Shinedown bassist, producer and co-songwriter Eric Bass will miss at least the first portion of the band’s current North American tour leg to receive treatment following what he described as a recent mental health crash. The next leg of the “Dance, Kid, Dance Act II” tour kicked off July 11 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and is scheduled to run through early September, with friends Josh Sturm and Zack Mack stepping in on bass for the dates Bass cannot cover.
Bass addressed the situation in a video message released on July 10 (transcribed by Blabbermouth): “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) is a non-invasive, FDA-approved treatment offered by the expert brain stimulation team at the MUSC (Medical University of South Carolina) Institute of Psychiatry. The treatment works through neuromodulation — the stimulation and alteration of nerves that research has shown are involved in mood and behavior.
Bass has served as Shinedown’s bassist since 2008 and is the band’s primary producer and co-songwriter. Shinedown holds the record for most No. 1 singles on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart. In 2025, Bass released his debut solo LP, Eric Bass Presents: I Had A Name, described as “an immersive, expansive, and richly thematic work” that drew on his experiences with depression and neurodivergent issues. Bass previously said of the record: “I’ve spoken about my struggles with depression and neurodivergent issues before. When I finished writing this record, I looked back at these characters I’ve created and realized I’d written the most autobiographical record of my life, which wasn’t conscious as I was writing it.”
The post SHINEDOWN’s ERIC BASS: “I Did Something I’d Never Done Before in My Fifty-One Years on Earth — I Reached Out to Someone and Said, ‘I Can’t Do This on My Own and I Need Help’” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.
