Shinedown returned to Springfield on Saturday evening,
playing the Illinois State Fair Grandstand after their last visit in May 2013
when the band performed at the BOS Center. The band, based out of Jacksonville,
Florida, was founded in 2001, although lead singer Brent Smith and drummer
Barry Kerch are the only original members remaining.
Opening the show with a 45-minute set was Badflower,
based out of Los Angeles, California. The band’s debut studio album, “OK, I’m
Sick,” was released on Feb. 22 of this year and has produced the singles
“Heroin” and “Ghost.”
With vocalist/guitarist Josh Katz, lead guitarist Joey
Morrow, bass player Alex Espiritu and Anthony Sonetti behind the drum kit, Badflower
made their debut appearance in Springfield with a very high-energy, solid performance.
Lead singer Josh Katz, with his multi-colored hair, came across as a pure
natural and owned the stage. From the first guitar chord played to the last
vocal sung, these guys might very well breathe some life back into rock n’ roll.
Shinedown took the stage at 9:30 with Brent Smith in his
standard vest and tie, belting out the vocals for “Devil” while pyro, flames
and concussion bombs burst from the stage floor. Like a true professional, Smith
jumped from the ramp down to the stage, landing in perfect synch with the band
and all pyrotechnics.
From that point on, the crowd was in a frenzy as the band
ripped through its hits. With Zach Myers on lead guitar, Eric Bass on bass,
Barry Kerch on drums and singer extraordinaire Brent Smith on lead vocals,
Shinedown did not disappoint. Showing love to the audience all through the
show, Smith was very hands-on with his fans, shaking as many hands as he could,
promoting a positive vibe and having crowd interactions between and during
songs. Appropriately enough for the State Fair, Smith even give a shout-out to
Vose’s Corn Dogs midway through the set after taking an audience poll of who
likes corn dogs.
The two hour set comprised of 18 songs with pyrotechnics,
crowd interaction, concussion bombs and opening act Badflower was money well-spent
for all who attended.
Set list:
1. Devil
2. Diamond
3. Enemies
4. Monsters
5. Black
Soul
6. I’ll
Follow You
7. Unity
8. Bully
9. 45
10.Amaryllis
11. Call Me
12. H.D.Y.L.
13. Second Chance
14. Simple Man
15. Cut the Cord
16. Get Up
17. Sound of Madness
18. Brilliant
This article appears in Aug 15-21, 2019.
