooth has ever headlined in the capital city of Wisconsin. Their tour package consisted of 4 bands total, including up-and-comers Sleep Theory and Invent Animate, with The Plot in You as direct support.

Entering the glass doors of The Sylvee, you can head straight for the stairs and go into the sunken floor, main general admission area. Off to the left is a massive bar and the lines were 5 deep. On the right, the merchandise area was beyond busy with the line stretched across the room as fans bought up a variety of shirts and trinkets. The place was buzzing with activity. Above the main floor, the seats on the second level were filled and the standing platforms were packed. On the 3rd level, the suites were filled and buzzing.

Frontman and band founder Caleb Shomo appeared center stage with a single light focused on him as he smiled, waved and encouraged the crowd to make some noise. As he belts out the opening verse to “Sunshine,” the room is illuminated in gold. During the verse, cannons popped and yellow and gold confetti jettisoned throughout the venue, covering every surface. Small yellow beach balls with smiley faces on them bounced across the room. The crowd jumped, arms waved and reached for the golden flakes. The energy was an 11 out of 10 and your body felt it.

“Are you ready for the craziest show of your life?” Shomo screamed. “Sunshine” couldn’t have been a more perfect opener. The laser beams were firing as the C02 cannons were blasting. The band began to rip through their most popular songs, one by one. “The Past is Dead” opened up nothing but havoc. Bodies started flying. Crowd surfers flew over the barricades. The massive video board running the length of the stage behind the drum kit flashed and the screen animated items to match the feeling of every tune. At this point, you knew you were in for an actual show, a true performance. Not just some people up on a stage phoning it in and leaving. This was meticulously planned and perfected for the fan’s enjoyment.

With “Might Love Myself” being the current single and getting massive radio play on the local rock station, WJJO, it was no surprise the excitement level elevated. The song itself is uplifting and joyous. As the rest of the band played out the ending instrumentally, Shomo ran off the stage while the rest of the band stood facing drummer Connor Denis who was hammering his kit for the instrumental of “The Last Riff.” The heaviness was amplified for the moment. The pyro rigs blasted flame sprays around the drum riser. Every bass kick shook the floor. The riffs were heavy and thick. With the final fire blast, the stage went dark and a single light illuminated the front of house area where the frontman stood on a platform with an acoustic guitar. Almost instantly he proclaimed, “I have never played a show like this in Madison.” He asked the crowd to sing with him, and they cheerfully obliged.

Covering The Killers’ “Mr.Brightside” and then dedicating “Look The Other Way” to his wife, the sound of 2,500 plus voices filled the air, almost drowning out the sound of his acoustic strums. He took one last look around then asked the pit to split into two and open a path down the middle. As he walks towards the stage he stops and screams, “I know we have some old-school Beartooth fans in the fucking house right? Well, That’s good cuz some shit is about to happen.” He takes off in a dead sprint and jumps over the barricade and onto the stage. Immediately, the mood has shifted and they hit us with tracks from their first couple of albums. “The Lines” and “Devastation” broke open a massive circle pit that spun at a fevered pitch. The bodies around it jump in unison with the song as the C02 cannons blast with every single breakdown. The second deck filled with patrons were head-banging and unleashing all they had.

The show’s home stretch featured songs off their most recent release, The Surface. Shomo explained the album was about positivity, self-love, and empowerment. He even mentioned that it is a new direction and mindset for himself and the band. As he rolled through the band intros, each member gave little solos. After a quick dedication to his grandfather, he launched into “I Was Alive,” where arguably the loudest singalong moment of the entire evening happened during the chorus and harmonies. Closing the night out, Beartooth had no problem urging the crowd to move and continue to crowd surf. Once the final note was plucked, Caleb sang the outro and the crowd was begging for more. Proof positive the crowd could have gone on for hours and Beartooth would never have slowed them down.

Earlier in the night, when Shomo screamed about this being the craziest show of your life…he wasn’t kidding. This show had everything one could ask for, confetti flew, pyro blasted, C02 shot out, lasers projected, and all of it was amazingly complimentary to the set. The setlist focused mostly on the new material and the new era of Beartooth, but there were plenty of old-school rippers thrown in. Whether you were new to Beartooth or a long-time fan there was no possible way you could walk away and not love what you experienced. The brutal honesty of the lyricism matched by Caleb Shomo’s commentary during the evening would leave anyone impressed by how real and down to Earth the band is. In the end, isn’t that what we all want? Connection. Beartooth has connected with the fans. That is as good as gold. You could see it on their faces as they exited The Sylvee. Missing one of their tour stops would be a grand mistake. Don’t make that mistake, go!

Check out our concert photos from the Beartooth show below.

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