Shinedown bassist, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Eric Bass has announced that he will be stepping away from the band’s immediate touring plans after experiencing what he described as a “serious mental health crash.”
In a video shared to social media, Bass revealed that the episode occurred several weeks ago and led him to seek professional treatment. As a result, he has made the decision to sit out the opening stretch of Shinedown’s upcoming “Dance, Kid, Dance Act II” World Tour while focusing on his recovery.
“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.”
Bass explained that he considered keeping the situation private but ultimately felt it was important to be transparent given his long-standing advocacy for mental health awareness.
“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.”
The musician also shared that he is currently receiving treatment through the Medical University of South Carolina, including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy, a treatment commonly used for major depressive disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), alongside traditional talk therapy.
“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.”
While Bass does not currently have a timetable for his return, he emphasized that his priority is making sure he is healthy before stepping back on stage.
During his absence, Josh Sturm and Zack Mack will assist the band as fill-in musicians.
Bass also used the opportunity to encourage others experiencing mental health challenges to seek help when needed.
“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.”
He concluded by thanking fans for their understanding and expressing his hope to return to Shinedown as soon as possible.
“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.”
For now, Shinedown will continue with their scheduled tour dates while Eric Bass focuses on his health and recovery.
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