Shinedown’s Eric Bass has revealed he will not be joining the band for the opening dates of their Dance Kid Dance Act II World Tour, which kicked off on July 11 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The legendary bassist opened up about a recent mental health struggle and said he did not feel it was the right decision to join the tour at this time.
Eric Bass steps away from Shinedown’s tour to focus on treatment and recovery
On July 10, the 51-year-old announced on Instagram that he was taking a break and receiving treatment at the Medical University of South Carolina.
He said, as quoted by People, “I’m not gonna be joining the band on the beginning of this tour that starts in a few days. I had a pretty serious mental health crash, I guess you could say, a few weeks ago, and I don’t really feel it’s the wise thing for me to do to go out on tour right now.”
He further added, “I debated whether to make this announcement at all and just not be there and show back up when it’s time, but mental health being such a thing that I have championed and the band has championed, that it would not be the best look to maybe seem like I’m ashamed of it.”
The musician also shared that he was receiving talk therapy and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) treatment at the Medical University of South Carolina. The Mayo Clinic describes TMS as a therapy that uses magnetic fields to stimulate brain nerve cells and help treat conditions, including depression and OCD.
Although Bass will miss part of the tour, he confirmed that Josh Sturm of Kairos and Zack Mack will step in as replacements for the affected dates, reports Parade.
Bass, who has been the bassist of the rock band since 2008, encouraged fans facing mental health struggles to seek support, sharing that he recently asked for help for the first time in his life. He said, “I did something I’d never done before in my 51 years on earth, which is I reached out to someone and I said, ‘I can’t do this on my own, and I need help.’ Adding that it’s not an easy thing to ask for help, but it has to be done.
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