Shinedown brought an out of this world performance to Knoxville, TN last week that left fans star struck.
On May 7th Shinedown was set to take the stage at Thompson Boling Arena for the last show of their spring tour. Unfortunately vocalist Brent Smith became ill and the show was cancelled. Ticket holders were quickly informed of a make up date for August 28th though. After waiting for what felt like a lightyear fans lined the exterior of Thompson Boling to be the first in line for the bands long awaited hometown show.
Up first was Diamante who dazzled in a diamond covered one piece. The Better Noise Music artist best known for her single Haunted gave a breathtaking performance that captivated fans of all ages. Her stage presence was effortless and she had the audience in awe of her cover of Iris by the GooGoo Dolls.
The direct support act of the night was Dorothy who replaced The Pretty Reckless on the previous tour. This may have been their first show with Shinedown but make no mistake Dorothy Martin and her band came ready to rock. The blues infused, post grunge rock singer started off with a bang as they opened with Down to the Bottom. The whole band’s energy was infections and within no time everyone was on their feet and singing along to every song, even if they didn’t know the words. Concert goers were left stunned by their cover of Sweet Dreams made popular by The Eurythmics. But the crowd went wild once the intro to their hit Rest in Peace began to echo through the arena.
Finally the wait was over and it was time for Shinedown to take the stage. Suddenly the lights dim as two large LCD screens flash various videos and images of the band. The two screens separate as the band appears in a cloud of smoke and pyro to perform The Saints of Violence and Innuendo off their newest album Planet Zero.
If you have never seen this four-piece live you are in for an absolutely mind-blowing performance. Each component of their live show is immaculately calculate. The visuals, wardrobe and endless pyrotechnics cohesively bring fans an unforgettable night. The energy that these guys bring to the stage is truly unmatched. Don’t be fooled by their intensity though, these guys know just how to bring tears to everyone’s eyes with their acoustic renditions of some of their most popular and heartfelt tracks. Halfway through their set Smith even took a moment to speak directly to the 21,600 capacity venue to deliver a beautifully crafted speech about believing in yourself and not giving up when things get hard.
Just as the night was coming to an end a special guest makes an appearance on stage. It was none other than Knox county’s mayor, Glenn Jacobs. Jacobs tells the crowd that vocalist Brent Smith was a 1996 graduate of South Doyle high and that he had a gift for him. The mayor presented Smith with a key to Knox county that was made by students from his former school. After relishing in a nostalgic and monumental moment the band pressed on and gave the crowd a remarkable performance of Wheels as a tribute to Taylor Hawkins, before ending the night with their infamous cover of Simple Man. For fans this night was well worth the wait and one that the hometown crowd wont soon forget.
