Shinedown Kick Off Carnival of Madness With Sevendust, Skillet, In This Moment + More

There’s no better way to spend a summer day than with a massive tour such as Carnival of Madness. This year headliners Shinedown brought the madness to the Stone Pony Summerstage in Asbury Park, N.J., to kick off the trek on Aug. 11. Support included heavy hitters Skillet, Sevendust, In This Moment and We As Human.

With every year, frontman Brent Smith looks and sounds better than ever. The band as a whole was solid as they kicked off their performance with their live premiere of ‘It’s Not Alright’ off of their latest disc ‘Amaryllis,’ as well as ‘Enemies’ and ‘Devour. With the evident comradeship between the bandmates onstage and their passionate fanbase, it’s no surprise why the band continues to headline major festivals year after year.

Skillet brought some serious force onstage as they performed fan favorites such as ‘Monster,’ ‘Whispers in the Dark’ and ‘Rebirthing.’ They also had fans bouncing with their new anthem ‘Sick of It’ off of their latest album ‘Rise.’ Not to mention band members stepped onto pillars which ascended and descended on the stage, which definitely had fans watching closely. Drummer Jen Ledger was a force behind the kit as frontman John Cooper and his wife / rhythm guitarist Korey Cooper worked the stage from end to end.

In This Moment put on a show that was visually bold and creative. Frontwoman Maria Brink’s thunderous screams were so powerful they might have reached as far as New York City. The vocalist also captured our full attention with the wardrobe changes throughout the set.

As Brink stepped up to her throne, two scantily clad dressed girls donning the infamous white masks were by her side for each song. In This Moment were one of the most entertaining acts of the day and had everyone singing as they rounded out their set with their monster single ‘Blood.’

Sevendust stepped up to this tour to fill in for Papa Roach. With their energy and chemistry onstage, the boys from the South could have easily co-headlined this trek. They performed some new tracks from their latest record ‘Blackout the Sun,’ such as their single ‘Decay’ and ‘Till Death,’ the latter of which got frontman Lajon Witherspoon teary eyed.

We As Human were the first to hit the stage and got the blood pumping early on. To see where you can catch all of these bands, go here for a full list of remaining Carnival of Madness dates.

Check Out Photos of Shinedown, Skillet, In This Moment + Sevendust Performing in New Jersey:

Shinedown:

Skillet:

In This Moment:

Sevendust: