07/30/25
T-Mobile Arena, Kansas City, MO
Full Gallery Here
There was a time several years ago, where Shinedown was sort of my go-to for dealing with a lot of my mental health issues. Their “Threat to Survival” album reawakened my appreciation for them. While “45”, “I Dare You”, and “Sound of Madness” were all in my constant playlist, it wasn’t until I went to Wichita to see them with Breaking Benjamin, and a (then) new band called Nothing More, that I fully found what I’d been looking for. From “Cut the Cord”, “The Crow and the Butterfly”, “State of my Head” to the Encore, I finally found something that felt comfortable. They were on my radar permanently.
Kicking the night off was country artist Morgan Wade. My first thought was, “A country artist? With Bush and Shinedown? Okay.” Normally, opening acts are new to me and give me something to get excited about—something to grow into and maybe become a fan of during their set. Once the closing beat of Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer” thumped to introduce her to the crowd, it was obvious she belonged there. I fell out of the country music scene many moons ago. Sure, there are the occasional songs that sneak out and scratch that itch for something different—songs that aren’t just about going down to the lake, six-packs of beer, rolling coal, or over-the-top patriotism. (I know I’m probably going to catch some flak for that oversimplification of modern country music…) But still, it’s been a long time since I really followed country music.
On August 1st, Wade released her latest album, The Party is Over (Recovered). She opened her set with the heart-wrenching ballad “High in Your Apartment”, sounding like a rougher, more hardened Fleetwood Mac. The short intro set continued with “Roses”, also off her new album. Her gentle country twang hits like a rock and roll Dolly Parton. She followed with “Meet Somebody”, and her singer-songwriter emotions worked their way deep into the crowd. When was the last time I heard a country artist say the word “fuck” on stage—in a song—without it being followed by some political statement to rile up the crowd? Maybe I’m not going to the right country shows… or enough of them. If they were all like the show Wade puts on, I’d be at every single one. It rocked, grabbed the crowd by the balls, and squeezed—and those slowly filling the T-Mobile Center were absolutely here for it.
After our photo opportunities wrapped up, we had to drop off our equipment, but I could still hear “The Night” echoing through the building as I made my way to my seat. By the time I settled in, her set was in full swing. She returned to her new album with “The Party is Over”, followed by a cover of Radiohead’s “Creep”. Finally, a song I was familiar with—and it didn’t stop there. She launched into “Wilder Days”, which I surprisingly recognized, though I couldn’t have told you the name or the artist until now. I’m looking forward to listening through her new album and digging into the rest of her catalog. There’s a real emotional weight to her music. While some might prefer a bit more light-hearted fun in their country, give me more Morgan Wade. Her music is enjoyable, catchy, emotionally potent—and something I haven’t heard from the country world in a very long time.
This marks the third time I’ve covered Bush. As I’ve stated before, their album “Sixteen Stone“ got me through my freshman year of high school and has continued to follow me ever since. “Machinehead”, “Little Things”, and “Everything Zen” take me back to my youth, and it’s always a joy to revisit and relive that specific album. I’m not alone in that—everyone in the T-Mobile Center that night seemed to be on the same wavelength as Gavin Rossdale and the band took to the stage. Few bands from the mid-’90s post-grunge alternative era still put on a show like Bush. While the lineup has changed over the years, Rossdale has remained a driving force, continuing to lead the band with new music and consistent touring. Their new album, “I Beat Loneliness“, dropped on July 18th and kicked off their set with the opening track, Scars. Rossdale feels at home on stage, with the crowd, and as he nears 40 years of performing, he shows no sign of slowing down.
“Machinehead” and “Bullet Holes” followed before they dropped a few more tracks from the new album, including “The Land of Milk and Honey” and the title track, “I Beat Loneliness”. While the newer music is exciting and fresh, it’s hard to top the older tracks that carry so much nostalgia. The lights dimmed, and Gavin—bathed in spotlight—delivered a dreamy rendition of “Swallowed” as the audience lit up the arena with their phone lights. That visual never gets old, and I can only imagine how surreal it must look from his perspective. More classics and newer songs followed with “Everything Zen”, “More Than Machines”, and “Flowers on a Grave”. The crowd rumbled with excitement during “Zen”, shaking the building with cheers and singing along. I couldn’t help but be one of those fans. Sometimes, you just have to drop the professional curtain and be a fan—otherwise, where’s the fun in it?
During “Flowers”, Gavin jumped off the stage and made his way through the crowd—all the way up to the top of the arena, across the stands, and back down to the stage. This part of the show is another incredible way he connects both the music and himself with the fans. Finally, after returning to the stage, we got “Glycerine” and “Comedown” to close out an incredible set of greatest hits and soon-to-be classics. When Gavin Rossdale expresses his appreciation for the audience and tells everyone, “It’s going to be okay,” you believe him. The post-show dopamine rush feels like a warm, weighted blanket, and it always leaves me wanting to see them again—every chance I get.
Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” echoed through the arena as a man in a TV helmet was brought onto stage. Flickers on his screen and the one behind him blazed across the screens with rapid fire speed, before the opening notes to “Dance Kid Dance” kicked in. Explosive and hot, Shinedown positioned themselves on the “Y” shaped stage that the crowd had been positioned around all night. Drummer Barry Kerch positioned in the back, Lead Singer Brent Smith in the center, to the left on Bass was Eric Bass, and on the right was Guitarist Zach Myers.
The show was broken down into three segments, the opening and closing portions comprising of highlights and hits from their 20+ year career. From their newer music in “Dance, Kid, Dance” all the way back to the beginning in “Fly from the Inside”, they touched on everything that made them household names. “Cut the Cord” hit just as hard as it did the first time I heard it back in 2015 in Wichita. The heat of the pyro warmed my face with every blast made across the arena from where I was shooting from. This adrenaline boost got me up to drop off our equipment and make it back to our seats quickly so as not to miss a moment. I got to my seat right as “DEVIL” started before taking a little bit of a pause to talk to the audience. Lead Singer Brent Smith began by thanking the audience and talking about “Musicians On Call” and having raised over $300,000 from ticket sales to this tour. This lead into “Three Six Five”, a memorial of music to those we’ve lost and those left behind to grieve. The screen behind the stage projected images of family members, friends, and others from the band members lives that have presumably passed on. The emotions ran high, but feeling loved ones, remembering them with you, they aren’t ever gone.
Emotions in the arena turned again as the tempo increased and Smith talked everyone into getting off their feet and jumping for the next song, “Enemies”, bringing the entire building shaking and rocking as pyro and fireworks lifted off from the stage. The adrenaline rush, much like running a 100m sprint in under 10 seconds, brought a needed break. In the dark, the stage crew built up the drum kit in the center of the ramp, and the band came out to perform a short “Deep Dive” session of cuts from their last 20 years, including “Through the Ghost”, “Burning Bright”, “Call Me”, and “Save Me”.
The third and final act of their show kicked off with a bang as they unleashed “Diamond Eyes”, “A Symptom of Being Human” including another crowd participation with phone lights, and “Planet Zero”, which included a perfectly timed countdown on the stage backdrop that coincided with a verbal countdown, breakdown, pyro, and setting everything off. And we weren’t even done with the evening. A cover of Prince’s “Purple Rain”, and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” scratched the cover itch before finishing an incredible night with “MONSTERS”, “Sound of Madness” and closing the show with “Second Chance” An absolutely incredible night of music with everything that a fan could want in a show. There’s a reason these artists have continuously been on my rotation for years, and seeing them live is less a musical experience, and more a spiritual journey. You leave this tour feeling whole again, satisfied, and complete.
