SHINEDOWN’s BRENT SMITH Reflects On His Restroom Encounter With ROBERT PLANT: ‘He Was The Sweetest Guy’

In a new interview with Q104.3‘s “Out Of The Box With Jonathan Clarke”, SHINEDOWN frontman Brent Smith was asked to recount a memorable tale involving one of his rock and roll idols. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “We were in S.I.R. [studios in Nashville] during what would become the ‘[Somewhere In The] Stratosphere’ record. There were two parts to that. There was the ‘Anything And Everything’ tour, which was like a storytellers tour, and then there was like the plugged in side of things. So when we were rehearsing at S.I.R. in Nashville [around 2007] for ‘Anything And Everything’, which was acoustic, I went to the restroom and I’m in the restroom and somebody walked in and they were right next to the urinal next to me. This was a very large individual. It was like a tractor beam. I had to turn to my right and kind of look and it was [LED ZEPPELIN singer] Robert Plant. And so I did my business, washed my hands and left. Zach [Myers, SHINEDOWN guitarist] is coming down the hallway and I’m, like, ‘Dude, Robert Plant is in the bathroom.’ And he’s, like, ‘Shut up.'”

Brent continued: “What was funny about this also, too, is earlier in the day we came into S.I.R., and whoever was practicing next to us — ’cause all the rooms are soundproof. But if you go outside your room in the hallway, you could kind of hear what’s going on. So there no vocal going on — no one was singing — but they were playing bluegrass versions of LED ZEPPELIN songs. And this is when [Plant] was doing the work with Alison Krauss. And so I was, like, ‘Man, whoever is in there, those are LED ZEPPELIN songs. They’re just… They’re doing it in a bluegrass style.’ So it made sense that he was there. This was also the era of the flip phone. There was no iPhone yet or Androids or even Blackberries. So he comes out, and I never asked for photos with anyone. And he walks out. And when I say he is a large man, he is tall, man. He’s, like, six [feet] and] six [inches tall] or six [feet and] seven [inches]. He’s a big dude. He came out, and literally, as he walked out, I said, ‘Mr. Plant, could me and my friend get a picture with you?’ And without hesitation, he was, like, ‘Absolutely.’ He was the sweetest guy. And we talked for like a quick second, and then he went back into his room.”

Last month, SHINEDOWN completed the fall leg of “The Revolutions Live” tour with support from PAPA ROACH and SPIRITBOX as they continued to tour behind their hit album “Planet Zero”. The 25-date outing, co-produced by Live Nation and FPC Live, wrapped on October 20 in Denver.

The “Planet Zero” album features pop-rock anthem and No. 1 rock hit “Daylight”, which People called one of “the most powerful of pop-rock songs created to remind us that we are truly all in this together.” The band’s video for “Daylight”, set to the Amazon Original version of the song, is a love letter to their fans and shows the impact that the song’s message — that you are never alone — had during SHINEDOWN‘s sold-out “Planet Zero” world tour.

SHINEDOWN also released a music video for rock single “Dead Don’t Die”, a rousing declaration of survival and an anthem about the resilience of the human spirit after trying times.

“Planet Zero” boldly confronts the societal forces that perpetuate divisiveness while offering a restorative path forward through empathy and open conversation — ultimately serving as a reminder that it is our human connections that matter the most. The album debuted in the Top 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and the official U.K. albums chart, and at No. 1 on six other Billboard charts, including Top Album Sales, Rock, Hard Rock, and Alternative Albums.