Shinedown Delivers a Fiery and Fun Concert at PPG Paints Arena with Bush and Morgan Wade

Shinedown, Bush, and Morgan Wade hit PPG Paints arena Tuesday night like an E5 tornado. Shinedown is enjoying a fantastic period of success and now their new single “Three Six Five”  is charting on five different radio formats. Currently, it’s No.1 on the alternative chart and has hit Top 10 on Hot AC (Adult Contemporary) as well as AC, No.16 on Active Rock and is approaching the Top 20 on Top 40 radio. They have achieved cross genre chart success with other songs like “A Symptom of Being Human.” These are the results of strong musicianship.

It was splendid to see their talent, diversity, and creativity on full display at the Pittsburgh concert. The show began with an actor in a black body suit with a TV set on the top of their costume where their head would be, coming on stage to the tune of Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer.” The TV turned on and played quick cuts of classic TV shows. This Shinedown Television then appeared on the screen behind the stage matching the monitor head. Then the band came on and ripped into their hot new single, “Dance, Kid, Dance” The only one on the stage was drummer Barry Kerch, Brent Smith (lead vocals), Zach Meyers (lead guitar and backing vocals), and Eric Bass (bass and backing vocals) were all out on the three other platforms. The center platform was at the end of a walkway from the stage and then branched out in a “Y” configuration to the other two. 

“Dance, Kid, Dance” also marked the first use of fireworks and flames that would repeat occasionally throughout the show. The flames rose from rectangular boxes at the front of the stage and from overhead. The first use of pyrotechnics was a little surprising and seemed to rise out of the floor. Also in the show at one point, a stream of sparkling embers rained down on the stage. It was a very sensory oriented show with lasers and even sported a glitter ball. 

Next up was “Devour” and then “Cut the Cord.” Before “If You Only Knew,” Smith thanked the crowd, saying “It’s a Tuesday night and you could’ve been doing anything, but you’ve chosen to spend it with us.” For “Devil” the stage was lit menacingly in a vibrating red color. And appropriately the song featured fire and brimstone (flames and fireworks). 

For “Three Six Five,” which is about grieving the people we’ve lost, the screen displayed photos of a variety of people. Before the song Smith asked the audience to show hands if they lost someone really special to them. Many people did. “Three Six Five” is a beautiful, insightful song well performed by Smith and the group. The hard rocking “Enemies” followed.

Then “monitor person” came out to entertain again as the crew prepared the center stage platform for all the band to perform together. “Monitor person” was now wearing a Penguins Jersey and when asked if they ate a Primanti’s sandwich, responded by rubbing their belly and nodding approvingly.

The center platform set was four songs. On the first, “The Crow & the Butterfly,” Meyers showed his guitar playing prowess, skillfully playing an acoustic guitar to start the song on its pleasant beginning before switching to electric to bring it home with a strong guitar run. He played a variety of guitars throughout the evening and even has his own line of Signature PRS Singlecut 3 Humbuckers. During the center platform set, Smith asked everyone to hold up any signs they made. He spotted an elaborate sign made by an eleven year old girl whose birthday it was. He asked her to come to the middle stage and put her up on the platform next to Meyers who was sitting over the edge playing an acoustic guitar. Kerch gave her a pair of drumsticks. Smith had the crowd sing happy birthday to her. 

Smith also commented that Kerch, who had prepared the center platform playlist that night, was making him work, as a song on the set, “Dead Don’t Die,” was the first time they had played it on tour. Smith playfully grumbled that Kerch was making him get out his iPhone (for the lyrics). The last song of that set was “Call Me” which saw bassist Bass playing a beautiful piano piece. They also added a Tears for Fears snippet from “Head Over Heals” to the end of the song and had the audience sing some of the lyrics. Smith said “Call Me” is one of their most requested songs. Bass gave a solid foundation to the band’s music throughout the night, at one point playing a bright green bass. The band also played “Thick as Thieves” from the platform.

The group moved back to the main stage and played “Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)” which started up the flames and fireworks once more. The group then moved on to their recent mega hit, “A Symptom of Being Human.” Smith asked everyone to pull up their phone and light up the arena like a sky of stars. It was a beautiful accompaniment to a lovely song. Meyers played acoustic guitar while sitting over the edge of the front of the main stage. Bass played piano on a high riser near Kerch’s kit. Kerch is a powerful drummer who’s playing propels Shinedown’s songs forward. “Planet Zero” was a hard rocker featuring a countdown clock running above a semi-circular outline of a planet.

Shinedown is from Jacksonville, Florida, as is Lynyrd Skynyrd. Shinedown had long ago covered Skynyrd’s “Simple Man,” but it recently came back into vogue again when Smith performed the song live with Lynyrd Skynyrd. Smith and his bandmates did the song great justice at PPG Paints Arena. With the legendary Ozzy Osbourne passing away the day of the show, hard rock hearts were heavy and each band honored his influence on them. Before “Simple Man,” Smith and Shinedown did their own Osbourne tribute by performing some of his song “Mamma I’m Coming Home” and leading it into “Simple Man.” Smith said, “Whatever crazy train he’s on we wish him well.” 

“Monsters” and “Sounds of Madness” led up to the grand finale of “Second Chance,” an early mega hit for the band. Smith sounded wonderful; his voice is like a race car engine, at a slower speed it has a nice purr and at higher speeds it roars. It’s not just powerful, it has a fine crystalline clarity to it. Smith and all the band combine for some great rock vocal harmonies. Smith roamed the stage, walkway, and risers like a panther on its prowl.

Smith said at one point, “Shinedown has been playing Pittsburgh for 22 years, and this is the biggest crowd we’ve ever had!” With their talent and the songs that they have been crafting the crowds will likely continue to grow. Shinedown is working on their eighth studio album and have released several singles in advance of its release, “Three Six Five,” “Dance, Kid, Dance,” and “Killing Fields.” 

Shinedown is also a very humane group. Many of their songs demonstrate this humanity. Additionally, for the Dance Kid Dance Tour, Shinedown has teamed up with Musicians On Call and will be donating $1 for every ticket sold. Musicians On Call (MOC) is the nation’s leading provider of live music in hospitals. Shinedown is currently on a  North American tour. Their latest album is 2022’s Planet Zero. A Shinedown concert is similar to a positive community event with the band and the audience valuing one another and having a fun experience.

Bush

Having Bush as the middle act was a very strong move, as Bush can rock with the best of them. The British rock group more than got the crowd warmed up for Shinedown. During “Flowers on a Grave,” lead singer and guitarist Gavin Rossdale said, “[Let’s] find ways to each and everyone of us. It’s great to feel the energy flowing back to us, especially on a night like this (referring to the death of Ozzy Osbourne).” Rossdale even waded out into the audience singing to people and taking photos with them during the song. The song has a great line, “She covered me with loneliness like flowers on a grave.” Other top songs performed by the band included the title track of their just released album, “I Beat Loneliness,” “60 Ways to Forget People,” “The Land of Milk and Honey,” “Glycerine,” and their mega hit, encore song, “Comedown.” 

In addition to Rossdale, Bush is composed of Chris Traynor (lead guitar), Corey Britz (bass, backing vocals), and Nik Hughes (drums).

Morgan Wade

Morgan Wade was the opening act and she proved she can hang with the boys. She had a strong seven song set that included “Meet Somebody,” “The Party is Over, and “Wilder Days.” Morgan Wade’s latest album, The Party is Over (recovered) is set for release August 1.

Rick Handler is the owner and executive producer of Entertainment Central.

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