SHINEDOWN AT PNC BANK ARTS CENTER IN HOLMDEL
Summer has come and gone, but the outdoor concerts are still alive and kicking. Shinedown has been on their “Planet Zero World Tour”, and finally made their way to Holmdel, NJ. The venue was PNC Banks Arts Center, and it was the perfect evening for an outside concert gathering. For this part of the tour, Jelly Roll and John Harvie joined the boys in Shinedown for the opening tour support.
I was already excited to see Shinedown hit the stage again, as it has been several years since seeing them live. I previously heard of their one opener, Jelly Roll, but hadn’t heard any of his music yet. As I made my way into the venue, I kept over hearing many of the guests talk about this dude and just how amazing his music is. Well, that was a lighthearted way to put it because this guy was amazing! It has been quite some time since I have seen an opening act (that I have never seen or heard of previously) and was completely blown away. From his dynamic and long ranged vocals, to his band of brothers providing the instrument sounds, to the stage setup including some great lighting effects and blazing pyro bursts, this was one opener that will be headlining his own world tour in the near future!
Now after a brief intermission, it was time for the boys in Shinedown to make their way to the stage. With an empty stage in sight, you start to wonder what was about to happen - no stage props, no drum set, just an empty stage with a huge and angled screen in the background ready for a video to play. As the video came to an end, the screen split and started to slowly open, and out walk Brent, Zach, Eric and Barry. The roar of the crowd could easily be heard for miles. The guys took to their positions and “The Saints of Violence and Innuendo” literally popped off with one of the loudest pyro-bombs I have ever heard! The guys literally were moving all over the stage. They made sure to jump down off the platform to come stage front to show tons of love to their die-hard fans. The show continued with “Devil”, “Planet Zero”, “45 “, and then my all time favorite Shinedown song, “Bully”. Brent gave a heart filled speech to the crowd both thanking them for attending, and gave some insight into how crazy this past year has been. He acknowledged that there are plenty of people doing well, which is great, and he acknowledged that there are those maybe not doing so well. His point to everyone was to embrace the good, and reach out a helping hand to those that maybe aren’t doing their best. This tour has been about listening to great music while being with some great friends, and simply having a night to let loose and enjoy yourself and those around you. Besides the amazing sound and performance being delivered by Shinedown, the lighting effects and video displays were nonstop eye gazing. The pyro kept you on the tips of your toes at just the right moments!
To say this show was amazing just doesn’t seem to be enough. I am not sure there is one word (or small phrase) that can truly give these bands the respect and justice they deserve. The best thing I could tell you to do is buy a ticket, get to a show, and experience this tour all on your own!