Shinedown brought The Revolutions Live Tour to Allen, TX this past Friday for an electrifying night of music. Accompanied by Papa Roach & Spiritbox, fans were given one of the best concerts of the year. From breakdowns to joining the crowd in the stands to a nonstop bombardment of pyro and fireworks, the fans at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center were given the show of a lifetime
Starting off the night was a heavy one and, easily one of my favorite bands of the last 5 years: Spiritbox. Unless you've been actively avoiding music for the past few years, there is no way you haven't heard of the band. The band does it all from beautiful ballads that leave your eyes full of tears and your heart aching to heavy breakdowns that leave you in need of urgent care. This was my 2nd time seeing the band and it was just as incredible as the first time. The band's sound and musicianship is unparalleled and as they preformed, all you saw was a sea of bodies moving and headbanging along.
Papa Roach took the stage next and words will never be able to express the euphoric feeling I had watching the band perform. One of the first music videos I ever watched on MTV was "Scars" almost 20 years ago (dang ... I'm old) and ever since then, I've been a diehard fan. Growing up, Papa Roach was THAT band. They were the coolest band I had ever seen and I wanted to be just like them. And to see them as successful as they are now, it does nothing but make me happy. The band absolutely feels the same way because there was multiple times during the show where front-man Jacoby Shaddix stopped to tell fans just how appreciative he is of this life.
One of the best moments of the night had to have been when Shaddix decided he had enough of being on stage and joined the crowd in their seats while playing "... To Be Loved" (which is an amazing track by the way). The fact that he was able to not miss a single note while running like a madman, hugging fans, & partying quickly in the pit just goes to show what a larger-than-life front-man & rockstar he is.
As much fun as the crowd was having with Spiritbox & Papa Roach, it finally came to that point of the night for the almighty Shinedown to take the stage. Composed of vocalist Brent Smith, drummer Barry Kerch, guitarist Zach Myers, and bassist Eric Bass, the band has been a staple in the rock scene since their formation in the early 2000's. With over 10 million records sold worldwide, you'd think that the band would have this aura of being "too cool for the little people", but that simply is not the case. Smith is the first, and currently the only, band member to come to the end of the stage, high-five each and every photographer in the photo-pit, and say "thank you". That is something that made each and every photographer smile from ear to ear and will be something I remember forever.
But, enough about me. Time to focus on Shinedown and the people of Allen, TX. The band has an energy electrified the crowd that you saw every fan in attendance on their feet singing, dancing, moshing, and jumping up & down like their life depended on it. Accompanied by some of the most intense pyro and fireworks, the band proceeded to break the sound barrier as they played banger after banger after banger. I'm also pretty sure this is the first band I've seen where they had a huge piano come down from the rafters. That was simply unbelievable. It does not surprise me just how big this band is, it does not surprise me how dedicated their fans are, and it will not surprise me if the next time Shinedown comes to the area that fans will be lined up for hours prior to doors.
Thank you for everything Shinedown.
