Shinedown brought their Planet Zero World Tour to the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, NJ on September 11, 2022. They brought alt-punk artist John Harvie and the southern soul rap artist Jelly Roll along for the ride. This most bizarre mix of artists blended amazingly well, making for a great night of music. The one thing I will note is that Shinedown has some of the nicest and most welcoming fans at their shows. They cheered on the openers as if they were the headliners, this is a rare find these days.
John Harvie opened the night with a 30-minute, high energy set. I had not heard of him before this tour, so I was not sure what to expect. If you are from my generation, think a mix of Blink-182 and Lit. John worked the stage and the crowd bouncing between steps on the main stage and small catwalk that was set up in the middle. His vocals were tight, and his band was very good. I am not sure if it was the stage setup or just how the band is, but they did not interact with each other very much. I generally like to see some interaction; it makes for a better show when the band looks like they are having fun together. All in all, it was a good set to warm up the eager audience.
Jelly Roll, the Tennessee Outlaw. He raps, he sings, he’s a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll. This man sings sad songs about addiction and has the biggest damn smile on his face while doing it. He performed 11 of his songs and one rock and roll medley featuring a cameo by Zach Myers of Shinedown. Jelly Roll opened his set The Hate Goes On which is a rap song backed by rock beats, clean guitar, and heavy bass. Fire exploded all over the stage making for an extra hot experience for all of us in the pit. His 3rd song was Same Asshole. With that title you wouldn’t automatically think sing along but… that’s exactly what happened. I was surrounded by hundreds of fans in the pit that were singing the entire song with all they had. Towards the end of his set, he sang Son of a Sinner. Jelly Roll took us all to church with this country ballad. His vocals were so smooth and genuine.
Jelly Roll then stopped for a few to give us background on the music he grew up on, stating outlaw country, gangster rap, Motown and rock and roll. This kicked off a medley of songs including, Sweet Home Alabama, Smells Like Teen Spirit, 99 problems, Killing in the Name of and Beer Never Broke My Heart. This sampling of songs proved that Jelly Roll will not box himself into a genre because he can do it all. Zach Myers came out to lend some vocals on 99 Problems which I’ll have to admit was pretty cool. Jelly Roll closed the night with the song that put him on the rock and roll map, Dead Man Walking. Sirius XM Octane has been playing this track nonstop for months. The audience sang and cheered as an immense pyro storm once again ensued on stage. This was a great closer to a great set. I can’t fail to mention how awesome Jelly Roll’s band is. The man has them playing 8 different genres at once going from first gear to 5th gear then back down in a matter of minutes. I 10/10 recommend seeing him wherever you can. I will be a repeat offender.
Shinedown played 18 songs over nearly two hours. In true Shinedown fashion there was an immense stage presence, roaring vocals, a few speeches, and enough fire that it could be seen from Planet Zero. They opened their set with The Saints of Violence and Innuendo off their newest release, “Planet Zero”. This song was a great choice to open the show, it’s got the vintage Shinedown sound, it’s fast paced, and the music just punches you right in the face. They performed 3 other new songs mixed throughout their set. Their first single, Planet Zero, Daylight and Americas Burning. These 3 songs are all very different, yet 20 years from now you will listen to them and know that they were written somewhere between 2020 and 2022. Planet Zero was probably the heaviest and hardest they played during this show. Brent Smith was so animated and was so hyped that in parts he was almost screaming the lyrics instead of singing them. You could tell this song came from a heavy place for him. Daylight couldn’t be more opposite. Brent started out by dedicating the song to a woman that was in attendance, Morgan I believe, then he asked everyone to take out their cell phones and light the place up. Eric Bass was playing the piano in the background while all of this was going on. Brent said all I ask on this next song is that you follow us and keep those stars up. The song started off with just Brent and Eric then Zach Myers came in on the acoustic guitar and Barry Kerch came in hot with the tambourine for the chorus. This song will never not get to me. I couldn’t get through the song the first few times I tried to listen to it. The last of the new tracks Americas Burning was musically another 180. The vocals were still heavy, but the guitar was profoundly different, plucked, sounding more like a mandolin or ukulele.
Shinedown did a great job mixing in their classics as well as some newer material from their last album “ATTENTION ATTENTION”. For Get Up, Brent prepped everyone to start jumping and he brought out their photographer/videographer Sanjay Parikh. He told us not to disappoint him. Everyone obliged and went crazy when the song started. They stayed heavy with Cut the Cord and Monsters. Then they slowed it down quite a bit to showcase Brent’s smooth vocals, notably for 45 and their cover of Simple Man. 45 featured Brent and Zach again on the acoustic guitar. For Simple Man they brought Jelly Roll out to perform the song with them. It's always great to see well established artists lending such support to the up and comers. The collaboration was amazing, Brent and Jelly Roll’s vocals sounded good together. The admiration they had for one another was very apparent making the performance that much more special.
Shinedown ended their night with Sound of Madness. I could easily say that this is their biggest hit but really every song they release of late goes to number one. Again, Brent had everyone follow some instructions before the song started, he instructed everyone to raise their fists in the air. Once the hands were up, the music started, a blast of pyro came, and the night would wind down on a high note. Shinedown are modern rock royalty. Love them or hate them, they have great songs, great stage presence and are just genuinely nice people. This tour may be eclectic in musical flavors but it worked. It was a fun night filled with immense talent and a great crowd. This tour is just getting started so make sure to check it out if it comes your way.