Memphis May Fire ‘Shapeshifts’ at Starland Ballroom

Keeyahtay Lewis·
Concerts & Events
·

Memphis May Fire are currently on their Shapeshifter Part II tour with If Not For Me, Nevertel and Rain City Drive opening. On Thanksgiving Eve, this powerhouse show came to Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. 

If Not For Me (Keeyahtay Lewis)

Both If Not For Me and Nevertel did a fantastic job of getting everyone in the room warmed up. Both bands combined clean and more aggressive vocals, with Nevertel having 2 frontmen to share the vocal duties. Crowd surfers came over the barricade constantly — it was obvious that the room was full of fans from both bands.

Rain City Drive (Keeyahtay Lewis)

Next up was Rain City Drive, and I was definitely excited for this one. I have been listening to them for a while now and it’s always great to see them play. Frontman Matt McAndrew has a fantastic voice and he had everyone in the room singing along. They ended their set with “Medicate Me” — a duet with Dayseeker’s Rory Rodriguez sharing vocals. They had Rory’s vocals piped in for this song, but every single person in the room was there singing along to help make the song special. 

Memphis May Fire (Keeyahtay Lewis)

Finally it was time for Memphis May Fire to return to Starland Ballroom’s stage. Singer Matty Mullins has been splitting his time fronting Anberlin lately, but it was clear as soon as they started that Anberlin has not soften any of Memphis May Fires’ edge. The moment they started with “Paralyzed” the whole room didn’t stop moving for the whole set. Mullins slips between clean and heavy vocals easily, and seems at home doing either. Their whole set felt like controlled chaos: CO2 explosions, strobes and constant crowd surfers. I spent a lot of time in the pit dodging those landing around me. The band never stopped moving and the crowd made sure that they were not alone in that. The band sounded fantastic and when you scanned the room at all the smiling faces, it was clear that everyone was so happy to be there. 

All in all, it was a wonderful way to spend Thanksgiving Eve. I remember younger me at the bars having a high school reunion of sorts, but I much prefer this these days. Loud music and people head banging against the barricade — perfect.

GALLERY: Memphis May Fire with If Not Me, Nevertel and Rain City Drive at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey (November 26, 2025)

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Keeyahtay Lewis
Photographer & Writer

Born in Florida, but I moved to NJ when I was 12. I grew up in fine arts- painting, drawing, sculpting, and creative writing. I feel like this was all so that when I picked up a camera I instinctively knew how to make interesting images. I shoot portraits, boudoir, landscapes, travel, weddings, but music was always my first love. I've spent years singing in various bands, and more years capturing others doing that. I've worked for many venues and bands in my area, LiveNation, AEG, and Madison House Presents. Published in Alt Press, Spin, Wallstreet Journal, Billboard and more. Someone once told me, “Your pictures make me want to go to concerts” and I hope to be able to keep doing that for years to come.