Jimmy Butler, the NBA star and current Miami Heat small forward, loves listening to Nickelback.

And the basketball player often subjects his teammates to the hit-making Canadian rock band.

But is his locker-room Nickelback listening a motivating tactic or a punishment for fellow players? Either way, Butlers Nickelback affection is now a topic in sports media as the Heat lead the Boston Celtics 3–1 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Down toward the bottom of this post, see some videos that could make a case for either argument.

On Tuesday (May 23), ESPN brought up Butlers affection for Nickelback, even interviewing a teammate about it. But Butlers fandom goes back further, as does his taste in country from artists like Morgan Wallen. (Butler is friends with Wallen.)

Earlier this year, after the Heat lost a game, Butler reportedly played some Nickelback songs at his locker for teammates and staffers. At least one of the songs got through to Heat power forward Udonis Haslem, though Haslem cant quite remember which. Still, he said Butler helped him understand it.

Haslem tells ESPN, Hes just explaining the song to me. A lot of times the reason why people might diss or whatever is cause they dont understand the song or they dont even give it a chance to listen. They just immediately shit on it. Once he started telling me what [Nickelback singer Chad Kroeger] was saying, and I started listening to it, then it all made sense.

Trying to recall what Nickelback song Butler played, Haslem continues, Oh man, I cant remember, but its something about its like, Just give it your all or Stuck between, rock and a hard plaaaace. Its like rock and a hard plaaaace. Something like that.

hat said, country may be Butlers main musical love. Last year, word emerged he was working on his own country album. But perhaps the intersection of country and rock excites Butler the most. A commercial shows him singing along to Hootie & the Blowfishs hit roots-rocker Only Wanna Be With You.

If, like Jimmy, Nickelback is your jam, be sure to catch them on tour.

U2 just announced five shows in Las Vegas as part of their new U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere Las Vegas concert residency this fall.

The Irish rock band will open the new sphere-shaped music and entertainment arena Sphere at The Venetian Resort with the program based on their classic 1991 album, Achtung Baby. The residency was already announced; the dates are newly revealed. (More dates are likely to be added, Rolling Stone said.)

U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere is the bands latest ambitious creative project and will see them work once again with longtime U2 creative collaborator and show director Willie Williams, a press release explains.

It follows the huge success of U2s Joshua Tree 30th anniversary stadium tour which was seen by over 3.2 million fans worldwide and their 2018 eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE indoor tour which played to a combined audience of 1 million across Europe and North America.

U2 hasnt played live since December 2019 and we need to get back on stage and see the faces of our fans again, the band said on Monday (April 24). And what a unique stage theyre building for us out there in the desert. … Were the right band, Achtung Baby the right album, and Sphere the right venue to take the live experience of music to the next level.

The U2 members added, Thats what U2s been trying to do all along with our satellite stages and video installations, most memorably on the ZOO TV Tour, which ended in Tokyo 30 years ago this fall.

However, U2s Larry Mullen Jr. wont be a part of the dates. The band has already named his replacement.

There should be some great rock n roll and a little bit of friendly chart-watching rivalry this spring when Shinedown hit the road with Three Days Grace and From Ashes to New.

The chart-topping rockers Shinedown just announced their The Revolutions Live trek which will kick off on April 3 in Saginaw, Michigan, with Three Days Grace and From Ashes to New serving as support on the run.

For the past few years, Shinedown and Three Days Grace have been engaged in a chart battle for most No. 1 songs on Billboards Mainstream Rock Chart. Shinedown pulled ahead with their 17th No. 1 with Planet Zero early last year, then added their 18th, Daylight, later in the year. Three Days Grace are right on their heels with Lifetime becoming their 17th chart-topper also last year. And as both bands have new albums to support, the chart battle should generate a little friendly rivalry during the run.

Shinedowns latest from their Planet Zero album, Dead Dont Die, just arrived with a Lewis Carter-directed video that can be seen below, while Three Days Grace most recently released their third Explosions album single, I Am the Weapon.

From Ashes to New, meanwhile, saw their Retaliators soundtrack song The Retaliators (21 Bullets) hit No. 15 on the Mainstream Rock chart last year, with the song Until We Break featuring Memphis May Fires Matty Mullins being their most recent offering.

As for the upcoming trek, the Revolutions Live tour will play 21 stops along the way. All cities, dates and venues are listed at the bottom of this post. The public on-sale for tickets is this Friday (Jan. 27) at 10AM local time through LiveNation.com. There will also be various pre-sales going on ahead of Friday, starting tomorrow (Jan. 24) through Thursday (Jan. 26). You can visit Shinedowns website for additional ticketing info.

Shinedown / Three Days Grace / From Ashes To New 2023 The Revolutions Live Tour Dates

April 3 – Saginaw, Mich @ The Dow Event Center
April 4 – Cincinnati, Ohio @ Heritage Bank Center
April 7 – Bridgeport, Ct. @ Total Mortgage Arena
April 8 – State College, Pa. @ Bryce Jordan Center
April 10 – Wilkes-Barre, Pa. @ Mohegan Sun Arena
April 12 – Huntington, W.V. @ Mountain Health Arena
April 14 – Jacksonville, Fla. @ Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena
April 15 – Orlando, Fla. @ Amway Center
April 17 – Savannah, Ga. @ Enmarket Arena
April 19 – Huntsville, Ala. @ Von Braun Center
April 21 – Memphis, Tenn. @ FedExForum
April 22 – Baton Rouge, La. @ Raising Canes River Center
April 24 – Tulsa, Okla. @ BOK Center
April 25 – Lincoln, Neb. @ Pinnacle Bank Arena
April 27 – Ft. Wayne, Ind. @ Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
April 29 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ Fiserv Forum
April 30 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ Target Center
May 3 – Bozeman, Mont. @ Brick Breeden Fieldhouse
May 6 – Spokane, Wash. @ Spokane Arena
May 7 – Everett, Wash. @ Angel of the Winds Arena
May 9 – Portland, Ore. @ Moda Center
Sept. 7 – 10 – Blue Ridge Rock Festival @ The Virginia International Raceway *^

*Festival, no Three Days Grace and From Ashes to New
^Not a Live Nation & FPC Live Produced Date

Fever 333 have canceled all of their upcoming tour dates, with plans to resume performing in the spring. Following the departures of Stephen Harrison and Aric Improta last month, frontman Jason Aalon Butler assured the band will continue, but in a new statement, he explained that the group needs time to reset.

As difficult as this decision was to make, Fever 333 will be placing all live activity on hold until Spring 2023 in order to give everyone the best experience possible, the statement reads. Taking this time to reset and prepare will help reach that goal. On behalf of the project I want to thank you all so much for the energy and support you continue to offer. You were promised a new and exciting era of Fever 333 and that is what youll get.

Fever 333 had a handful of concerts scheduled for late 2022 and early 2023. Ticketholders will receive a refund for all headlining shows.

Both Harrison and Improta released their own statements in early October regarding their exit from the trio.

Aric and I have decided to leave Fever 333. I won’t get into the details but things were pretty bad internally, Harrison wrote in a post on social media. That plus creative differences sort of left me with no choice. That said, I’m so thankful for all the amazing fans, people who helped Fever behind the scenes, and my friends and family who supported me through all of this.

Steve and I have decided to step away Fever 333. Its layered, but ultimately, I’d just rather dedicate my time to projects that operate different than that one, Improta shared in his own post.

Shortly after, Butler thanked his former bandmates for their involvement in the group, and confirmed that Fever 333 will continue, though he didnt reveal any further details regarding its future. Stay tuned for more updates.

Lamb of God are currently on the road with Killswitch Engage in support of their upcoming new album Omens. This past Friday (Sept. 9), they kicked off the run at the Ford Amphitheater on the Coney Island Boardwalk in New York.

The metal act played a 15-song set during the performance, including some of their biggest hits, as well as their two new 2022 singles Nevermore and Omens [via Setlist.fm]. The show also marked the return of guitarist Willie Adler after he was absent from their European tour dates in early August due to some matters he had to tend to back home. Vio-Lences Phil Demmel filled in for him for the time being, but now hes back.

Lamb of Gods tour with Killswitch Engage continues tomorrow night (Sept. 13) in Youngstown, Ohio. Baroness, Suicide Silence, Motionless in White, Spiritbox, Animals as Leaders and Fit for an Autopsy will serve as support on select dates. See the full itinerary below and get tickets here.

Omens will be available Oct. 7 via Epic Records, and can be pre-ordered now on Lamb of Gods website.

The world is crazy and keeps changing. Omens is a reaction to the state of the world. It’s a very pissed-off record, frontman Randy Blythe teased of the upcoming record when they announced it back in early June.

Lamb of God + Killswitch Engage Fall 2022 Tour

Sept. 13 - Youngstown, Ohio @ Youngstown Foundation Amp. +
Sept. 14 - Baltimore, Md. @ Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena +
Sept. 16 - Atlanta, Ga. @ Coca Cola Roxy +
Sept. 17 - Jacksonville, Fla. @ Dailys Place +
Sept. 18 - Tampa, Fla. @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amp. +
Sept. 21 - Boston, Mass. @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway +
Sept. 23 - Louisville, Ky. @ Louder Than Life Festival (Lamb of God only)
Sept. 24 - Chicago, Ill. @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island +
Sept. 25 - Sterling Heights, Mich. @ Michigan Lottery Amp at Freedom Hall +
Sept. 26 - Indianapolis, Ind. @ TCU Amphitheatre at White River State Park +
Sept. 30 - Denver, Colo. @ Fillmore Auditorium +
Oct. 1 - Salt Lake City, Utah @ Great SaltAir *
Oct. 2 - Grand Junction, Colo. @ Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park *
Oct. 4 - Fresno, Calif. @ Exhibit Hall at Selland Arena *
Oct. 7 - Sacramento, Calif. @ Aftershock Festival
Oct. 9 - Vancouver, British Columbia @ Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Center ^
Oct. 10 - Kent, Wash. @ Accesso ShoWare Center ^
Oct. 11 - Portland, Ore. @ Theater of the Clods ^
Oct. 13 - Inglewood, Calif. @ YouTube Theater $
Oct. 14 - Phoenix, Ariz. @ Arizona Federal Theater $
Oct. 15 - Albuquerque, N.M. @ Isleta Amphitheater $
Oct. 16 - El Paso, Texas @ UTEP Don Haskins Center $
Oct. 18 - San Antonio, Texas @ Freeman Coliseum $
Oct. 19 - Houston, Texas @ 713 Music Hall $
Oct. 20 - Irving, Texas @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory $

+ w/Baroness + Suicide Silence
* w/Motionless in White + Fit for an Autopsy
^ w/Spiritbox + Fit for an Autopsy
$ w/Animals as Leaders + Fit for an Autopsy