Shinedown Bassist Steps Back From Tour Due To ‘Pretty Serious Mental Health Crash’

Shinedown are set to tour Australia alongside Bush in September.

Shinedown(Credit: Alysse Gafkjen)

Eric Bass, the bassist of American rock band Shinedown, has announced that he won’t be joining the band on their forthcoming US tour due to experiencing a “pretty serious mental health crash.”

The band are scheduled to travel across the US, starting in Michigan this weekend and wrapping in Illinois on 23 August. In a video statement, Bass expressed hope that he’ll join his bandmates on the tour, but he can’t currently commit to a specific date for his return to the stage.

“I had a pretty serious mental health crash, I guess you could say, a few weeks ago,” Bass informed fans in a video posted on his and Shinedown’s Instagram accounts.

He continued, “I don’t really feel it’s the wise thing for me to do to go out on tour right now. I 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.”

Discussing joining his bandmates on tour, Bass admitted, “Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later, but I wanna make sure that I’m safe.”

The Music hopes Bass makes a smooth recovery, and applauds him for his honesty about struggles that are often difficult to discuss publicly.

But Shinedown won’t be performing minus a bassist. Bass informed fans that Kairos’s Josh Sturm – married to Flyleaf’s Lacey Sturm – will take his place alongside the band’s guitarist, Zach Myers.

Shinedown along with fellow indisputable rock icons, Bush, will join forces for their long-awaited return to Australia and New Zealand this September. The shows mark Shinedown’s first shows in the region in 15 years.

Touring in support of their newly released album, EI8HT, Shinedown will team up with Bush in venues including Auckland’s Spark Arena, Brisbane’s Riverstage, Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion, Melbourne’s John Cain Arena, Adelaide’s AEC Theatre, and Perth HPC.

You can find tickets to the tour here.