Shinedown, Bush, & Black Stone Cherry Bring a Rock-Loaded Night to Atlanta (8/24/2025)
Shinedown, Bush, & Black Stone Cherry Bring a Rock-Loaded Night to Atlanta 8/24/2025
I rode into Atlanta from Augusta with high hopes, and for most of the drive, I was coasting smoothly. That changed about eight miles out when rush hour migraines hit—stop-and-go traffic turned my easy drive into a slow crawl. But as soon as I stepped inside State Farm Arena, the insane crowd had me smiling again. This was a Live Nation stop on Shinedown’s Dance, Kid, Dance Tour, and the stakes felt sky-high right from the start.
Black Stone Cherry – Southern Heat Ignites the Arena
Black Stone Cherry (formed in 2001 in Edmonton, Kentucky) took the stage like a wrecking ball. I’d never seen them before, but those gritty riffs and raw, crystalline energy pulled me in instantly. The band—fronted by Chris Robertson (vocals, guitar), with Ben Wells (guitar), Steve Jewell Jr. (bass), and John Fred Young (drums)—wasted no time igniting the crowd. What grabbed me most wasn’t just the music, but the sheer unfiltered enthusiasm radiating from the stage. Guitarist Ben Wells was something else entirely—he sprinted, leapt, and prowled across the stage with this boundless, electrifying energy that I honestly hadn’t seen from a guitarist before.
His motion matched the band’s heavy-hitting sound with a visual punch. Within minutes, the whole arena was on its feet. Watching the band smash through their songs with that level of verve—walking in as a curious newcomer and walking out as a fan? That’s really awesome. They played some of what I could tell were fan favorites, including “Again”, “Like I Roll”, and “Stay”. I’m already looking forward to diving into their catalog and chasing that same adrenaline.
Bush - Nostalgia Meets Genuine Connection
Next came Bush, the ’90s alt-rock icons formed in London in 1992. Hearing those nostalgic chords had me transported straight back to my teen years. The band—made up of frontman Gavin Rossdale (vocals, guitar), longtime drummer Robin Goodridge’s successor Nik Hughes, guitarist Chris Traynor (who joined in 2002), and bassist Corey Britz (holding down the low end since 2010)—still sounded tight, raw, and familiar, even after more than three decades in the game. Rossdale—now 59—has aged like fine wine, delivering his still-throaty vocals with effortless cool. At one point, he left the stage entirely, weaving through the crowd and hugging fans mid-set—no staged theatrics, just heartfelt connection. It was a reminder of why Bush broke through so strongly in the first place: that combination of grunge-drenched riffs and undeniable sincerity.
Their setlist leaned into both the new and the timeless. Alongside fresh material from their new album, I Beat Loneliness, they treated the crowd to some of their most massive hits—“Glycerine” and “Machinehead” among them. They also reimagined “Swallowed” in a slower, more atmospheric style, which gave the song a haunting new depth, allowing the audience to sink into every lyric. Hearing those anthems echo through the arena was a full-circle moment, proof that their music still hits as hard now as it did in the ’90s. The photographers, including myself, captured the first three songs from the pit, then gathered with wide grins and buzzing hearts in our seats. That shift didn’t dampen the moment—it made it more intimate, almost like we were part of the band’s journey rather than just documenting it.
Shinedown - Pyro, Power & Twin-Soul Chemistry
Then, it was time for Shinedown, also formed in 2001 and now a multi-platinum heavyweight in modern rock. The arena exploded when they hit the stage: pyro bursts, laser-lit haze, and sound that vibrated the seats. The band—Brent Smith (vocals), Zach Myers (guitar, joining in 2008), Eric Bass (bass, keys, and production wizardry since 2008), and founding drummer Barry Kerch—proved why they’ve remained at the top of their game for over two decades. Frontman Brent Smith’s commanding presence and Zach Myers’ sharp guitar work played off one another seamlessly, like two artists perfectly in sync. Their back-and-forth energy was magnetic, pulling the crowd deeper into the performance with every song. Smith’s powerful vocals carried across the arena while Myers moved with precision, trading riffs and moments of connection with the audience.
Midway through the set, the band delivered one of the night’s most unforgettable moments: performing five songs from a B-stage set up in the center of the venue, reached by a catwalk that branched out from the Main Stage. It pulled the crowd even closer, breaking down the barrier between artist and audience, and gave the performance an intimate, almost living-room feel—despite the arena setting. Shinedown’s setlist pulled from across their 20-year career—“Get Up,” “Second Chance,” “Enemies,” “Cut The Cord,” “Devil,” and “Sound of Madness” among them—giving longtime fans nostalgia while welcoming newcomers into the fold. Every track hit with the force of a band that knows exactly who they are and what their audience came to feel. This was my third time seeing Shinedown. The absolute best one so far.
Due to the pyro risk, photographers were relocated to the front of house during the first three songs. Instead of cramping my angle, it opened my mind: from that vantage, the production’s scale leapt into focus. Fire, lights, the sea of fans—it was a wall of rock that you could feel as much as hear.
A Moment of Rock-Community Reverence: Honoring Brent Hinds
Amid all the energy and flash, the night paused for something important. All three bands dedicated a song to Brent Hinds of Mastodon, who had tragically passed away days earlier in a motorcycle accident in Atlanta. The emotional current in the arena was raw—grief, respect, collective remembrance. It wasn’t just a concert—it was a moment where fans and artists came together across genres.
Final Notes – Exhausted, Electrified, Inspired
By the final chords, I was spent and exhilarated in equal measure. Black Stone Cherry gave me something new to chase, their energy and stage presence leaving a lasting imprint. Bush was a time machine to my youth, filled with genuine connection and moments that made you feel like part of the show rather than just a spectator. Shinedown was rock at its most theatrical and grand, their B-stage performance in the center of the arena creating intimate magic amid the spectacle. From the moment I arrived, the State Farm Arena staff made me feel incredibly welcome. Photographers were treated like royalty—we received complimentary parking in the Ruby lot, a private area with lounging space and bathrooms to wait between sets, and even our regular reviewer seats for watching the show.
That level of care made the experience even more enjoyable and seamless, adding a VIP feeling to every step of the night. Atlanta’s traffic tested me on the way in—but this night made every minute of the crawl worthwhile. The crowd’s roar, the flashing lights, the sweat, the laughter, and the shared passion for music all combined into something unforgettable. I’d go see any of these bands again—Black Stone Cherry, Bush, Shinedown—without a second thought. The Dance, Kid, Dance Tour stop in Atlanta wasn’t just a concert. It was an emotional, nostalgic, fiery celebration of rock that I’ll remember for a long time, a night where music, memory, and sheer energy collided perfectly.