Shinedown's Brent Smith on EI8HT, the Loss of His Mother and a Massive 2025 Tour
Brent Smith is moving through grief while preparing to roll out one of the biggest chapters in Shinedown's career. With the band's eighth studio album, EI8HT, due May 29, 2025, and a world tour launching in May, Smith is balancing promotion, performance and personal loss after the death of his mother earlier this year.
Personal loss sharpens focus
Smith said he said goodbye to his mother on Jan. 19. He described her as “the strongest woman I knew” and recalled a parting moment when she put her hands on his and told him she loved him unmeasurably. Speaking candidly from a midtown Manhattan hotel room, Smith choked up as he reflected on how that message has carried him into this new phase.
He added that he feels his mother cheering him on as he prepares the band for a busy year. That urgency matters: Shinedown will be promoting EI8HT while launching an extensive arena run that tests the logistics of a two-decade-plus career. For Smith, success is measured in the listeners who say the music has saved them, and he wants to honor his mother by giving fans the record and shows they expect.
EI8HT promises variety and a clear creative stance
The new album is built from 18 tracks recorded over the last 18 months and spans a range of styles. Smith described chest-thumping hard-rockers, tender ballads and dance-forward cuts among the material. Recent singles released ahead of the album include “Searchlight, ” “Three Six Five” and the dance-tinged “Dance, Kid Dance. ” Another call-to-arms moment on the record is the heavy anthem “Safe and Sound. ”
Listeners can also expect experimentation: four-on-the-floor beats power “Burning Down the Disco, ” keyboards lend a gothic mood to “Deep End, ” a country-leaning romantic ballad shows up on “Dizzy, ” and the reflective “The Pilot” leans folk. Hooks and singalong refrains remain central — Smith pointed to the memorable “na-na-na” line in “Imposter” as an example. He was emphatic about the album’s production choices, noting that no artificial intelligence was used in its making.
The album's cover gesture — a pastel bouquet — is intended as a thank-you to the band's fanbase, Smith said: a way of giving the audience the flowers for sticking with them through the years.
Tour logistics, key dates and what fans need to know
The Dance Kid Dance Act II world tour will kick off on May 13, 2025, at 7 p. m. ET at the Resch Center, launching a North American leg that runs through Sept. 10 before the group heads overseas in the fall. The itinerary includes a July 25 date at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Smith's hometown, where he has strong ties and fond memories from growing up in the area.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a. m. ET on Feb. 20; presales for select cardholders and fan-club members are scheduled to run in the days before the general onsale. Fans should watch official ticketing channels for details and seating options.
The band has also charted its public posture ahead of summer festival season, withdrawing from a high-profile festival in early February and emphasizing a mission to bring people together through music rather than create division. That positioning sits alongside the band's long track record of chart success and arena-ready production—roughly 75 to 80 people make up the touring crew for major shows, with larger teams required for big arenas.
For Smith, the immediate priority is clear: complete the record, honor family, and deliver the sort of shows that have defined Shinedown's two-decade run. With EI8HT and a packed tour schedule, the band is staking a claim on a busy 2025 and giving fans plenty to anticipate.
