Nashville rockers The Criticals kicked off the final day of the festival, and that was a shame, really. A kickoff festival appearance at any time is probably a great opportunity for any hopeful artist, but in this case, it meant that there weren’t that many early arrivals, and this is a band that’s got the songs and swagger to command larger stages. Front-man Parker Forbes brings some classic Jagger poses, and guitarists Cole Shugart (technically they’re a duo) and touring guitarist Augustus Carroll lit up the stage. The set was full of great originals, like “Treat Ya Better,” and a cover of Nine Inch Nails “Closer” added more variety to a band that can’t be accused of being repetitive. Looking forward to more from this group.
Borrowing from the band’s self-description, “Depending on the day of the week, Improvement Movement might be described as a loose amalgamation of Atlanta songsmiths, a hostile corporate takeover of your dad’s favorite band, or a generous waste of time.” For some bands, it’s worth looking them up.
Maybe it should be your dad’s favorite bands, as they cover a wide variety of styles including a welcome variety of jam instrumental detours. To my ears, Crosby, Stills & Nash with a Steely Dan mix? Maybe, but more. And, they’re local. Looking forward to more of this crew.
Stereophonics, all the way from Wales, hit the stage just as the temperatures were heating up… and there were no trees to hide under anywhere close to Piedmont Stage. Still, this band has been going steadily for 30 years, and singer Kelly Jone’s trademark scratchy-when-needed vocals remain just fine. The band leaned heavily into their early 2000’s work early with “Vegas Two Times” and “Have a Nice Day” and intermixing others among cuts from 2015’s Keep the Village Alive and “There’s Always Gonna Be Something” off their new album, Make ‘Em Laugh, Make ‘Em Cry, Make ‘Em Wait. “Mr. Writer” and “Dakota” highlighted the end of a great set.
At the Criminal Records stage, festival goers were facing the sun directly or densely packed under distant foliage to catch a glimpse of Murder By Death. The band has a typical rock lineup with the folksy additions of cello and violin, speaking more to a funeral rather than the fatal event that their band name suggests. Lyrically they seemed influenced by outlaw country – “I drink whiskey instead of water,” gothic writing – “This song is a romance story about ghosts,” and macabre humor – “Don’t miss twice when shaving with a knife,” the last thumping in a bouncy melancholic way like a gothic musical number.
If there was a murder weapon involved, it would be Adam Turla’s axe when he launches into a raging solo. Phenomenal.
Hailing from Glasgow, Franz Ferdinand took the Piedmont stage to a jazz tune and a roaring audience. Front-man Alex Kapranos encouraged the audience to clap along six times and sway their arms three times throughout the set. Like All-American Rejects and perhaps thematically for this year’s festival, Kapranos joked about taking a time machine back to 2004 where some might remember what it was like. Out of this time machine came their song “Take Me Out” with its tight beat, iconic guitar riffs and ascending vocals that the crowd was happy to sing along. The band introduced “Master Peace,” an English dance musician, to contribute to “Hooked” and keep the crowd hyped. The band closed with “This Fire,” where Kapranos changed the lyric “I’m out of control” to “Shaky Knees is out of control” and starting a chant to “burn this city.” Metaphorically.
Another blast from the even more distant past took the Peachtree stage with Minimoog and Prophet synthesizers, electronic drum kits, and chorused guitar effects. Devo got people dancing with “Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man)” to open their set. Even without their iconic red “energy domes,” the 80’s nerdy synth-pop was immediately recognizable. “Going Under” included throwback visuals of 80’s neon wire frame people running through a city. The red hats finally arrived for the opening notes of the band’s biggest hit, “Whip It!” which had the crowd reflexively singing along. The band had another outfit change and donned their yellow jumpsuits for the song “Uncontrollable Urge.” After a brief intermission to make the Devo corporate statement (and another outfit change backstage) the band closed with “Freedom of Choice” while donning leather smocks each with a letter of the band’s name. Overall, a great set of retro vibe served fresh for a sizable Shaky crowd.
Parenthetically, the “energy dome hats” were available for $200 at the Merch tent. Devo is touring into the fall, so whether it’s this or next year’s Halloween costume, it’s up to you.
Back on the Piedmont stage, “Weird Al” Yankovic began his 2000th live performance for the Shaky Knees throng. Dressed like Kurt Cobain and reenacting the music video for “Smells Like Nirvana,” a humorous rendition in both words and posturing. The back screen played a lengthy series of humorous short video clips from Al’s career while the group changed costumes, then they returned in Devo’s yellow jumpsuits, ironically imitating the band that preceded them with “Dare to Be Stupid.” After more vido clips, Al played songs at a DJ frequency changing every other minute as his grumpy looking assistant handed him props to change each song, such as a harmonica for a Bob Dylan parody and a jacket for the classic MJ tune “Eat It.” An intermission clip, available online, made a parody of the movie, Whiplash.
Weird Al then came onto stage wearing the clothes from his 2005 music video “White & Nerdy” to the loudest applause of the audience, followed by a theatrical take on “Amish Paradise.” To close the choreographed set, Weird Al donned a brown robe and sang “The Saga Begins” and “Yoda” with Atlanta’s Puddles Pity Party. In terms of general societal awareness, Weird Al can make a credible case for his career by the number of people able to sing along with each and every song, never mind that they’re someone else’s tunes.
Alabama Shakes was a draw. It’s hard to believe the band’s classic Sound & Color is ten years old, but it was a joy to see a band that had been on hiatus for six years before performing again late last year.
The band had a great sound, but Brittany Howard is the bomb, vocals or guitar. Closers “Don’t Wanna Fight” and “Gimme All your Love” were enough to make this appearance awesome. The 1-hour set felt indulgent.
Check the band’s wiki for an interesting history of the band’s origin.
Indie group Vampire Weekend brought their baroque-tinged rock to Shaky Knees with a giant curtain drop to reveal the band as they played “Ice Cream Piano.”
A cauldron of confused bats flew over the Piedmont stage which caused a brief pause.. vampire bats? “Unbelievers” followed, and the band hit a Middle Eastern groove on their song “Sympathy” which incorporated frequent stops and starts with baroque phrasing for fittingly spiritual lyrics, ending with explosive sounds coming from all instruments. Explosive instrumentals raised the energy for their 2008 hits “A-Punk” and “Oxford Comma.” The band closed with the strings-heavy song “Walcott” as the audience began shifting to the Peachtree stage to join thousands already in place for the final headliner of the show, Blink 182.
Fans anticipating Blink-182 had to wait for it as an announcer appeared on the video screens to introduce musicians that needed no introduction, displaying their faces on the screen and their record boxing-style, featuring their favorite numbers like… 69 and 13.
Blink-182 opened with “The Rock Show” and “First Date,” their two biggest hits from 2001 hooking the audience immediately. The band continues with their sophomoric (or nostalgic?) humor to amuse the audience between songs involving involving band members’ moms and genitalia, which might come across as old-man creepy for those not in the know.
When asked who was having a good time, the crowd let loose a massive roar, and then told them to stop as they were going to play the song “Stay Together for the Kids,” which was “Emo as fuck.” And heavy.
Travis Barker displayed impressive endurance playing 140 beats per minute throughout the set until “I Miss You” 3/4 through the set. A cover of “Hope” by SoCal surf punk band Descendents was a great surprise. They closed out the weekend with their anthems “What’s My Age Again?”, “All the Small Things” and their oldest hit “Dammit” which echoed their 2024 rendition at Lollapalooza with a mashup of Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club.
The audience left Shaky in an unhurried daze, with Earth, Wind and Fire’s “September” playing over the speakers. Some danced, perhaps the few that hadn’t walked 20 miles between stages over the weekend.
Overall, it was a great step forward for Shaky to move to Piedmont Park and whet the appetite for what 2026 will bring.
