Shinedown’s Eric Bass Withdraws from Tour, Citing Serious Mental Health Crisis

Shinedown bassist Eric Bass will not join the band for the opening stretch of their summer headlining tour, following what he described as a “pretty serious mental health crash” in a video posted to the group’s social channels.

The North American run begins Saturday in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, and extends through August. Bass said he made the decision recently after the episode, which he did not detail further. “I don’t really feel it’s the wise thing for me to do to go out on tour right now,” he said. He is currently receiving transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Bass acknowledged that he considered staying silent about the absence, but felt it important to model transparency around mental health—a subject both he and the band have publicly supported. “I thought that it would not be the best look to maybe seem like I’m ashamed of it,” he explained.

No return date is set. In the interim, Josh Sturm (Kairos) will fill in on bass, while Shinedown guitarist Zach Myers will also take on bass duties at times. The tour proceeds with support from Coheed and Cambria.