Shinedown Provide Survival Tips for Carnival of Madness Tour

The curtain drops on the Carnival of Madness July 16. The moving festival features Shinedown, Chevelle, Sevendust, Puddle of Mudd and 10 Years. While summer and outdoor concerts go hand in hand, it always seems like bands -- and fans -- get a little sidelined by the heat. No worry. Noisecreep has you covered with some survival tips...straight from Shinedown!

"Pace yourself!" warns Shinedown guitarist Zach Myers. "Don't drink five beers as soon as you get in the amphitheater, [and] don't wear all black either. I get the rock show cliché and it's cool and all, but what's not cool is passing out."

Myers should know. He's played his fair share of shows in the heat. None more hotter than in the summer of 2008. "I think [Shinedown bassist] Eric [Bass] and I are in agreement that Oklahoma City in 2008 with Stone Temple Pilots was the worst," Myers explains. "We went on right when the sun was dead-on in front of the stage: easily a 112 degree heat index! In the middle of August! Brutal. After the show, I believe it was a goal to try not to pass out. And we're playing the same venue this August on 'Carnival.' Whoever goes on at 6 PM is in trouble!"

While most moving festivals operate as a standard tour with bands playing the same set night after night, Myers says that won't be the case for Shinedown on Carnival of Madness. In fact, the band will have three different set lists that will rotate all during the festival.

For fans tight on dough but shopping for a fun concert experience, Myers thinks Carnival of Madness -- along with other festivals -- is an economical idea. "Who wouldn't wanna pay nearly the same price [per ticket] and get to see four or five or even 30 good bands in one day? I'm such a huge fan of music that when we're on a festival, you don't see me the whole day backstage, 'cause I'm watching all the bands!"

Tickets for Carnival of Madness are on sale now. The festival starts July 16 in Jacksonville, Fla.