Shinedown Live Columbus Review: Life Found On Planet Zero -

Shinedown – April 23, 2022

Shinedown Live Columbus Review.

The Schottenstein Center – Columbus, OH

w/ The Pretty Reckless & Diamante

Setlist

– The Saints of Violence and Innuendo

– Devil

– Planet Zero

– State of my Head

– 45

– Get Up

– Fly From the Inside

– Bully

– Daylight

– Enemies

– Cut the Cord

– Second Chance

– Unity

– Monsters

– Diamond Eyes

– Wheels (Foo Fighters Cover)

– Call Me

– Simple Man (Lynyrd Skynyrd Cover)

– Sound of Madness

Concert Review

Shinedown Live Columbus Review: Shinedown brought their Planet Zero World Tour to Columbus, Ohio on April 23, 2022. Now, I have seen Shinedown numerous times, but this time was the best. Okay. I probably said that every time, but this time I really mean it. It seems like every time the band comes around, they evolve into something bigger, something better, something greater. They truly have become one of my favorite modern rock acts ever. The intensity and energy of Brent Smith, and the cohesiveness of the entire band, make it so fun to watch.

The stage itself was like nothing I’d seen at another concert before. A long catwalk-like structure stretched from the end of one side of the arena halfway to the other. The crowd surrounded the entire structure. If you like the chance to be close to the band, this was your chance. The show started with a brief video that addressed the concert shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the band’s excitement of getting back to the live stage. Once the video ended, two large doors at the end of the stage opened, and the 4 members of Shinedown took the stage and kicked into the opening song, “The Saints of Violence and Innuendo,” from their upcoming record, Planet Zero. From there, there was no looking back as the band played a 19-song set filled with songs spanning their amazing career…so far. The members moved about the catwalk, playing to the entire arena while an amazing light show and pyro served as a backdrop. Barry Kerch held down basecamp with his drumkit at the base of the stage.

The new album, Planet Zero, was supposed to have dropped on April 22, 2022, the day before this show. However, that did not happen. Lead singer, Brent Smith, addressed the delay by saying the band decided they did not want the album to only be released to a certain amount of fans, while others had to wait. They wanted the entire Shinedown Nation to get the record at the same time. Smith informed the crowd that the album would now be released on July 1, 2022. To help the fans with the wait, the band played the next single from the record, “Daylight.” Trust me when I say, this album will be with the wait.

As I said earlier, I have seen Shinedown live quite a few times. The first time was on October 24, 2005, when they opened for 3 Doors Down. I was blown away by Brent Smith’s intensity and went out the next day and bought the two records they had out at the time, Leave A Whisper and Us & Them. Fast forward 17 years later and it felt like I was seeing the band for the first time all over again. Perhaps that was due to my seatmates. To the right of me was a young 13 or 14-year-old boy who very well may have been experiencing his first Shinedown show…or his first show ever. The kid was pumped! He had horns up, pumping his arm the whole time. He was yelling and singing along to every song until his voice was hoarse. The kid was in heaven. It took me back to another time. It took me back to a time of seeing concerts when I was that age. Aerosmith, Tesla. Van Halen with all of the wide-eyed innocence of a kid before worrying about how many beers I could drink or wondering if I should leave early to beat traffic. It was all about the music. It was all about the wonderment. That was cool to watch that kid enjoy the show so much. And I think it caused me to enjoy the show in a different way. I took in every lyric, every light, and every note with no beer in my hand and not thinking about traffic.

To the left of me was an older couple that had probably seen a few shows in their day. They shared a smartphone and between them, tried to do a Facebook live during one point of the show. While one of them held a flashlight (an actual flashlight) on the phone, the other one attempted to find the right button to press. It was actually quite awesome. And when it came time for Brent Smith to tell people to get their phone lights out, the guy whipped out his Bic lighter and held it up in the air. Probably like they did back at shows in the 70s. It was inspiring to see them still so passionate about music and concerts, especially a current band like Shinedown. Being surrounded by these two generations excited me. There I was, somewhere in between. I’m gonna say closer to the 13-year-old…but in reality, who cares? It was all about the love of music. I hope there’s still some of that 13-year-old in me that will have the wonderment and wow when it comes to music. And hopefully, I will be sitting there one day trying to figure out the latest technology to capture a picture of the show.

Perhaps I got a bit off course, but in the end, it comes back to Shinedown. They are a band for the young. There were plenty of young boys and girls that will probably talk about their first concert being Shinedown back in 2o22. They are a band for the now. And they are the band for us older people who hold bands to a high standard thanks to bands like Aerosmith and Van Halen. Guess what? Shinedown passed that test. And with so many bands singing about negativity, Shinedown put out a different message. They put out a message of positivity. They put out a message of hope. With the song lyrics inspiring people to get back up to do their best and to see the world through different eyes, or when Brent Smith tells people better days are ahead in between songs, it is awesome. And the best part is, I believe them.

So yeah, in many ways, this past show on April 23 in Columbus, OH kind of felt like my first Shinedown show all over again. I’m grateful for the experience. I’m grateful to be able to photograph the band and be so close and to have that interaction. But I’m also grateful to sit there along with other music fans of different ages and experience the show alongside them. It makes me excited to see what the next Shinedown show has in store for me!

Thanks for checking out our Shinedown Live Columbus Review!