Shinedown Honor Fan Request, Play Song Live for First Time in 18 Years

Shinedown fulfilled a longtime fan's wish during their Saturday (May 16) performance at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. While playing a hits-filled set, about halfway through the group stopped down and honored a fan request for a live rarity that has not been performed live in 18 years.

The song was "Junkies for Fame," a bonus track that had appeared on the deluxe reissue of the band's biggest album, The Sound of Madness.

What Did Shinedown Say About Playing 'Junkies for Fame' Live?

Having just fulfilled a stretch of playing "Searchlight," "Enemies," "Call Me" and "Misfits" in a row (per Setlist.fm), the slot for the eleventh song of the night in their setlist was a surprise to likely everyone in the audience except perhaps one fan.

"Now it's about to get really interesting," shared Brent Smith, as the crew swapped out a new guitar for Zach Myers. The guitarist then stepped to the mic and added, "A young man by the name of Anthony asked us to play a song earlier."

After spotting him in the crowd, singer Brent Smith interjected, "Real quick, before you say anything. We don't do this for anyone. Anthony, you are the number one tonight, my brother. You are the number one, my man," as he walked over to Anthony's side of the stage.

"What he means by that is we have not played this song in 18 years and I mean legitimately 18 years," added Myers. "By the way Anthony, you just made our monitor engineer the happiest guy on earth. Hey, if this falls apart, I hope you still have a good time tonight, cause it probably will."

The band then managed to rock out through the first chorus and verse of the song before moving on, but not before Brent Smith noted "All you man" and rushed over to hug the fan and kiss him on the forehead while drummer Barry Kerch offered a hug and the drumsticks he had just played.

What Do We Know About the Fan?

As Smith's speech might imply, the request came from someone special. The fan whose name is Anthony had been attending his 102nd Shinedown show.

"When a fan who’s been with us since 2003 has a song request at show #102, you make it happen!!! Whether it’s your first show or too many to count, we’re so glad you’re here," added the group in an Instagram post of the performance.

Anthony shared in his own Instagram post, "@shinedown my favorite band, my 102nd show, my favorite song being played just for me this was the most incredible night of my life," with the hashtags #love #music #rock #live #livemusic.

He would also share a slideshow of photos taken of his interactions with Smith and Kerch and another slideshow of photos with the band from throughout the years. Revealing that his first show came June 7, 2003, Anthony has now seen the band 102 times with the special dedication coming from the band at show No. 102.

Shinedown in 2026

Having just played Sonic Temple, Shinedown are currently touring in support of their aptly named eighth album, Ei8ht. The album is due May 29 and pre-orders are currently being taken.

Their current North American tour leg stretches into June with the final show on the leg coming June 6 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Stops this week include Wichita (May 19), Austin (May 22) and Oklahoma City (May 23).

After about a month, the band kicks off another North American tour leg on July 11 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. To see all the tour dates and find out ticketing information, stay tuned to their website.

Below, see the best rock song for each year of the 2000s (including one from Shinedown).