Shinedown bassist and producer Eric Bass will miss at least the opening dates of the band’s upcoming North American tour as he receives specialized treatment for a recent, severe mental health crisis.
The next leg of the group’s massive “Dance, Kid, Dance Act II” tour kicked off Saturday, July 11 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and runs straight through early September.
On Friday, July 10, Eric Bass took to social media to share an emotional and highly transparent video message with his fans, explaining his difficult decision to temporarily step away from the stage.
“ Hey, everybody. It’s Eric from Shinedown. I don’t really know any other way to do this than to just do it off the cuff. None of this is prepared. But I have an announcement to make. I’m not going to be joining the band on the beginning of this tour that starts in a few days.”
“I had a pretty serious mental health crash, I guess you could say, a few weeks ago, couple of weeks ago. And I don’t really feel it’s the wise thing for me to do to go out on tour right now.”
“I’ve 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.”
“So, yeah, I can’t go into any details about it. I’m doing a really great treatment at the Medical University of South Carolina called TMS. It’s actually an electrical stimulation protocol that helps with depression. That mixed in with talk therapy and that kind of thing. And I’m feeling way better, so that’s good.”
“But I just want everyone to know that I wanna be out there. It’s killing me to not be there. Josh Sturm and Zack Mack, two of our great friends, are coming out to help fill in for my stuff until I can come back out. I don’t have a timeline for that right now. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later, but I wanna make sure that I’m safe.”
“I’m very blessed to be able to take a break like this. I know a lot of people can’t. And I would encourage anyone who maybe is a business owner out there, if you’ve got someone in your company who’s having issues like this, to give them some time if they need it. And also, if you’re going through a mental health crisis, to give yourself time as well, and to reach out to people.”
“I did something I’d never done before in my fifty-one years on Earth, is I reached out to someone and I said, ‘I can’t do this on my own and I need help.’ And it led to some healing that I’m going through right now. It’s not an easy thing to do, to ask for help, but it has to be done.”
“I love all of you. Thank you all for your understanding. I can’t wait to get back up on stage again. So, go out there and support Shinedown on the ‘Dance, Kid, Dance Act II‘ world tour. I will be back out there as soon as possible. And, yeah, thank you all for your understanding. Love everybody.”
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), the procedure Eric Bass mentioned in his video, is a non-invasive, FDA-approved treatment provided by the expert brain stimulation team at the MUSC (Medical University of South Carolina) Institute of Psychiatry. Research has proven that this specific form of neuromodulation—the targeted stimulation and alteration of nerves—is incredibly effective at positively influencing mood and behavior in patients battling severe depression.
“Dance, Kid, Dance Act II” 2026 World Tour Dates:
North America:
- July 17 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena *%
- July 18 – Albany, NY @ MVP Arena *#%
- July 20 – Manchester, NH @ SNHU Arena *%
- July 21 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center *%
- July 23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Xfinity Mobile Arena *%
- July 25 – Knoxville, TN @ Food City Center *#%
- July 30 – Lubbock, TX @ United Supermarkets Arena *#%
- July 31 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Weidner Field *%
- August 2 – El Paso, TX @ UTEP Don Haskins Center *#%
- August 4 – Tucson, AZ @ Tucson Arena *#%
- August 6 – Ontario, CA @ Toyota Arena *%
- August 7 – Las Vegas, NV @ Michelob ULTRA Arena *#%
- August 9 – Sparks, NV @ Nugget Event Center *%
- August 10 – Boise, ID @ ExtraMile Arena *#%
- August 12 – Billings, MT @ First Interstate Arena at Metrapark *#%
- August 14 – Spokane, WA @ Numerica Veterans Arena *#%
- August 15 – Vancouver, BC @ PNE Pacific Coliseum *#%
- August 17 – Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place *#%
- August 20 – Fargo, ND @ Fargodome *#%
- August 21 – Welch, MN @ Treasure Island Resort *%
- August 23 – Springfield, IL @ Illinois State Fair #%
- September 4 – Dyersville, IA @ Velocity Festival
- September 10 – McHenry, IL @ McHenry Music Festival
Europe/UK:
- October 31 – Paris, FR @ Zénith Paris – La Villette &
- November 2 – Milan, IT @ Alcatraz &
- November 4 – Tilburg, NL @ O13 &
- November 6 – Prague, CZ @ Forum Karlín &
- November 8 – Copenhagen, DK @ Falkonersalen &
- November 9 – Stockholm, SE @ Annexet &
- November 11 – Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle &
- November 12 – Düsseldorf, DE @ Mitsubishi Electric Halle &
- November 14 – Birmingham, UK @ bp pulse LIVE *&
- November 16 – Glasgow, UK @ OVO Hydro *&
- November 17 – Nottingham, UK @ Motorpoint Arena *&
- November 19 – London, UK @ OVO Arena Wembley *&
- November 20 – Manchester, UK @ AO Arena *&
- November 22 – Dublin, IE @ 3Olympia Theatre &
- * with Coheed And Cambria
- ^ with Black Stone Cherry
- # with From Ashes To New
- & with Those Damn Crows
- % with DJ Rock Feed
