SHINEDOWN On Nashville's 102.9 THE BUZZ: Acoustic Performance, Video Interview

On February 8, Florida hard rockers took part in an acoustic performance live in the Advance Financial Acoustic Den in front of a small group of 102.9 The Buzz listeners in Nashville, Tennessee. Video footage of the performance — as well as SHINEDOWN singer Brent Smith's Buzz Cab ride with Troy Hanson — can be seen below.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Smith opened up in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times about his four-year struggle with substance abuse that ended with him quitting cocaine, painkillers and alcohol and losing 70 pounds in the process. Smith said that the final straws were a warning from his girlfriend and an insult about his girth on national television. Smith explained, "I've toured for over 12 years, and for the first two records I was addicted to cocaine, OxyContin and alcohol. The coke and Oxy kept my weight down. But for the third album I quit the opiates and started to crave sugar. I was still drinking a lot of alcohol and started to pack on the pounds."

SHINEDOWN appeared on the "Today" show in 2009, where host Kathie Lee Gifford said, "At first I thought he was Meat Loaf."

Smith recalled, "It really stung. I'm a fan of Meat Loaf but she wasn't talking about a musical comparison. My heart kind of fell on the ground — it was like the performance didn't even matter."

Next was an ultimatum from his girlfriend, with Smith revealing, "Teresa sat me down on the first of November last year and said, 'Listen to me, I love you and I'm not going anywhere, but this lifestyle that you're leading is not going to work."

Teresa sent Smith, who weighed 222 pounds at the time, to a trainer. He added, "I felt like I'd been in a death spiral, and I realized I needed to be healthy and strong for my family. I have a four-year-old boy, and he was a huge motivation, and so were the fans. I had an epiphany working out with my trainer that day, and I haven't had a drink since."

Smith's trainer cleaned up his diet and worked out a fitness program that he could do on the road. The singer said, "I look completely different on stage now. The stamina I have in my lungs is so much better. I don't have to wear a big jacket to cover the fat and get overheated. It's amazing how much clarity I have and how my body feels so much better — health is such a big part of who I am now."

SHINEDOWN's fourth album, "Amaryllis", came out last year and hit No. 4 on the Billboard chart.

Interview:

Acoustic performance: