After more than 15 years away, Shinedown frontman Brent Smith is looking forward to finally returning to Australia. The American rock band will join forces with British alt-rock heavyweights Bush for a co-headline tour across Australia and New Zealand in September, marking Shinedown’s first Australian performances since their appearances at Soundwave Festival in 2010.
For Smith, the return has been a long time coming. His memories of Shinedown’s previous visit include seeing Faith No More, Paramore and Jimmy Eat World during a day off, as well as a less enjoyable recollection of getting badly sunburned during a Sydney beach day with the band and crew. More importantly, however, he says he has thought about returning to Australia ever since Shinedown’s last visit.
“I’ve been thinking about how the hell do we get back there,” Smith says, with the New Zealand dates also representing a first for the band. The decision to tour with Bush came together through Smith’s longstanding friendship with Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale. The two discussed their respective touring plans and realised that a co-headline arrangement would make sense, both creatively and logistically. Smith promises Australian and New Zealand audiences the full Shinedown experience, declaring that the band is bringing “all the bells and whistles.”
Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips caught up with Shinedown’s Brent Smith for a chat about the band’s new album EI8GT and the September 2026 co-headline Australian tour with UK’s Bush
MORE ABOUT THE INTERVIEW
The tour arrives as Shinedown continues to support its eighth studio album, EI8HT, an 18-track collection that Smith describes as a deliberate return to a more traditional album format. Following the concept-driven Attention Attention and Planet Zero, Smith wanted the new record to stand on its own terms, with songs that were not necessarily connected by a single narrative.
The album evolved over around 18 months, beginning with two very different songs, “365” and “Dance Kid Dance”. Rather than waiting until the entire record was completed before touring, Smith suggested releasing tracks progressively and taking them on the road to see how they connected with audiences. Five songs were released ahead of the full album, ultimately leading to an 18-song record drawn from around 25 or 26 compositions.
That extensive catalogue presents its own challenge when Shinedown takes the stage. The band has eight albums and 38 singles to draw from, but their Australian and New Zealand shows will be restricted to approximately 75 minutes each as part of the co-headline format. Smith says the band will perform 16 songs per night, with the set list changing from city to city. While several essential songs will remain in the set, the middle section will be regularly reshuffled.
“We don’t do the same thing every night,” he explains, acknowledging that there are certain songs the band knows audiences expect to hear. The aim, he says, is to deliver “all killer and no filler.”
The new material is already proving itself onstage. Smith says “365” has been particularly well received, while “Safe and Sound” generates a strong reaction and “Search Light” has become another standout. The latter also represents a significant new direction for the band, embracing country influences and becoming Shinedown’s first song to make an impact on the country format in North America.
Smith’s connection to country music goes back to childhood. Raised in Tennessee, he was exposed to artists including Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Lucinda Williams. That background has increasingly found its way into Shinedown’s music, particularly on tracks such as “Search Light” and the Southern-rock-influenced “Outlaw.”
Performing “Search Light” at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry was consequently a particularly significant moment. Smith describes the opportunity to make Shinedown’s Opry debut during the venue’s centenary celebrations as something that felt almost surreal. The band performed with the Opry musicians, including steel guitar and fiddle players, and received a standing ovation, with Carrie Underwood introducing them.
Despite Shinedown’s enormous success – the band has amassed more than 8.3 billion streams, 24 No. 1 rock hits and numerous platinum and gold certifications – Smith remains conscious of the privilege involved in maintaining a career that has now stretched across 24 years. He says the band works to keep its humility in check and never takes for granted the opportunity to continue writing, recording and performing.
That sense of gratitude is particularly strong as the Australian tour approaches. Before arriving, Smith plans to spend several days in New Zealand acclimatising his voice, following an already demanding touring schedule. His pre-show routine is deliberately restrained: exercise, vocal preparation, getting his mind right and conserving his energy for the performance.
Once onstage, however, Smith intends to make the most of every moment.
“I’m going to try to experience every second that I’m on stage,” he says, promising to give the audience everything he has. After waiting 16 years to return, Shinedown’s Australian shows represent more than another run of dates – they are an opportunity for the band to reconnect with an audience Smith clearly remembers and has wanted to see again for a long time.
With Bush alongside them, a constantly evolving set list and material from EI8HT added to a catalogue packed with rock anthems, Shinedown’s long-awaited Australian return promises to be a substantial production and a celebration of just how far the band has travelled since its last visit.
SHINEDOWN x BUSH
CO-HEADLINE AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND TOUR
TOUR DATES:
THURSDAY 17 SEPTEMBER – SPARK ARENA, AUCKLAND
SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER – RIVERSTAGE, BRISBANE
WEDNESDAY 23 SEPTEMBER – HORDERN PAVILION, SYDNEY
FRIDAY 25 SEPTEMBER – JOHN CAIN ARENA, MELBOURNE
SUNDAY 27 SEPTEMBER – AEC THEATRE, ADELAIDE
TUESDAY 29 SEPTEMBER – HPC, PERTH
Tickets from destroyalllines.com