Godsmack and Shinedown at Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA – August 25, 2018
The summer concert schedules seem to get more and more crowded every year. This can make it hard for bands to stand out in the crowd, and for this reason, a lot of large bands have been going on co-headlining tours. This summer saw a lot of these great double-bills, but one that was not-to-be-missed was Shinedown and Godsmack, with both bands bringing explosive sets to the Xfinity Center in Mansfield.
Red Sun Rising
A co-headlining tour still needs a powerful opening act, and that’s what we got with Red Sun Rising. This Akron based rock band recently released their sophomore album, Thread.
I’d never heard of these guys, which is why I was surprised when I saw that they’ve had multiple singles in the Mainstream Rock Top 10 chart before. Watching their performance, it was easy to see why. Red Sun Rising are definitely on the way up, and are a band to look out for in the future!
Setlist
Clarity
The Otherside
Amnesia
Veins
Emotionless
Deathwish
Shinedown
An intro track starts to play as lasers create images on a curtain draping the stage. Soon, Shinedown starts playing “Sound of Madness,” letting the anticipation build through the beginning of the song. Once the drums come crashing in, fireworks ignite as the curtain falls, and the band moves to the front of the stage. What starts with lasers and a few fireworks for their first song quickly turns into massive pyro jets during “Diamond Eyes.” Shinedown pulled out all the stops with their performance tonight, musically and visually.
As they played hit after hit, Shinedown showed why they are one of the biggest modern rock bands out there. Songs like “Bully” and “Second Chance” got huge reactions from the crowd. At the start of their encore, they made their way out to a second stage, up near the lawn, to perform “Simple Man,” the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic that Shinedown covered at the beginning of their career. As Smith talked about some of their history, they brought up WAAF DJ Mistress Carrie to share in the love that has come from the fans over 15 years. This love and positivity was a recurring theme throughout the show, and it’s great to see a heavy band perform with a positive message behind them.
Shinedown just released their sixth studio album, Attention Attention, in May. The lead single, “Devil,” went straight to #1 on the mainstream charts, a feat which Shinedown has now achieved 12 times! They chose this song to close their set out with, accompanied with an appropriate amount of pyro for a song titled “Devil.” From start to end, Shinedown melted the faces off of the crowd.
Setlist
Sound of Madness
Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)
Cut the Cord
I’ll Follow You
Bully
Get Up
Enemies
Unity
State of My Head
Second Chance
—
Simple Man
Devil
Godsmack
Very few things could follow the huge show we just saw from Shinedown. But if anything could, it’s a homecoming performance from Massachusetts’ own, Godsmack. While they’d had a curtain shrouding the stage during the changeover between bands, there was no big fanfare or grand intro for Godsmack. The curtain fell and the band casually walked out before kicking into “When Legends Rise.”
Godsmack’s show was full of all their biggest songs, from early hits like “Keep Away” and “Whatever,” to more recent songs like “1000hp” and their current single, “Bulletproof.” What’s always been a highlight for me since I first saw them 15 years ago is “Batalla de los Tambores,” the drum duel that singer Sully Erna has with drummer Shannon Larkin. Godsmack definitely knows how to put on a show, and keep everybody entertained.
Towards the end of the set, Shinedown guitarist Zack Meyers came out, and joined them for a cover of Elton John’s “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” that saw Sully playing keyboards while singing. Apparently they’ve been doing a different cover each night, and it’s nice to see them let loose and have fun like this.
And then, just like that, we’re at the end of the show. Godsmack closed out the night with their huge hit, “I Stand Alone.”
All three bands tonight put on a great show, entertaining audiences with what was clearly one of the best package tours of the summer.
Setlist
When Legends Rise
1000hp
Keep Away
Cryin’ Like a Bitch
Say My Name
Awake
Someday
Voodoo
Batalla de los tambores
Whatever
Bulletproof
Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting
I Stand Alone
