Shinedown Rocks Download Festival 2025: No. 1 Hits & Setlist

June 16, 2025 rocknews

They’re topping U.S. charts and packing arenas like Madison Square Garden, but why isn’t the UK shouting louder for Shinedown? Their latest single “Three Six Five” hit No. 1 on the U.S. Alternative Radio chart, and their June 14, 2025, set at Download Festival 2025, the UK’s biggest rock festival, tore up the Apex Stage at Donington Park. Brent Smith’s towering vocals led the setlist, kicking off with “Cut the Cord,” igniting the crowd with new anthems “Three Six Five” and “Dance, Kid, Dance,” With “A Symptom of Being Human” and “Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)” sparking singalongs and “Sound of Madness” closing amid pyro, Shinedown earned raves for “hard rock perfection.” Fans buzzed about Smith’s charisma, cementing their trajectory to headline Download Festival soon.

Formed in 2001, Shinedown—Brent Smith (vocals), Zach Myers (guitar), Eric Bass (bass, production), and Barry Kerch (drums)—have sold over 10 million albums, scored a record-breaking 20 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and amassed 6.5 billion global streams (see chart: Shinedown’s Chart Dominance). Their secret? Soaring hooks, bone-rattling riffs, and lyrics that hit like a gut punch.

Download Festival Triumph

Shinedown’s 2025 performance marks their fifth Download appearance, a journey from the Second Stage in 2009 and 2012 to the Main Stage in 2016 and 2018, where they wowed 120,000 fans with “Second Chance” and “Sound of Madness.” Each set has grown bigger, with 2018’s “blinding” energy and 2025’s pyro-fueled Apex Stage show proving they’re arena-ready. Brent Smith called the UK crowd “electric,” vowing to “bring everything we’ve got” every time.

Shinedown Setlist Download Festival 2025, Dance, Kid, Dance Tour

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Cross-Format Dominance

“Three Six Five” is a raw anthem of loss and resilience, urging fans to live boldly, as Smith has described. Its cross-format dominance—No. 1 at Alternative, No. 11 at Hot AC, No. 32 at Top 40, and Top 20 at Mainstream AC—proves Shinedown’s appeal stretches beyond rock radio. Their other 2025 single, “Dance, Kid, Dance,” also topped both Mediabase Active Rock and Billboard Mainstream Rock charts, cementing their hot streak.

In the UK, “Three Six Five” peaked at a modest No. 45 on the Official Singles Sales Chart, reflecting the pop-heavy tilt of British airwaves. But their Download legacy and a special Brent Smith and Zach Myers acoustic set in London on June 17, 2025, at Islington Assembly Hall show UK fans are hungry for more. Their cult status feels like a secret poised to break wide open.

The Dance Kid Dance Tour, launched in April 2025, is tearing through U.S. arenas like Madison Square Garden (July 20) and the Kia Forum (August 3), with Morgan Wade opening every show and Beartooth and Bush joining for spring and summer dates, respectively. Shinedown’s 2025 is a masterclass in momentum: they’ve tied Foo Fighters with 32 Top 10 songs on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and notched 22 No. 1s on Mediabase’s Active Rock chart.

Download Headliners

Fresh off two 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards for Rock Artist and Rock Song of the Year for “A Symptom of Being Human” (with nearly 125 million global streams), Shinedown aren’t just riding the wave—they’re creating it. So, UK rock fans, ready to join the roar? Stream “Three Six Five” or snag tickets to the Dance Kid Dance Tour to see why Shinedown are America’s rock titans—and Download’s next headliners.