The all-American multi-platinum rock band, Shinedown, performed at the Angel of the Winds Arena, with guest rock bands, Three Days Grace and From Ashes to New on Sunday, May 7.

The doors opened at 5:00 p.m. and fans couldn’t wait as lines grew quickly around the arena. Excitement and anticipation evident on the faces of young and old. Available parking was at a minimum.

As soon as their tickets were scanned, many fans joined another line for over an hour, myself included, to browse merchandise options from all three featured bands. Even as the concert started, with the bass loudly reverberating through the walls, fans stayed in line.

From Ashes to New, an up and coming band, started off the event with hard-hitting electric and heavy bass guitar and clean vocals mixed with rap making for a heavier Linkin Park–style sound. Lead vocalist, Danny Case spoke of his appreciation for the concert-goers, “Some of you may not even know who we are . . . thank you,” Case said. From Ashes to New played for about 30 minutes before Three Days Grace took the stage.

Three Days Grace played several of their greatest hits, including ‘Animal I Have Become’, ‘Pain’ and ‘Riot’. Lead singer Matt Walst riled the crowd up during several of their harder songs, “I want a mosh pit, right here,” Walst’s call was heard and fans on the floor began mixing it up to the beat of ‘Riot’, perfectly realizing the spirit of the song. However, it wasn’t all good for at least one audience member, “I loved the music, but I didn’t like how much [Walst] swore at me. There’s a lot of families with their kids here.” There was a stark contrast of etiquette between the opening acts and the main act to the fan-bases that showed up to listen.

Shinedown entered the stage after a short set-up intermission, their appearance like something out of a movie. A robotic voice played over the speakers, a face appearing on huge LED panels, welcoming the loudly cheering fans to Planet Zero; Shinedown’s newest album. The panels then opened to reveal the band’s four members walking through the smoke. They came to the front of the stage, the drum platform sliding in after,  as the stadium filled with deafening cheers. The applause continued all the way until the very first blast of music from their heavy hitter, ‘Diamond Eyes’.

An overwhelming sense of euphoria took over the crowd, increasing to a crescendo as the voices of the audience followed the music word for word, fists pumping in the air beat for beat, continuing as the band seamlessly moved on to ‘Dead Don’t Die’, a hit from their new album.

Shifting gears a bit, a piano dubbed, “the flying piano” was lowered from the ceiling allowing bassist, pianist, backup vocalist and producer Eric Bass to take the keys as Shinedown followed up with ‘I’ll Follow You’, a song about devotion that relies heavily on lead singer Brent Smith’s crystal clear vocals and impressive range. 

The band continued, barely giving drummer Barry Kerch time to rest his arms, pushing on to play ‘Bully’, ‘Unity’, ‘If You Only Knew’, ‘State of My Head’, and ‘Enemies’. Each accompanied by beautiful lights and shocking pyrotechnics, which frightened some and excited others. 

Smith took a few intermissions to speak, once to share heartfelt appreciation for everyone coming out to the concert to listen to their music, and then again about the importance of mental health, mentioning Shinedown’s partnership with the AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention). One dollar for every ticket sold went to raising nearly $150,000 for suicide awareness. Representatives from the AFSP were onsite in the lobby. Smith then turned his attention directly to the crowd, “If someone you know has thought about committing suicide, or if you, yourself have thought about it . . . you gotta understand something: this world is so much better with you in it.” 

He went on to say, “The worst thing you can do is stay quiet. The bravest thing you can do is speak up,” A wide smile appeared on Smith’s face as the crowd cheered their approval in support for this statement. Furthering the message, the band played one of their newest songs, ‘A Symptom of Being Human’, which directly addresses mental health, personal baggage and the reminder that no one is alone.

Shifting gears again, Shinedown brought back the heat, blasting two heavy title tracks, ‘Sound of Madness’ (2008) and ‘Planet Zero’ (2022). On the softer side, they pulled the audience back in time to 2003, calling upon them to sing along to ‘45’. “Everett, did you bring your singing voices?” Smith prompted. Indeed they did, the chorus rising above the sound of the guitar as their voices harmonized with Smith’s, a moment an entire stadium shared.

Before the audience had the chance to recover, the floor under the stage lit up red, giving the whole stadium an eerie glow. This could only be a precursor to one song, ‘Devil’. A popular single released before the 2018 album Attention Attention. 

Shinedown followed up with the chart-topper, ‘Second Chance’. Arguably one of the most popular songs from the band, having reached the top spot on multiple charts. 

Giving some folks a bit of a surprise, Smith briefly left the stage to lead guitarist Zach Myers and Eric Bass, who sang an acoustic cover of Oasis’ ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’. Before and after the song, both gave an abundance of appreciation for their fans and fellow bandmates.

With “the flying piano” lowered from the ceiling once again, Smith returned with Barry Kerch to sing a mashup of two songs ‘Daylight’ and ‘Get Up’, each beholding words of encouragement. 

Pulling the audience back to 2003 once more, Smith encouraged even more crowd interaction by singing the often played ‘Simple Man’, Shinedown’s popular cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s original song. The music cut at each chorus, allowing the stadium to take over the song. A sense of connection between the fans took hold as Smith urged fans to look around and shake hands with their neighbors as they sang together.

Finishing up the impressive set of 19 songs, Shinedown signed off with two more heavy hitters, ‘Monsters’ and ‘Cut the Cord’. With abundant appreciation, Smith addressed the audience once more with his signature sign-off, “It’s never goodbye, it’s just ‘til next time.”

Shinedown’s music has an unmistakable message that resonates with their loyal fan-base, and if you truly listen to the words, that message is loud and clear. Shinedown is a modern band that has been making impactful rock music, which provides social commentary since 2001.

After an incredible four-hour concert, fans left the arena feeling a touch deaf due to the venue being a bit small for such a powerful band. However, joy, adrenaline and excitement were shared between the fans regardless; smiles abound. It was a night not soon forgotten.