Welcome back! I actually seem to remember your forum name from a while back, actually.
I've played both druids and shamans here (and a couple of shamans live, one of them currently) and you really can't go wrong with either class, if I read your emphasis on soloability correctly. Really just depends on what you want to do.
If you've never played a druid for solo (I had never gotten one past 25ish before p99) you ought to consider giving it a try. Classic before the dot nerf (which we are past here now) is arguably more fun because you could snare kite, but you can still do it....It just takes a bit longer because your dots take a dmg penalty if the mob is aggro moving. That said, you can still root rot, fear kite animals, quad kite, and charm kite animals. And ports are great. I've been playing live again with a friend so haven't really been playing here for the last few weeks, but I still pop on and hang out in EC and do ports, help newbies, etc with my druid every so often just to get my classic fix. And despite what people say, druids do fine in groups up to high levels. You bring a lot of utility to groups like snare, patch heals, tracking, sow, damage shield and you have evacs. If your group needs to relocate you give it that option with ports. Just be aware that your overall effectiveness is said to drop off around 55...Mine has been 45 forever so can't really say, but it sounds like you tend to stick to the lower levels tho so you may never have a problem with that. Also bear in mind when people day that they may be a different kind of player than you. It's worth noting that I get random /tells all the time from groups wanting me to join, though. And druids are one of the best power levelling classes for the low levels, probably the best for low levels actually, so if you ever want to help out friends, you can.
The Shaman is one of the alltime great classes in EQ and if you like to play support you probably can't make a better choice besides a cleric. Crazy buffs, the best slow in the game, dots, a pet, and you can make potions with alchemy if you so choose (although I think I read something recently about alchemy having some bugs here). Shamans are highly soloable with root rotting and, with levels and the right gear, slow tanking. They are kind of the opposite of druids in that they start kind of slow....I think they feel clunky from 1 to about 25, personally, but they get incrementally more powerful with level and are one of the premier classes during Velious. You will be highly desired by groups because of your buffs, slow, and backup healing, but you should be aware that the server has a high population of shamans. I never found this to be a problem with my shaman but I haven't played him in over a year so can't say now. But if you ever do have problems finding a group you can solo. I wouldn't think population would affect you too much unless you plan on finding a raiding guild later....Even then if you are good you will find your way where you need to be, I'm sure. The shaman also can make up half of some fantastic duos like with necros, mages and monks, especially, as well as rangers, even, and is great for many many trio combinations. Most people know that things just go better with a shaman around.
Something I forgot to mention is both classes root CC also.
It's just a matter of your playstyle and what you plan to do. Don't let the bard thing discourage you from playing your bard if that's what you enjoy. There is no bard problem, just an asshole problem and most players know this. If you really know how to play one in a group you will make a name for yourself and have no problems. Play what you want, really.
Good luck to you and welcome back.
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