Shinedown frontman Brent Smith has opened up about bassist Eric Bass’s decision to step away from the band to focus on his mental health. He addressed both Bass’s current wellbeing and his future with the group in a conversation shared by MaytheROCK bewithyou.
Smith’s comments came in response to a direct question about how Bass is holding up since announcing his break.
Smith was asked, “I do want to ask if I can, how’s Eric doing?” He gave a detailed update on his bandmate’s condition and the events leading up to the decision.
“He’s doing fantastic. He’s doing great,” Smith said. “Look, man, he’s a work in progress. We’re all the work in progress. He had to do something that was a very human thing.”
Smith went on to describe the conversation Bass had with the rest of the band before he stepped away.
“You know, he was like, ‘Yo, I don’t want anybody walking on eggshells around me, and I most certainly don’t want to walk on eggshells around anyone else. And this isn’t necessarily about you all. This is about me. And I just got to make sure I’m okay, you know, and because I don’t feel okay. And I know that life is subjective and every day is going to be, you know, a different set of obstacles and hurdles and what have you, but I need a better skill set for me personally,'” Smith said. “And when he came to us and said, ‘I don’t think where I need to be is on tour right this minute. I need some time to take care of me.’ Man, that dude is my hero in a lot of ways. He really is.”
Smith also praised Bass for how he handled going public with his decision.
“I spend a lot of time with him. It was an extremely brave thing,” he continued. “And I don’t use that word brave just, you know, just to throw it out. Like he was really concerned how people were going to take it and the most beautiful thing in the world happened. Um, you know, obviously the three of us, myself and Barry and Zach, we said, ‘Whatever you need to do, we’re here to support it.'”
The band brought in two people to fill the gap left by Bass while he takes time off. The response from fans following his announcement was overwhelming.
“And he was like, you know, he had, you know, Eric had already talked to our friend Josh Sturm about, hey, would you be able to come in and handle this? And, you know, the interesting thing, we had to bring two people in just to cover what he does. We had to bring our boys Zack Mack and Josh to come in and to handle, you know, what he does,” Smith said. “But the thing is is that the most reflective thing that I saw was in the first 72 hours of when he made the statement on our social media and, you know, let everybody know what was going on.”
“In 72 hours, there was close to 14,000 comments just on Instagram alone. And they weren’t like one sentence like, ‘Hey man, it’s all good, you know, get better’ type thing. They were like paragraphs from people just letting him know how loved he is and how supported he is,” he added. “And I think that was probably some of the best medicine that he could have ever received in a lot of ways cuz I think he knew like he was a little nervous like how the public was going to take it and to see that showing of support I think it really really meant a lot to him.”
Smith concluded by confirming that Bass is expected to return to the band for upcoming tour dates.
“But in answer to your question, you know, every single day he’s been working at it and he’s got a great team of people around him. He is coming back,” Smith said. “We got four dates in the US before we head over to you guys and girls or I should say down we head down under. But he’s going to be back with us and he’s doing great. He’s coming Yep. 100%. He’ll be there. Yep. He’s with us. Absolutely.”
Smith’s comments come amid a broader timeline of updates surrounding Bass’s break. That timeline has played out publicly over the past several weeks as the bassist has continued to speak candidly about his struggle.
Bass initially stepped away from Shinedown’s touring schedule after what he described as a “pretty serious mental health crash.” The decision forced the band to bring in Josh Sturm and Zack Mack to cover his role on stage while he focused on his recovery.
In the weeks since, Bass has continued to be transparent about the toll his mental health struggles have taken. He has acknowledged that the experience has been difficult not just personally but spiritually, describing the period as one where he doesn’t currently feel close to God. He also revealed that he is continuing therapy and remains hopeful his return to the band will come sooner rather than later.
Smith’s remarks align with more recent statements confirming Bass is “a lot better.” He is on track to rejoin the band for its next round of shows, including the long-awaited Australian tour. Shinedown is set to play four US dates before heading down under, marking the band’s first visit to Australia in 16 years.
The overlapping updates from both Bass and Smith paint a consistent picture: a band navigating a difficult chapter with transparency, while pointing toward a full reunion on stage in the near future.
