SHINEDOWN's BRENT SMITH On Upcoming Tour: 'We're Going To Make Sure That We Give You A Spectacle'

SHINEDOWN singer Brent Smith was recently interviewed by the 93.3 WMMR Rocks! radio station. You can now listen to the chat below.

Speaking about SHINEDOWN's desire to keep its live shows fresh and interesting, Smith said: "You have to plan now more than ever. This year alone, 2018, the touring industry overall was up four hundred percent. So, that's great for vendors and for venues and, of course, for the general public, no matter where you're at in the world, because that means that there's a lot of bands, a lot of artists — male, female, all different styles of music — and there's a lot of live shows out there, which is cool. But you've gotta be really mindful of not rehashing the same show and going back to markets over and over and over again and just presenting the same show. That's not what we do. So I think everybody, in 2019, if they saw us in 2018, it's time to step it up. So I think that they're going to see a show unlike anything that they've seen with us — quite frankly because we're in the middle of designing it right now. You can't rehash what you've already done — you've gotta be inspired and go out there and really bring the public and the audience what they deserve, which is your absolute one hundred percent on every level, which is what we try to do day in and day out."

Smith went on to describe the experience of creating a new live show as "a little bit like being in the third grade forever. And what I mean is there's always that inner kid in me," he explained. "Like the very first time I went and saw a show and I saw production and I saw pyrotechnics and theatrics and the lightning and the shadowing and really making it an experience. Because, yeah, you can get up there with a backdrop and a little bit of lighting and what have you and we can do what we coined over the years. Sometimes the band has to be their own pyro, and there's a time and a place for that. But when you get to a certain level and you're being presented, case in point, being the headliner for MMR*B*Q [in Camden, New Jersey next year], that's a big deal for us… So the reality of that is what we're going to do, when we have these opportunities, is we're going to make sure that we give you a spectacle and one that is artistic and genuine and that is very much about theatrics and production. Never taking anything away from the songs, but we want it to be an experience. So the next time that we come into town, you'll bring 10 friends hopefully, because it turns into one of those things of, 'I wonder what they're gonna do this year.'"

"Attention Attention", SHINEDOWN's sixth studio album, debuted at No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums chart back in May. The follow-up to 2015's "Threat To Survival" marked SHINEDOWN's first full-length effort to be produced entirely by bassist Eric Bass.

SHINEDOWN will embark on a U.S. headlining tour in February. Support on the trek will come from PAPA ROACH and ASKING ALEXANDRIA.

Photo credit: Jimmy Fontaine