Godsmack announce new ‘Live at Mohegan Sun’ album, out May 1, and massive 2026 Rise of Rock World Tour

Godsmack will release “Live at Mohegan Sun” on May 1, a high‑voltage live album captured during the band’s sold‑out October 26, 2024 performance at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Recorded during that emotional and explosive night, the album showcases Godsmack at their most powerful. From the opening strike of “Surrender” to the thunderous ovation after “I Stand Alone”—capturing Godsmack playing with precision, fire, and gratitude in front of a hometown‑adjacent New England crowd that matches their intensity at every turn. The “Live at Mohegan Sun” album, which arrives May 1 via Primary Wave, is available for pre‑order today HERE and is accompanied by the debut of the official “When Legends Rise” live single HERE  and video WATCH HERE.

Godsmack’s October 26, 2024 concert at Mohegan Sun Arena could have easily carried the weight of finality, marking the last performance featuring the classic lineup of vocalist‑guitarist Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin, following the decision by Rombola and Larkin to retire. After three decades, 20 million albums sold, 27 Top 10 singles, and 13 No. 1 hits, the night might have felt like an ending. Instead, it became a celebration—one captured in full force on “Live at Mohegan Sun”.

Frontman Sully Erna set the tone early in the night, telling the crowd, “You guys have no idea how special a show this is for you tonight. Are we ready to fucking party?! Are we ready to go faster, louder, harder?” That energy surges through the entire performance, where power‑grooving staples like “Awake” and “Cryin’ Like a Bitch!!,” soul‑baring ballads such as “Under Your Scars,” and modern favorites including “You and I” surge with the urgency and precision that have defined Godsmack’s live reputation since their 1998 multi‑platinum breakthrough. “I’ve cried several times watching this thing, but It’s a happy emotion, filled with a sense of accomplishment” Sully adds.

Though the Mohegan Sun show marked the end of an era, Erna emphasizes that it is not the end of Godsmack. “It was just closing one chapter and welcoming whatever the new version of our career may be,” Sully continues. That next chapter begins this spring as Godsmack launches the Rise of Rock World Tour 2026 with special guests Stone Temple Pilots and Dorothy. “I haven’t been this excited about a tour in a really long time, simply because the bands that we chose to take out with us are real rock bands that have real musicians that play real instruments,” Erna adds. “Between Godsmack and Stone Temple Pilots, it’s going to be a hit factory.“

Read the new letter penned by Sully Erna, out today HERE.

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Watch/share the live single and video for “When Legends Rise” from Godsmack’s new album “Live at Mohegan Sun” HERE.

The Rise of Rock World Tour kicks off May 10 in Bristow, VA, and storms through amphitheaters across North America, anchored by major festival appearances including Welcome to Rockville on May 7 in Daytona Beach, FL, WMMR’s MMRBQ on May 9 in Camden, NJ and Sonic Temple on May 17 in Columbus, OH. Godsmack will appear at major European festivals this summer, including Tallinn Rock Festival, Hills of Rock, Rockstadt Extreme Fest, Leyendas del Rock, Reload Festival, and Vagos Metal Fest.

On September 4, Godsmack return to the U.S. to headline the 20th anniversary of Rocklahoma over Labor Day weekend in Pryor, Oklahoma, before resuming the U.S. portion of the tour into the fall and beyond.

2026 marks a major milestone for Godsmack with the worldwide release of “Awake” (25th Anniversary Edition), celebrating the enduring impact of the album that propelled them into rock’s top tier and fueled everything from sports and gaming to film and television. The expanded edition—featuring bonus tracks including a new mix of “Why” and a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Sweet Leaf”—offers a rare glimpse into the band’s creative headspace during a pivotal era. “It’s definitely a different time in our lives,” says Sully Erna. “It’s when we changed our sound. It’s when we wrote ‘I Stand Alone.’ It was the last of us not knowing who we were. From that record forward, we started to figure it out.”

The Mohegan Sun performance also serves as a summation of everything that has made Godsmack one of hard rock’s most enduring forces. The set flows seamlessly through career‑defining moments, from the primal stomp of “Voodoo” to the explosive closer “Whatever.” Erna highlights “The Battle of the Drums”—a live spectacle perfected over decades—as one of the night’s most meaningful moments. “It’s an intricate piece,” he says. “Me and Shan have worked on it for decades and really perfected it into a spectacle.”

Available for pre‑order now in digital and physical formats including Double Vinyl, Blu-ray and CD, “Live at Mohegan Sun”—out May 1—stands as a powerful document of connection between band and audience. “The music is what dictates the career, and the music always comes first,” Erna says. “We’ve understood along the way that our music is bigger than who we are as individuals. I hope people can see the sincerity in what we do.” 

The pride and emotion of the night are unmistakable, especially in the final moments as the four musicians lock arms for a last bow. Backstage, as cameras follow the band into their dressing rooms and “Best of Times” plays, the sense of brotherhood and history is palpable. “Anyone who’s taken this ride with us will see that,” Erna says. “This last show was amazing. There was so much emotion in it.”

TRACKLISTING — GODSMACK: LIVE AT MOHEGAN SUN

Side A

Surrender

You and I

When Legends Rise

1000hp

Side B

Cryin’ Like A Bitch!!

Speak

Straight Out of Line

Awake

Side C

Keep Away

Voodoo

Battle of The Drums

Side D

Whatever

Under Your Scars

Bulletproof

I Stand Alone

GODSMACK — THE RISE OF ROCK WORLD TOUR 2026 DATES

• Thu May 7 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome to Rockville*†
• Sat May 9 – Camden, NJ – MMRBQ Festival – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
• Sun May 10 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
• Tue May 12 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
• Thu May 14 – Charlotte, NC – Truliant Amphitheater
• Sat May 16 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
• Sun May 17 – Columbus, OH – Sonic Temple*†
• Tue May 19 – Franklin, TN – FirstBank Amphitheater
• Thu May 21 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
• Sat May 23 – Huntsville, AL – Orion Amphitheater
• Sun May 24 – Orange Beach, AL – The Wharf Amphitheater
• Wed May 27 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
• Fri May 29 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
• Sat May 30 – Houston, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Sponsored by Huntsman
• Fri Jun 12 – Kansas City, MO – Morton Amphitheater
• Sun Jun 14 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
• Tue Jun 16 – Grand Rapids, MI – Acrisure Amphitheater
• Thu Jun 18 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
• Sat Jun 20 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
• Sun Jun 21 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
• Tue Jun 23 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake
• Wed Jun 24 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre
• Sat Jun 27 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
• Sun Jun 28 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
• Tue Jun 30 – Syracuse, NY – Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview
• Thu Jul 2 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
• Fri Jul 3 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater

Godsmack European Festival leg:

• Thu Jul 23 – Athens, Greece – Lycabettus Hill+*
• Sat Jul 25 – Plovid, Belgium – Hills of Rock Festival+*
• Sun Jul 26 – Belgrade, Serbia – Novi Hangar Luka Beograd+*
• Tue Jul 28 – Ghimbav, Romania – Rockstadt Extreme Fest+*
• Sat Aug 1 – Põhja-Tallinn, Estonia – Tallinn Rock Festival+*
• Thu Aug 6 – Villena, Spain – Leyendas del Rock+*
• Sat Aug 8 – Relvinha, Portugal – Vagos Metal Fest+*
• Sun Aug 9 – Madrid, Spain – Sala Riviera+*
• Tue Aug 11 – Barcelona, Spain – Razzmatazz+*
• Thu Aug 13 – Carhaix-Plouguer, France – Motocultor Festival+*
• TBA Aug – Sulingen, Germany – Reload Festival+*
• Sun Aug 16 – Eindhoven, Netherlands – Dynamo Meta Fest+*

U.S. 

• Sat Sep 4 – Pryor, OK – Rocklahoma*
• Sun Sep 6 – El Paso, TX – Speaking Rock Casino**†
• Mon Sep 7 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
• Wed Sep 9 – Denver, CO – JUNKYARD
• Fri Sep 11 – Las Vegas, NV – Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino**†
• Sat Sep 12 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre – KUPD UFest*
• Tue Sep 15 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
• Thu Sep 17 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
• Sat Sep 19 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
• Sun Sep 20 – Corning, CA – Rolling Hills Casino and Resort**†
• Tue Sep 22 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater
• Thu Sep 24 – Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre
• Sat Sep 26 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater – KQXR XFest*

* Festival Performance

** Dorothy Only

+ European Tour