Former Godsmack drummer Shannon Larkin recently opened up about his decision to step away from the multi-platinum hard rock act. During a livestream on his official YouTube channel on May 1, he reflected on his retirement from the road, which occurred a year and a half ago following the touring cycle for their latest studio album, Lighting Up The Sky.
He emphasized that his exit alongside longtime guitarist Tony Rombola was entirely peaceful, and he threw his full support behind the band’s new lineup.
“With the Godsmack thing, I tell you, people, it ended beautifully, and there was no hard feelings. And Godsmack 2.0 is coming, with Wade Murff on the drums and Sam Koltun on guitar. And it’s gonna be bada**, ’cause I know [Godsmack frontman] Sully Erna, and he’s bada**, and he’ll make a bada** record. And Godsmack will persevere, 2.0. And no hard feelings on this side, because it’s all love,” Larkin shared (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
Having been a touring musician for four decades, the drummer explained his eventual burnout while directly referencing past comments from Oasis songwriter Noel Gallagher regarding the rigors of the music industry.
“For those who don’t know or may be watching me for the first time, the touring — I’ve been touring for 40 years. And I wanna again say to [Oasis‘] Noel Gallagher: I’m not that dude that’s sitting here whining [and] bi**hing about it. It was the greatest years of my life, the last 40 years in this music business, touring my a** off, and make a record, tour, make a record, tour, make a record, tour. Boom. Until it wasn’t… And so I stopped. And it was okay. And Sully understood, ’cause he knew me from the Wrathchild days, since 1986, [198]7, we met. That’s for real. There was no cell phones or Internet, people. We wrote our numbers down after having met one another, and stayed in touch for 17 years before I joined Godsmack. So, we were friends way before that, and so now we’re friends way beyond that. And that’s important, I think, especially in the moving on,” he noted.
He also acknowledged the natural sting of losing long-term band members, but pointed out that their separation avoided the stereotypical pitfalls that destroy many rock groups.
“I always try to put my foot in the other shoe. And I would’ve been upset too at first. And there’s a bitterness that you feel when your homeboys leave your band. But you understand the reason. And it’s not any of the usual reasons that break bands up, which is s*x, dr*gs. And when I say ‘s*x’, it’s some dude in a band hits on the other guy’s wife or worse. S**t like that happens and breaks bands up. We’ve seen it many times. And then it’s always dr*gs; there’s always dr*gs in rock and roll. And that’s just the way it is, and the way it should be, probably, because we have the proof in music. People talk about Aerosmith, one of the greatest bands of all time and perhaps the greatest American rock band. And still some of their greatest music was made under the influence of dr*gs. And you can’t deny it that something was different from point A to point B. And so [I’m] not trying to say I’m pro dr*gs — I’m not. I’m pro pot. I am pro mar***ana. Pro w**d. Always have been,” he concluded.
In April 2025, frontman Sully Erna officially addressed the lineup change, issuing a statement that Shannon Larkin and Tony Rombola had left Godsmack “on good terms, but for no other reason than to fulfill their desire to live a more simple and quiet life away from touring.” At the time, Sully Erna and bassist Robbie Merrill noted they were “excited to explore new directions,” and recruited Evanescence drummer Will Hunt alongside Dorothy guitarist Sam Koltun to fill in for a European tour that spring.
Fans can now experience the classic lineup’s final performance together through the newly released live album and Blu-ray, Live At Mohegan Sun. Issued on May 1 via Primary Wave, the project captures their sold-out October 26, 2024 concert at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, serving as a definitive farewell to that era of Godsmack.
