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FEVER 333 held a livestreamed performance to raise money for the Minnesota Freedom Fund and Black Lives Matter yesterday (June 3), following the death of George Floyd. You can watch it in full below.
‘Long Live The Innocent’ was described as being “conceived in solidarity with the communities across the USA protesting for justice,” directing viewers to donate to the Minnesota Freedom Fund and Black Lives Matter.
Beginning the stream with a direct address to the camera, the band’s frontman Jason Aalon Butler said: “As many of you know and as many of you have experienced we’ve been going through quite a rough time of uncertainty, anxiety and fear due to a pandemic that has gripped the world known as COVID-19. These are unprecedented times and we want to get through them just as much as you do.
“But we must not forget that there are precedented times that we face and have been facing and have been perpetuated for generations and one of these has been the violence against black bodies, brown bodies, immigrant bodies in America and throughout the world. This is a power dynamic and it’s been leveraged against people for generations. This is something we must address, this is something we must fight against and this is the platform we utilise to do so.”
This was then followed by a video compilation of footage including tributes to George Floyd from his family, news reports, and images of violence and unrest across America, before FEVER 333 began playing in front of a three-walled backdrop on which further footage was projected.
Later, during the performance, Butler called out a number of record labels and streaming services, including Atlantic, Sony, Spotify, Def Jam, Spotify, Amazon and Apple Music, demanding they “show up for black people. You love black culture? Show up for black people!”
Halfway through the stream, the names of Floyd and hundreds of other African Americans killed by the police were projected onto the screens as the band fell silent to reflect.
“I want to take this moment to be silent, but not like yesterday, not like when you should have spoke up while people were out on the streets getting shot at and manhandled by those who are there to protect them, those who have shown them nothing but chaos for generations,” Butler said beforehand, in reference to this week’s ‘Blackout Tuesday’.
“We will not be silent the way they thought we would be silent, we will be silent in the names of all those beautiful black bodies that were slain needlessly and senselessly over the years. Be quiet and listen for a minute.” At the end of the stream, those names were once again displayed on the stage.
In the wake of George Floyd’s death protests have erupted across the US and all over the world, while a large number of well-known artists have expressed their outrage over Floyd’s death.
The Minnesota Freedom Fund helps arrested protestors access bail money as the protests continue. Those donating can “match” an amount given by another person. The fund recently went viral after it was shared by artists from across the music and film industries.
Artists including Janelle Monáe, Noname, Thundercat and Halsey are just some of the musicians who have been sharing details of the fund.
The post Watch FEVER 333’s powerful ‘Long Live The Innocent’ livestream in aid of Minnesota Freedom Fund and Black Lives Matter appeared first on NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM.
