Shinedown at Gainbridge Field House on August 18, 2025

The "Dance, Kid, Dance" Tour

INDIANAPOLIS

Photos and Review by Laura Fox (LLFoxphotos)

If you’ve read any of my other Shinedown reviews, you know how passionate I am about this band, and how I go to all their concerts and how much I admire them, blah, blah, blah. So I’m going to skip all that (because none of that has changed) and go straight to the good stuff: their show at Gainbridge Field House in Indianapolis, Indiana, home of the Pacers and the Fever basketball teams.

The intro to Shinedown’s set caught many by surprise. Out in the darkness, two masked characters revealed TV Man, who danced and distracted the crowd while the band sneaked out onto the stages. Suddenly, the opening notes of “Dance, Kid, Dance” blasted through the arena and all eyes were on frontman Brent Smith, guitarist Zach Myers, bassist Eric Bass and drummer Barry Kerch.

The energy was through the roof as the foursome played a blistering 18-song set complete with pyro, special effects, lasers, and giant disco balls. Bass was jumping as high as I’ve ever seen him, Kerch was in beast mode, Myers was having a ball, and Smith was the consummate showman.

Shindeown played early classics such as “If You Only Knew” and “Diamond Eyes,” as well as the newer releases including “Three Six Five” and “A Symptom of Being Human.” We also got to hear “Call Me” and some other tunes we haven’t heard live for a while - I love the fact that Shinedown mixes it up like that.

I also love the human element Shinedown brings to their shows. For example, Smith had the entire arena sing “Happy Birthday” to a girl who was turning 14 the next night. Can you even imagine how much that meant to her? He also completely stopped the show when he noticed a medical emergency happening in the crowd. At the end of the set, Smith tossed a casual mention of “Number 8” coming out soon – he didn’t give a a specific date, but Shinedown generally doesn’t tease new releases too far in advance.

Myers talked about how much Shinedown loves Indiana, the support the band receives from the fans around here, and even referenced a show 14 years ago in the Egyptian Room at Old National Center (that I attended, of course). Later in the show Myers donned a Caitlin Clark (Fever point guard) jersey, which I thought was very cool.

The joking and camaraderie between the members of Shinedown made the show extra fun, but there were some serious moments, as well. Just before the band played “Three Six Five,” Smith gave a thought-provoking talk about loss, remembrance, and moving forwards. He then asked for a moment of silence so everyone could think about what they would say to someone special if they could see them one more time. I know I wasn’t the only one wiping my eyes after that.

Smith also mentioned that a dollar from every ticket sold on the Dance Kid Dance tour would go toward Musicians on Call, an organization that provides the gift of live music to hospital patients. You can learn more about their work here:

musiciansoncall.org

*** THIS is why I want to go on tour with Shinedown!!! ***

The show ended the way every Shinedown show ends. IYKYK, but if you don’t, I highly recommend you go see Shinedown live. But hurry, this tour is wrapping up at the end of August with a performance at Rocklahoma. Stay on top of Shinedown tour dates and more right here:

shinedown.com

Watch the video for one of my very favorite Shinedown songs, "A Symptom of Being Human," here: