Photos by Chris Besaw
Review by Kelly Besaw
Shinedown closed out the 2023 concert season at the St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater on September 13. Shinedown brought their Revolutions Live tour with special guests Papa Roach and Spiritbox. Shinedown has historically shown a lot of love to the Syracuse area fans and played at the amphitheater almost exactly one year ago.
The up-and-coming metal band, Spiritbox, set the tone for the evening. Spiritbox, formed in 2017 by husband-and-wife Courtney LaPlante (vocals) and Michael Stringer (guitar) named the band after a device that can supposedly speak to the dead. This made their music make sense to me as it has a paranormal feel. The band played several songs from their most recent album Eternal Blue including their hit single “Holy Roller.” Keep an eye out for their new album The Fear of Fear coming out November 3rd.
Up next was well-known rockers, Papa Roach. They are also no stranger to Syracuse and have played there on several occasions. Lead singer, Jacoby Shaddix, knows how to put on one hell of a show. From the moment the band took the stage, Shaddix was working the crowd and getting everyone pumped. They kicked off their set with “Between Angels and Insects” and fans were running to take their seats to catch their set. Highlights included, “…To Be Loved” where Jacoby ran through the crowd getting them even more excited, an awesome cover of 2Pac’s “California Love” and their anthem about the importance of mental health, “Leave A Light On.” They ended their set with the fan-favorite sing-along, “Last Resort.” The band exited the stage leaving the crowd completely pumped for the headliner.
Shinedown, comprised of Brent Smith (vocals), Zach Myers (guitar), Eric Bass (bass) and Barry Kerch (drums) have been rocking out since 2008. The band is currently on tour for their 2022 release Planet Zero and have plans in the works for a follow-up album in the future. Shinedown did a wonderful job of mixing new songs in with their tried-and-true hits. I really enjoyed “A Symptom of Being Human” off their most current release. They even worked in a few covers including “The Middle” (Jimmy Eat World) and “Simple Man” (Lynyrd Skynyrd). Brent Smith, who is big on promoting positivity and mental health awareness, spoke candidly to the audience about it at various points throughout the evening. The band ended their nineteen-song set with “Monsters” and “Cut the Cord.” It was an incredible night of music!
Setlist
Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)
Dead Don’t Die
I’ll Follow You
State of My Head
Amaryllis
Devil
Unity
Save Me
45
Enemies
Sound of Madness
A Symptom of Being Human
Planet Zero
Second Chance
The Middle (Jimmy Eat World cover)
Daylight/Get Up
Simple Man (Lynyrd Skynyrd cover)
Monsters
Cut the Cord
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