Shinedown raised the Heat Dome temperatures a few notches with hellish pyro, all-pro lighting, and a giant stage catwalk extending out into the heart of the packed crowd inside the @enterprise_cntr last Friday night. They spared no expense in executing a big rock spectacle of stadium-sized portions.
Jacksonville, Florida’s hard rock quartet, is no stranger to St. Louis. They’ve been playing progressively larger venues since their debut in 2003, and have been touring non-stop for years. They also managed to record seven top-selling studio albums showcasing their overtly commercial yet hard-hitting sound. The masses lap it up, and their shows demonstrate why.
Lead singer, Brent Smith, drummer, Barry Kerch, bassist, Eric Bass, and guitarist, vocalist, Zach Meyers packed a lot of rock into their 18-song, over-the-top, blistering hot performance and rock revival.
The audience was already primed by Bush’s set, and the show began. Overhead, videos of famous events in TV history were displayed, including the launch of MTV. A man wearing a TV head and costume ran out the long stage catwalk extension and encouraged the crowd to get up and get their freak on.
The band wasted no time, running out and hitting the first notes of “Dance, Kid, Dance,” which was also displayed on the giant monitors overhead. Not since U2’s “Achtung Baby” tour has one witnessed so much visual overload.
They played a good sampling of their albums, including “If You Only Knew,” “Thick as Thieves,” and closed with “Second Chance.” Shinedown may not be recreating the wheel, but they know how to roll. Oh, and rock. These lads prove that rock has life, and millions still love it loud and with an extra heaping of guitar.
