Shinedown Unleash Rock Revolution in Manchester, N.H.

Shinedown recently launched a revolution to bring rock music back to the forefront. With frontman Brent Smith leading the charge, he challenged fans to stand up and put their fists in the air for rock and with the band’s latest release ‘Amaryllis’ now out, Smith and Shinedown are proving to be worthy adversaries for the cause.

Known for their road warrior ways, it’s no surprise that as Shinedown gear up to head out on the Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival kicking off in mid-August, the band is keeping busy with a slew of their own shows in the month of July. The tour roared into Manchester, N.H. on Friday (July 6) transforming the Verizon Wireless Arena into their very own rock n’ roll rally.

As Brent Smith took to the stage and stood on his riser, you could tell he was on a mission. He gazed out into the audience and cast one heck of a spell. A spell that wouldn’t break until the band powered through a 16-song set heavy on their new disc but providing enough of their past discography to please even the most finicky of Shinedown fans.

From the word go Smith promised a down and dirty rock show and everyone in attendance got just that. Perfectly kicking it off with the high energy and anthemic tune ‘Sound of Madness,’ the slick performance of the song would be a strong indicator of the rest of the show. Transitioning from new tracks throughout their set like their latest single ‘Unity’ and ‘Bully’ to old favorites like ‘45’ and ‘Simple Man,’ there was never a dull moment.

Having been through their share of ups and downs throughout their career, the current line-up of Shinedown feels more like a cohesive unit than ever before. The camaraderie and chemistry onstage between Smith and guitarist Zach Myers, bassist Eric Bass and drummer Barry Kerch seems to fuel their show, making it hard not to want to join the party. With impeccable sound powered by Smith’s soaring vocals, Myers delectable guitar solos, and Bass and Kerch providing the perfect backdrop of rhythm, Shinedown live is a well-oiled machine that has clearly found their groove.

Papa Roach and Leaving Eden opened the show with In This Moment having to bow out due to Maria Brink’s back pain.

As mentioned, Shinedown will join up with Papa Roach again later this summer along with Godsmack and Staind for the 2012 Uproar Festival, check out all the dates here.