GOLDENVOICE PRESENTS: SHINEDOWN
LIVE AT THE WARFIELD IN SAN FRANCISCO, CA ON 1/26/22
As many Shinedown fans know, the band hasn’t made an appearance in San Francisco in quite some time. For the band to start the first shows of their 2022 tour here is something to celebrate. The bay area California scene has been limited on getting major acts to play in this area due to state Covid restrictions so it has been difficult seeing all these incredible bands on tour and skipping this area.
That can be forgiven with Brent Smith, Zach Myers, Eric Bass, and Barry Kerch returning to San Fracisco and performing at The Warfield on Market Street.
January 26th is a special day for Shinedown since not only would it be the opening day of their 2022 tour schedule but also the day they release their single “Planet Zero”. This is the first new music since the release of their sixth studio album ‘Attention Attention’ in 2018.
Attending a Shinedown show is not just an event of hearing live music, but more of a gathering of friends and experiencing an uplifting night of positivity. Vocalist Brent Smith leads a journey of enlightenment though music. The band’s music touches those who deal with their demons (or shall I say Monsters) on a daily basis. Shinedown let you know that you are not alone and that it’s ok to be knocked down and they help you get back up.
With that being said, let’s talk about the music itself. The band opens the show with the power house ‘Cut the Cord’ followed by ‘Unity’. As guitarist Zach Myers hits the songs power cords, he is giving the fans all he’s got as he moves from side to side of the stage.
The show continues by playing ‘Fly from the Inside’. After this point is when Brent takes the time to unify the gathering by making sure the members of their devoted fans Shinedown Nation and newer fans greet each other. He explains to the crowd that everyone is there for the same reason, to have a good time & to share in their love of the band’s music.
Shinedown’s set continues with so many hit songs including ‘State of My Head’, If you Only Knew’, ‘45’, and the powerhouse ‘Diamond Eyes (Boom Lay Boom Lay Boom)’. At this point the fans in San Francisco became part of the band’s history as they premiere the song ‘Planet Zero’ for the very first time live. Although this song was only released that day, you could see everyone in the crowd singing along with the band.
I have to give credit to each member of Shinedown because they brought their ‘A’ game tonight. This was the band member’s first show together since October of 2021. Their stage show was using fire canons, strobing lights, Smoke and spark explosions. Even with this all happening, it was still the music that was in the forefront.
The show continued with ‘I’ll Follow You’, Enemies’, ‘Devil’, ‘How Did You Love’. Brent slows down the show for a minute and gives a heartfelt speech about what the last two years have been like for us all. He explains that we are still in the middle of it and that we are so much stronger when we are working together to have a brighter, better future. You can hear the emotion in Brent’s voice as he continued to express how much he was touched by the turnout that has come to see the band that evening.
The house lights are brought down and cell phone lights are turned on in lieu of cigarette lighters as they play ‘Get Up’. The only hiccup in the show was not from the band but from a not too sober patron who tried to force his way towards the front of the stage by elbowing the people around him. Brent has the house bring the lights back up as security reacts to the situation and removes the patron. He informs the crowd that this was uncalled for but is a great segue into the next song ‘Bully”.
The energy of the evening continues at the band plays two of my personal favorites that both have significant meaning to me which are ‘Monsters’ and ‘Second Chance’. The pace changes as it becomes more of a SMITH & MYERS moment as the two members mentioned go solo with an acoustic version of the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic ‘Simple Man’.
Shinedown closed out the show with their powerhouse ‘Sound of Madness’. This performance rounded out an evening of perfectly orchestrated music and a live show that was exactly the right way for me to start out my 2022.
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