Shinedown helps end summer concert season on a high note

GILFORD — Shinedown performed for a sold-out crowd Sept. 16 at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, a stop on the band’s Planet Zero World Tour.

The group played through the venue’s 11 p.m. curfew in order to perform their final song, after having twice paused the show to address issues among those in the crowd.

The electric show featured music from their new record, fan favorites from their large catalog, as well as plenty of pyrotechnics around the stage.

Supporting acts John Harvie and Jelly Roll warmed up the crowd for Shinedown’s Friday night performance. Nearly all seats under the pavilion and up onto the lawn were filled before 8 p.m.

Shinedown opened the show with “The Saints of Violence and Innuendo,” the second single from their latest album, Planet Zero, released in 2022. “Devil” came next, followed by “America Burning,” another new track, and “How Did You Love.”

Formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 2001, Shinedown is Brent Smith on vocals, Zach Myers on guitar, Eric Bass on bass, and Barry Kerch on drums.

Following the first four songs, Smith halted the show to wait for a concert goer to be escorted from the pit, a standing crowd of general admission ticket holders who opted to be as close to the action onstage as possible.

The show continued with old favorites like “45,” “Bully,” and “The Crow & the Butterfly.” When polled by Smith, the crowd featured a mix of audience members experiencing Shinedown live for the first time, and fans who had been to show after show.

Throughout the performance, Smith, Myers and Bass walked out onto the stage extension into the standing crowd, forging a connection with the audience.

The crowd of nearly 9,000 was on their feet almost the whole time, feeding into the band’s energy and the atmosphere of excitement throughout the covered amphitheater and up into the lawn.

Toward the end of the show, Myers was one of many musicians throughout the summer to comment on the pavilion’s hospitality and amenities, citing their experience backstage as one of the reasons the band returns again and again to perform in Gilford.

The setlist was an appropriate mix of new and old material, and featured video footage chronicling the band’s return to live shows post-pandemic.

Tunes like “Second Chance” heard the whole crowd singing along, as did Shinedown’s cover of the Lynyrd Skynyrd song “Simple Man,” during which the band invited Jelly Roll back to the stage to perform alongside Smith, alternating the song’s lyrics.

The culmination of the show, the band’s encore, almost didn’t happen. After “Simple Man,” Smith stopped the music for the second time that night to make sure another concert goer could be escorted safely from the standing crowd in the pit. This pushed the band’s performance past the venue’s 11 p.m. curfew.

Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion has appealed for a curfew extension several times, the most recent being in 2019 for a half-hour extension for Friday and Saturday nights. The planning board has denied all such requests, citing concerns from residents about noise lingering after the show ends while patrons exit the venue.

Smith told the crowd he was ready to give them the concert they came for, regardless of any fine. The band closed with mega-hit “Sound of Madness,” complete with plenty of pyrotechnics.

For future tour dates, visit shinedown.com.