Friday, May 18, 6 p.m.
TaxSlayer Center, 1201 River Dive, Moline IL
Two hard-rocking, chart-topping bands team up for one unforgettable night when Moline's TaxSlayer Center, on May 18, hosts a co-headlining concert with Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown, the rock and heavy-metal musicians reuniting this month for the first time since their massive North American arena tour in the fall of 2016.
Formed in 2005, the Five Finger Death Punch moniker was inspired by the kung fu movie The Five Fingers of Death, with the ensemble itself currently composed of Ivan Moody on lead vocals, Zoltan Bathory on rhythm guitar, Jeremy Spencer on drums (all three of them band co-founders), Jason Hook on lead guitar, and Chris Kael on bass. Released in 2007, the group's debut album The Way of the Fist achieved quick success and went on to sell more than 500,000 in the United States, with Five Finger Death Punch's 2009 follow-up War Is the Answer further increasing the band's popularity, selling over 1,000,000 copies and receiving platinum certification by the RIAA. As the quintet's four subsequent albums have all been certified gold – with the group's seventh recording And Justice for None set for release on the day of the TaxSlayer Center concert – Five Finger Death Punch stands as one of the most successful heavy metal bands of the decade, and its list of accolades includes three Bandit Rock Awards, three Metal Hammer Golden God Awards, and seven Radio Contraband Rock Radio Awards.
Like Five Finger Death Punch, Shinedown had an enormous fan base from the start, with its 2003 album debut Leave a Whisper receiving platinum certification and inspiring a smash-hit single in “Fly from the Inside.” Originally formed by lead vocalist Brent Smith in Jacksonville, Florida, Shinedown has recorded six albums to date, with its most recent being the May 4 release Attention Attention, cited by SputnikMusic.com as “one of the best albums of the year so far.” Currently composed of Smith, lead guitarist Zach Myers, bassist Eric Bass, and drummer Barry Kerch, Shinedown has sold more than 10 million records worldwide and has had 11 number-one singles (among them “Save Me,” “Bully,” and “Cut the Cord”) on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts – the third-most of all time behind Van Halen and Three Days Grace.
Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown perform their 6 p.m. concert with opening sets by Starset, performing from their latest release Vessels, and Bad Wolves, currently dominating rock and metal charts with their cover of the Cranberries' “Zombie.” Admission to the May 18 amphitheater event is $39.50-59.50, and tickets are available by calling (800)745-3000 or visiting TaxSlayerCenter.com.
