An explosive Shinedown commands an arena’s worth of attention

Photos by Daniel DeSlover

Hard rockers Shinedown remain at the top of their game as demonstrated by a concert at Fiserv Forum that could be fittingly summarized by the title of the band’s latest album, “Attention, Attention.” Early into the evening, front man Brent Smith proclaimed, “This is your night, your moment, your show!” and stayed true to those words up until the very end.

Another crest came when Shinedown converged to the b-stage for a mini-set that brought a touch of intimacy to the arena.

Shinedown kicked off the night with high voltage songs “Devil” and “Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom),” amped up by pyrotechnics and a dazzling laser light show that would have made the devil itself want to wear sunglasses. Smith’s vocals were as powerful as their studio recordings, though fans were further captivated by his immense stage presence and expressions of gratitude that albums simply cannot replicate.

Rather than headbanging and tossing around expletives, as many rockers tend to do, Smith instead glided around all facets of the main stage and catwalk to ensure no one was ignored. While the singer was the main master of ceremonies, guitarist Zach Myers and bassist Eric Bass fueled the forceful energy in the room, which was especially apparent throughout the fist-pumper “Enemies.”

Another crest came when Shinedown converged to the b-stage for a mini-set that brought a touch of intimacy to the arena. A ring of cellphone lights added to the atmosphere as the band worked through stripped down versions of the gripping “Amaryllis,” the sentimental “How Did You Love” and the rock ballad “Second Choice.”

Smith and Myers also engaged in some playful banter and fondly recalled past visits to Milwaukee. The latter player then announced it was his turn to pick a random song and it turned out to be a spine-chilling acoustic version of “Call Me” (from 2008’s “The Sound Of Madness”).

Shinedown teased a verse of “45” and a riff from Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” to rev up to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man,” serving as a segue back to the main stage. The explosions resumed for thrash-worthy “Cut The Cord,” followed by the guys’ raw emotions carrying “Sound Of Madness” and “Brilliant” as they kept holding up their end of the bargain to enthrall and entertain.

Jenny Hackel contributed to this review.

Click here for more photos of Shinedown at the Fiserv Forum.

Shinedown returns to The Sylvee in Madison on May 21 and Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Tinley Park on Jul. 14. For additional details, visit Shinedown.com and LiveNation.com.

For a list of upcoming concerts at the Fiserv Forum, visit FiservForum.com.