Shinedown's Zach Myers & Eric Bass [2022]

<p>Musical acts currently filling arenas fall into a few categories: pop, electronic, country, and legacy. The notion of modern or contemporary rock bands packing enormo-domes feels like a fossil, but don’t tell that to platinum-selling Shinedown, who’s been packing thousands-of-seats houses for years.</p><p>The group was founded by vocalist Brent Smith in 2001, after his previous band, Dreve, disbanded). He enlisted Jasin Todd (guitarist), Brad Stewart (bass), and Barry Kerch (drums). Zach Myers joined the fold in 2005 (as a touring member). He and current bassist Eric Bass (no joke) first earned album credits with 2008’s smash&nbsp;<em>The Sound of Madness</em>. (Rig Rundown alumnus&nbsp;<a href="https://www.premierguitar.com/gear/rig-rundown-nick-perri" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nick Perri</a>&nbsp;was a short-time member of Shinedown and earned lead guitar credits on&nbsp;<em>TSOM</em>&nbsp;before fully handing over the 6-string reins to Myers.)</p><p>The quartet’s ability to fuse post-grunge pyrotechnics, four-on-the-floor rockers, and glossy, arms-in-the-air anthems, and their dynamic acoustic performances, have earned them 17 No. 1 hits on&nbsp;<em>Billboard</em>’s Mainstream Rock chart. (If you include the other&nbsp;<em>Billboard</em>&nbsp;charts, they’ve got three more.) They also have three platinum albums (three more are certified gold in the U.S.), and six additional platinum singles. If guitar truly is in a slump in pop culture and the mainstream, somebody forgot to tell Shinedown.</p><p>When&nbsp;<em>PG</em>’s Chris Kies first talked tone tools with Myers and Bass in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.premierguitar.com/videos/rig-rundowns/shinedown" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2013</a>, they had some&nbsp;<em>gear</em>, and even some cool signature stuff. But this time, the war chest was on another level. Before their May 4 headline show at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, supporting their new, seventh album,&nbsp;<em>Planet Zero</em>, the duo flexed their rockstar credentials an