Shinedown acoustic show will be one for the fans
IF YOU GO
What: “Anything & Everything — An Acoustic Evening with Shinedown”
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Powers Auditorium, 260 W. Federal St., Youngstown
Tickets: $33, $38 and $43; call 330-744-0264
- Place:Edward W. Powers Auditorium
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260 W Federal Plaza, Youngstown
By John Benson
After Shinedown’s amazing run over the past few years, during which time the Jacksonville, Fla., act has become arguably the king of rock radio, the band is taking time to reflect on its success with its first unplugged tour.
“Anything & Everything — An Acoustic Evening with Shinedown” comes to Youngstown Tuesday, and drummer Barry Kerch sees it as a perfect opportunity to reminisce about the band’s history with the city.
“Our first tour as a band was with Powerman 5000, and there was a cowboy bar there that we played in that we had a blast,” said Kerch, calling from Charleston, S.C. “It was the last show of a tour, and we had a huge party afterward. That’s probably one of my fondest memories starting out as a musician on the road. Just successfully ending that first tour and having a high. I was 25 at the time; that was a long time ago, and it was a really good time. I look back at that and go, ‘Wow, it’s been that long and we’re still out here doing this. That’s awesome.’”
Awesome indeed is what this platinum-recording group has been over the past decade. Aside from selling millions of records (2003 debut “Leave A Whisper,” 2005 follow-up “Us & Them” and latest album “The Sound of Madness”), Shinedown has a staggering run of 12-consecutive top-5 hit singles. Looking ahead, the group is planning to release a double-disc DVD this spring featuring a rocking show from the band’s past summer tour along with an acoustic performance. It’s the latter experience that Kerch believes is something special for the group’s die-hards.
“This tour is for the fans,” Kerch said. “They’ve been asking us about doing something acoustic for years. We’ve always played radio stations acoustic, but we never did a full-band acoustic tour. So this is for the fans, where we’ll talk about the songs and fans can ask questions. Also, it gives us a chance to reinterpret the songs, play them in a different way and have more fun with them because we’ve been playing these songs for so long the same way. We’re able to kind of reinvent them for ourselves.”
Naturally, there’s a template that has been established over the past two decade’s worth of MTV unplugged concerts. Kerch said Shinedown is approaching its tour with reverence and creativity in mind.
“We really wanted to approach it as Shinedown plays a rock show, but it’s not what everybody will expect,” Kerch said. “We’re huge fans of a lot of those unplugged shows that happened over the years. The Alice in Chains and Nirvana [unplugged concerts] stick out, but we’re such a different band that it comes across differently. We have our own special surprises throughout the show.”
Kerch said one of his favorite songs to play acoustically is “Devour,” which was the lead single from “The Sound of Madness.” The heavy track, one of the hardest on the CD, is reworked, but the band still maintains the song’s heaviness. In fact, it’s this idea that seemingly epitomizes what Shinedown unplugged is all about.
“Don’t expect us to sit there sipping martinis and wine,” Kerch said. “We’re going to go out there and give it 110 percent and put on a rock show. It’s what we’re known for. It’s what our fans expect of us. Don’t expect just a lazy night with Shinedown.”