SHINEDOWN's ERIC BASS Is Receiving Treatment After 'Serious Mental Health Crash'; Replacement Touring Bassists Announced

SHINEDOWN bassist and producer Eric Bass will miss at least the first few shows on the band's upcoming tour in order to receive treatment after recently suffering "a pretty serious mental health crash".

The next North American leg of "Dance, Kid, Dance Act II" is set to kick off tomorrow (Saturday, July 11) in Mount Pleasant, Michigan and wrap up in early September.

Earlier today (Friday, July 10),Bass released a video message in which he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " Hey, everybody. It's Eric from SHINEDOWN. I don't really know any other way to do this than to just do it off the cuff. None of this is prepared. But I have an announcement to make. I'm not going to be joining the band on the beginning of this tour that starts in a few days.

"I had a pretty serious mental health crash, I guess you could say, a few weeks ago, couple of weeks ago. And I don't really feel it's the wise thing for me to do to go out on tour right now.

"I've debated whether or not to make this announcement at all and just not be there and then show back up when it's time. But mental health being such a thing that I have championed and the band has championed, I thought that it would be not the best look to maybe seem like I'm ashamed of it.

"So, yeah, I can't go into any details about it. I'm doing a really great treatment at the Medical University of South Carolina called TMS. It's actually an electrical stimulation protocol that helps with depression. That mixed in with talk therapy and that kind of thing. And I'm feeling way better, so that's good.

"But I just want everyone to know that I wanna be out there. It's killing me to not be there. Josh Sturm and Zack Mack, two of our great friends, are coming out to help fill in for my stuff until I can come back out. I don't have a timeline for that right now. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later, but I wanna make sure that I'm safe.

"I'm very blessed to be able to take a break like this. I know a lot of people can't. And I would encourage anyone who maybe is a business owner out there, if you've got someone in your company who's having issues like this, to give them some time if they need it. And also, if you're going through a mental health crisis, to give yourself time as well, and to reach out to people.

"I did something I'd never done before in my fifty-one years on Earth, is I reached out to someone and I said, 'I can't do this on my own and I need help.' And it led to some healing that I'm going through right now. It's not an easy thing to do, to ask for help, but it has to be done.

"I love all of you. Thank you all for your understanding. I can't wait to get back up on stage again. So, go out there and support SHINEDOWN on the 'Dance, Kid, Dance Act II' world tour. I will be back out there as soon as possible. And, yeah, thank you all for your understanding. Love everybody."

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive, FDA-approved treatment offered by the expert brain stimulation team at the MUSC (Medical University of South Carolina) Institute of Psychiatry. This treatment works through neuromodulation – the stimulation and alteration of nerves that research has shown are involved in mood and behavior.

Having been SHINEDOWN's bassist since 2008, Eric released his first solo LP, "Eric Bass Presents: I Had A Name", in 2025.

Bass is best known as the co-songwriter, producer, and bassist for SHINEDOWN, which holds the record for most No. 1 singles on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart.

"Eric Bass Presents: I Had a Name" was described in a press release as "an immersive, expansive, and richly thematic work.

As with much of SHINEDOWN's "Attention Attention" and "Planet Zero" albums, "I Had A Name" looks both outward at society and inward, as darker emotions seep out from within the more significant metaphors and storylines on the surface.

"I've spoken about my struggles with depression and neurodivergent issues before," Bass previously said about his solo LP. "When I finished writing this record, I looked back at these characters I've created and realized I'd written the most autobiographical record of my life, which wasn't conscious as I was writing it.

"The album is an epic odyssey. I don't want mental health to be an 'angle' that obscures that," he added. "But I don't mind talking about it. Anytime I talk about it, I hope it's helpful to someone else."

Photo credit: Ebru Yildiz