Justin Nuoffer
Fozzy
w/ Liliac, The Nocturnal Affair
5/5/25 – Majestic Theater – Madison, WI
©Justin Nuoffer/NuofferMedia.com
Monday nights in Madison, WI, are generally too busy, but with the weather becoming extremely nice, everyone is outside enjoying themselves. The sun’s rays reflect off buildings, and the state capital building is fully engulfed in them. The warmth was welcoming, and the folks lined up outside the Majestic Theater waiting to enter for Fozzy’s anniversary tour.
The historic vaudeville theater stands in the middle of an arcade block in the heart of downtown. Once inside, only the main floor was open unless you purchased one of the opera boxes. Walking into the main room, merchandise is on the right, and a bar wraps around the left-hand side. Moving forward, you walk down stairs that take you to the general admission flooring. However, three levels are open to stand in on the way down. The stage is roughly a few feet off the main floor. The classic hardwood stage is bathed in a multitude of colors.
The Nocturnal Affair, out of Las Vegas, was a straightforward rock band. Despite the early time slot, the Madison crowd enjoyed it. The band is highly entertaining and carries a clean sound from the guitars, smooth low-end bass, and perfectly sounding snare snaps. The Nocturnal Affairs felt like a well-oiled machine. They opened with a Depeche Mode cover of “It’s No Good.” The Nocturnal Affair then rattled off a run of new material like “Done,” “Benefit of Doubt,” and “Backbiter.” With a Billboard Rock charting song, “Cross Me Out,” the venue came alive.
Check out The Nocturnal Affair concert photo gallery below:
If there was a tone-setter for the night, this was it. Vocalist Brendan Shane asked, “Can you sing a song with me?” The crowd screamed, and the band launched into a cover of “What is Love?” Whether you head-bobbed like in A Night At The Roxbury or swayed with the beat, everyone was singing. The Nocturnal Affair is simply fun.
In the direct support role was Liliac, the family band from Georgia, consisting of five members. Fans come out in droves to take in Liliac stops. They hit their fame with covers and original material over various social media accounts. Their fans were all over the general admission floor. The band jumped into one of their most recent singles, “Human.” Every movement correlated with the song.
As they moved along, they managed to get the crowd moving and banging with songs from a catalog of four releases. Songs like “Breathe,” “Dear Father,” and “Bad Boyz” Liliac flexed their family songwriting strength. It was easily recognizable that the lyrical content is emotional and relatable. Liliac weren’t newbies; they were seasoned performers at this point. Their sound was impeccable, and the lighting was pristine.
Check out our Liliac concert photo gallery below:
Being built on covers, Liliac performed two of their more well-known ones, “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes and “Holy Diver” by Dio. They absolutely crushed them. Overall, the reception was overwhelming at points. The kids have a bright future ahead of them if they stay the course.
Fozzy is finally making their stop in Madison after nearly a month on the road in celebration of being a band for twenty-five years. The stage was well-lit, and a huge backdrop with the band’s name hung on the back wall. In front of that backdrop were two TVs that projected a bunch of different images and videos as the songs changed. From anime to general visuals and band logos, it was a nice added effect.
Grant Brooks’ drums sat on a riser in front of those items. He was the first one out on the stage and blasted into “Fall In Line.” The rest of the band hit the stage, with Chris Jericho running out last. Jericho, the wrestling superstar, needs no introduction. His presence alone electrifies the atmosphere. Out of the gates, Fozzy is nothing but pure, unfiltered energy. Jericho moves around the stage and often jumps up on a box located on the front lip of the center stage and sings catchy, infectious hooks.
Next to him is bassist PJ Farley, who supplies harmonies and backing vocals to complement. In “Do You Wanna Start A War,” the combination meshed their vocals perfectly. Another dynamic duo, Rich Ward and Billy Grey, tore through riff after riff all night. Every chance they had, they moved to the front of the stage and engaged with the Fozzy faithful. Ward and his facial expressions are top-notch as he dances and slings his guitar around. Grey is a firecracker. He jumps around and slingshots himself across the stage to meet the other side. The showmanship of Fozzy is top-tier, and it is no wonder they are in their twenty-fifth year. Tracks like “Sane,” “Drinkin’ With Jesus,” and “Nowhere To Run” are smack dab in the middle of the set, and they intensified the wholesome rock vibes.
At times, Jericho walks behind the stage and swaps jackets, which only adds to his performance. His crowd work, though, is as good as you would expect it to be. At one point, he starts laughing and points out a fan sign that reads “Fozzy Friday Fiesta,” and the fans begin chanting it over and over. Jericho stands on the stage’s end, laughing, and says, “It rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?” Heading toward the encore break, Fozzy busts out fan favorites like “I Still Burn” and “Enemy.” With a call-and-response session of yeahs and heys, the voices were loud and boisterous. For a Monday night gig, the band and the audience were letting loose like it was the weekend.
Ward and Grey displayed every shred of skill during a guitar duel and soloing that lasted nearly three minutes. It was an immaculate showing of guitar-playing mastery. Once this epic occasion finished and the encore break had passed, there was only one thing left to play: “Judas.” The anthem of bad decisions and confronting demons had the venue in a frenzy, with everyone singing the chorus as loudly as possible. Surprisingly, though, Fozzy closed the celebration with “Ace of Spades” by Motorhead. The legendary ripper is perhaps the personification of rock and roll itself.
Check out our Fozzy concert photo gallery below:
The different types of rock bands on this bill made it so enjoyable, but Fozzy being unrelenting and in peak form for seventeen songs is clearly the best way to kick off the work week. With the lights beginning to lift, patrons moved to the exits. A good old-fashioned rock show was just what was needed. Fozzy has always delivered in the city of Madison and will continue to do so.
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