SHINEDOWN's Summer Tour Is Still 'A Go,' Says BRENT SMITH: 'We Are Not Afraid To Play For You'

**UPDATE**: On May 12, SHINEDOWN's Brent Smith released a statement clarifying his recent comments in which he said that the band's summer tour, slated to begin on July 31 in Canada, was still "a go."

He wrote: "ATTENTION Shinedown Nation: I'd like to clear up any misunderstanding about our touring plans that may be out there as some of my comments were a little misconstrued recently in the midst of trying to stay positive in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We'd like you all to know that while we can't wait to play for you and see all of you on the road again, we will only do so when it's safe. The health and wellness of our fans is what's most important and something we take very seriously.

"We'll be ready to perform for you when the time is right, and in the meantime, I encourage everyone to take this time to focus on staying healthy mind, body, and spirit, so that when we are able to come back together, we are all the better for this time apart.

"Stay strong and optimistic - we will get through this together."

The original article follows below.

Brent Smith says that the rescheduled dates for SHINEDOWN's "Deep Dive Tour", during which the band will play "b-sides, deep cuts, plus the singles you know and love," are still "a go" for this summer. Originally slated to take place in April and May, the trek was postponed due to the global coronavirus pandemic, and is now scheduled to take place in July, August and September.

Most concerts and festivals have been canceled or rescheduled due to the crisis that is sweeping the globe. Shows aren't going to happen in May, and several major events that were slated to happen this summer have been called off. And with each passing day, more summer tours are in greater jeopardy of being scrapped, including the shows on the "Deep Dive Tour".

During an appearance on yesterday's (Thursday, May 7) "Zippo Encore Live With Jose Mangin", Smith addressed the status of the rescheduled "Deep Dive" dates, saying (see video below): "We are supposed to be on tour right now doing that [original] tour, interspersed with headlining some festivals. We rescheduled the tour for August and September — actually, the very first show is rescheduled for July 31st in Victoria, in Canada — but as of right now, that's all a go. So we're not backing off of that rescheduled timeline.

"Obviously, our number one priority is the safety of the public, but we also want the public to know something from us to all of them out there: we are not afraid to play for you," the singer continued. "We wanna do everything safely and we wanna go by the professionals in the medical community and what we're gonna need to do, but you can't stay inside forever. Your immune system and everything about this virus, I want people to understand this, is that if you shelter at home for too long, it's going to deplete your immune system. Obviously, people that are older, if they have pre-existing conditions or they have a compromised immune system, yes, we need to be extremely diligent with them and make sure that they're safe. But for people that don't have compromised immune systems, not being around people right now and not being back at work, that's actually hindering your immune system. We have to get back out safely.

"I want people to know that every one of us — our crew, everybody in SHINEDOWN, our management, our label — we are doing everything in our power to make sure that when it is time for us to be able to do shows again, we want everybody to know when you come to a SHINEDOWN show, you are coming to a safe environment; we would never put anyone's health at risk," he clarified. "But that being said, you've got to maintain a level of — being healthy is also working out, eating right, taking certain supplements to help boost your immune system.

"Don't be paralyzed by fear. You can't allow that to happen, because then this invisible virus, however you wanna put it, then it begins to win. And we can't allow that."

Two months ago, SHINEDOWN reached into its vault to make available a never-before-heard song called "Atlas Falls". The track will benefit Direct Relief, a non-profit humanitarian aid organization that is currently working to provide personal protective equipment and essential medical items, including protective masks, exam gloves and isolation gowns, to U.S. and international health workers responding to coronavirus (COVID-19).

SHINEDOWN has spent much of the last two years touring in support of its latest album, "Attention Attention", which came out in 2018.