By Kayla Harper

During mid-summer, July 30, 2022 to be exact, the popular rock band Shinedown stopped in Calgary, touring in support of their brand-new album “Planet Zero”, which came out on June 31 of 2022.  They played at the Grey Eagle Casino with special guests Aryon Jones and Pop Evil.  My family and I are big fans of both Shinedown and Pop Evil, so we knew we had to go.

We arrived at the venue during the first opening act, Aryon Jones, which none of us particularly cared to see, so my sister and I spent his set in the long merch lines because you can’t go to a concert without buying merchandise to remember the fun night!  We made it to the stage just as the second opening act, Pop Evil, started to play.

Pop Evil started off their eight-song set strong with “Eye of the Storm.”  The sound inside the venue was incredible and instantly adrenalizing.  Even standing at the back of the venue, it felt as though the female drummer, Hayley Cramer, was playing right beside us.  The band played other fan favourites including “Footsteps,” and “Breathe Again,” before ending their set with their popular hit, “Waking Lions.”

**(sorry I didn’t take great pictures… I prioritize dancing over the quality of my photos AND I didn’t have a blog back then to try and take good photos for… I’ll get better ones at the next concert).

Shinedown didn’t start for about twenty minutes after the opening bands finished, which gave my sister and I time to make our way up to the front mosh pit for the opening of our favourite bands’ set.  After what felt like hours of anticipation, Shinedown made their way onstage, opening with “The Saints of Violence and Innuendo” from their new album, “Planet Zero.”

My sister and I couldn’t help but scream and dance along to the electrifying music, getting especially excited whenever the lead singer, Brent Smith, would make his way over to our end of the stage, supposedly making direct eye-contact with my sister at one point.

The stage was a T-shape which allowed the band members (aside from the drummer) to move around and interact with fans on all ends of the venue. The way that Smith talked to the crowd made the whole show feel very personal and intimate, even acknowledging how hot it was getting in the room and ordering security to pass out free water to the overheated fans.

It was packed, and like previously mentioned, very hot in the venue, with people standing shoulder to shoulder near the front, which is why for the remainder of the show we found it more comfortable to stand near the back, where we had more space to dance and a perfect view.

My sister and I made it to the back of the venue where the rest of our family was standing just as the band started to play “45,” one of our family’s favourites from the band’s debut album, “Leave A Whisper.”   It was definitely my favourite song and part of the night.

The band went on to play many other fan favourites from different albums, including “Daylight,” “Monsters,” and “Second Chance,” before returning for the encore where they played “Sound of Madness” from their third album, “The Sound of Madness.”

I think the sore throats and sweaty clothes from extensive dancing and screaming signifies it was a great experience, and a band I would definitely see again.

Shinedown delivered a great performance, the whole band -not just the lead singer, had excellent stage presence, and amazing sound.  Out of all the artists I’ve seen live,  I’ve never seen a band sound so much like the original album, but at the same time, still sound live.

The only piece of criticism I have is that they removed “Fly From The Inside,” from the setlist at the Calgary show. As an avid fan of the song, I did not appreciate that.  Other than that, Shinedown is a band I would recommend to all rock lovers out there!

*please note this is a republishing of an older article written in 2022.