Fozzy Rocks Providence, RI – April 10, 2022

Fronted by former WWE wrestler Chris Jericho, Fozzy is touring America to promote the release of their 8th studio album, Boombox. Supporting them on the tour are Florida-based Beautycore band, GFM. They stopped at Fete Music Hall in Providence, RI, for what turned out to be Fozzy’s very first time performing in Providence.

GFM

Beautycore you ask? It’s a term GFM originally came up with as a joke, because they felt they didn’t quite fit into other categories of metal. Over time, the felt the term fit for them. With a style I can best describe as “goth Lisa Frank,” these three sisters put on an energetic show, that often had the crowd chanting “GFM!” in-between songs. GFM stands for Gold Frankincense & Myrrh, which gives you a hint that they are a faith-based band. With a sound that they themselves describe as Paramore mixed with Slipknot, their song “Taking Over” was #1 for four weeks in a row on the Christian Music charts. All around, it makes for an interesting package. For three girls who are just reaching their early twenties, they are definitely carving their own groove, and it seems to work for them.

Fozzy

While Fozzy has proven themselves to be more than just “WWE wrestler Chris Jericho’s band,” having had a #1 single on their last album, it’s undeniable that Y2J is a big draw. WWE and AEW shirts fill the crowd. The venue was filled with posters for an upcoming indie wrestling show that would be held there, clearly knowing the audience that would attend.

Though many of the fans may have been brought to Fozzy through the wrestling connection, their music is what’s kept them coming back. Songs like that #1 single, “Judas,” as well as “Enemy” and “Do You Wanna Start a War” all had the crowd singing along. Covers of “Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood and “Dirty Deeds” by AC/DC were fun treats for the crowd, as well.

You don’t see many bands have more fun than Fozzy does on stage. Guitar player Rich Ward doesn’t sit still for a moment, jumping all around as he’s playing. He and guitar player Billy Grey had an extended dueling solo during “Enemies,” that saw them trading licks back and forth, while running all around the stage and acting silly with each other.

Fozzy’s 8th album, Boombox, is being released on May 6th. One of the show highlights was a performance of the third single off the album, “I Still Burn.” In early March, we had a chat with Rich and discussed the album, and he mentioned the process of writing the riffs for this song. You can find that interview here.

Early on in the night, Jericho came up with the term “Sunday Fozzday” to describe the night we were having. In true wrestling fan fashion, the phrase was chanted many times between songs. Jericho mentioned he wished he had a portable t-shirt printer with him, because he could have made and sold about 300 “Sunday Fozzday” shirts tonight. At the end of the night, he thanked the crowd for a great night, and said that “Sunday Fozzday” can continue to live on in our hearts for every Sunday that follows.