Shinedown- Darien Lake PAC, Corfu, NY – 09/20/2022

Shinedown has an impressive string of hits, but can they deliver live?

BY THOMAS S. ORWAT, JR.

Corfu, NY- One of the most popular mainstream rock bands, Shinedown, performed to a crowd of 5000 strong on a pleasant early fall, Tuesday evening in Western New York. The band is currently on tour supporting their 7th studio release, “Planet Zero.” Shinedown consists of Brent Smith (vocals), Zach Myers (guitar), Eric Bass (bass) and Barry Kerch (drums). Since their inception in 2001, Shinedown have sold over 10 million records and have had an impressive 18 chart-topping singles.

On this evening, Shinedown hit the stage at 9 pm and performed a high-energy, crowd-pleasing 18-song set. Their stage production was impressive, with a good amount of pyro and LED split screens with interesting imagery supporting their recent dystopian themed concept record, “Planet Zero.”

Unfortunately, due to the band’s vast number of must-play hits, only 4 songs from “Planet Zero” were included in their setlist. Which was a bit disappointing, because “Planet Zero”(which peaked at #5 on the US Billboard charts) is a truly brilliant release, with several songs that have the potential to become huge hits, especially the songs “Dysfunctional You” and “A Symptom of Being Human.” Neither of these songs have been perform on their current tour, so far.

This evening started off with a powerful opener with the track “The Saints of Violence and Innuendo,” which is the lead-off song from “Planet Zero.” The crowd rose out of their seats and remained standing for the entire duration of the show. Shinedown fans are a devout bunch, singing along to all the songs throughout the evening. The audience consisted of a good mix ranging from teenagers to classic rockers in their 60’s.

Vocalist Brent Smith is a charismatic front man who seizes control of the stage. When he tells the audience to jump, like he did before performing the song “Get Up” they jump high and in unison.

He is also one of the top songwriters in the current crop of rock bands. He has an undeniable talent for crafting songs with the ideal combination of melody and intensity, as well as insightful lyrics that can connect with almost any person. During the show, Smith gave a few motivational speeches. Telling the audience to live their dreams. He explained, “Whatever your plan is for your life, that’s what you do.”

The dynamic duo of guitarist Zach Myers and bassist Eric Bass were also non-stop force onstage, spinning and running around the stage all evening long. They punched their way through the hit “Bully” and kicked it up a few notches during the hard-hitting track “Enemies.”

Bass is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, who played piano on several tracks during the show. He also was the producer of “Planet Zero” and the band’s 2018 release “Attention Attention.” Bass along with Myers were not part of the original Shinedown lineup, they both joined in 2008. Myers and Bass’s inclusion tremendously strengthened the band, propelling Shinedown to the next level.

Other highlights of the show included the performance of the band’s #1 hit “Second Chance.” Most of the audience either held up their lighters or cellphones. Also, direct supporting act JellyRoll joined the band onstage for their version of the classic Lynyrd Skynyrd single “Simple Man.”

Overall, Shinedown wowed their audience with a well-paced set of fast rockers with a few passionate hit ballads. This is a band that gets better with each release and tour. They are at the top of their game. The future is bright, and the sky is the limit for Shinedown. Most importantly, they certainly can deliver it live!!! For more on Shinedown, go to www.shinedown.com

Shinedown setlist 09-20-2022

The Saints of Violence and Innuendo
Devil
America Burning
How Did You Love
45
Bully
The Crow & the Butterfly
Get Up
Enemies
Daylight
Planet Zero
Cut the Cord
Monsters
Second Chance

Encore:
Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)
Don’t Look Back in Anger (Oasis cover)
Simple Man (Lynyrd Skynyrd cover) (with Jelly Roll)
Sound of Madness

For more info, on upcoming LIVENATION shows go to www.livenation.com