Shinedown shocks a sold-out Civic Center
Lidia Vassar
Staff Writer
Sunday night was a great night for music fans who got to snag tickets to the Shinedown concert at the Mankato Civic Center.
Accompanied by Papa Roach, Asking Alexandria, and Savage After Midnight, the show was a series of charismatic performances, and the Mankato Civic Center was packed with excited fans. There were quite a few kids in the crowd headbanging just as hard as everyone else, which made it that much more fun.
All four bands made sure to engage the crowd. Time flew by without a decrease in quality from any performance. There was a quite a bit of inspirational talk and emphasis on community, which was unexpected but welcome. While I’m sure many people came to the show to see a particular band, I would be surprised if anyone left unsatisfied with the other performers.
The convention center had a large assortment of band merch, from t-shirts and hoodies to guitar picks and drumsticks. Lucky fans near the stage didn’t have to buy these items, since the bandmembers were throwing their used ones off the stage. At some point a water bottle was tossed out to the crowd. Make sure to check eBay if you’re interested.
Papa Roach really made fans happy when lead vocalist Jacoby Shaddix went running through the crowds. He managed to simultaneously sing and climb various obstacles while never missing a beat. The light crew did a fantastic job keeping up with him, not to mention programming some incredible visual effects for all of the performances.
The members of Papa Roach were going ham on their stage equipment, riling up the crowd with their jumping. How they could maintain that level of energy for an hour straight is baffling.
Taking over at the end of the night with an hour and a half long performance, Shinedown also really went above and beyond when it came to energy levels. Not to mention their stage setup was crazy cool.
There was an intermission to set everything up between sets, and Shinedown entered with the drop of a curtain and some insane pyrotechnics. I could feel the heat from them, and I was in the risers. By the end of the night I could have sworn I was going deaf in my right ear from just how loud each fiery explosion was.
The more violent pyrotechnics were broken up by smaller fireworks. The television screens hanging from the ceiling conveniently created exclamation marks to match the “ATTENTION ATTENTION” album cover. Some songs had specific videos playing on the screens.
Shinedown played songs from multiple albums, including “All I Ever Wanted” from their debut album “Leave a Whisper”, “Sound of Madness” from the album of the same name, and “Amaryllis” (from “Amaryllis”). The audience sang along to both the old and the new, lighting up their phone flashlights for the slower songs. The presentation of their new tracks was fantastic, and their theme was very polished. How can you not look like pros when you wear full suits onstage?
If you’re a fan of Shinedown, or just rock in general, make sure to check out their new album “ATTENTION ATTENTION” if you haven’t already.
Header photo: Rock band Shinedown performs at the Mankato Civic Center Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019 in Mankato, Minn. (Photos by Mansoor Ahmad/MSU Reporter)