Weezer closed Saturday on a tour celebrating their 30th anniversary of their eponymous debut album, and Rivers Cuomo could have revived his mullet for the spectacle, but apparently is happy to just be Weezer. Fans like Weezer. A lot.
The band opened with “My Name Is Jonas”, the first track from their debut album, and mostly stuck with their hits like “Pork and Beans”, “Beverly Hills”, and “Say It Ain’t So” which the crowd was happy to sing along to. The band closed with “Buddy Holly.” Weezer also played a down-tuned version of their heaviest song, “Hash Pipe” in a surprise transition. Otherwise, the band played songs from 2005 and earlier and seemed to focus on the songs that their audience enjoys the most.
Miike Snow can sell-out far larger stages, and Atlanta music lovers were happy to have him at Shaky Knees. The electro-pop band had the visual black/white aesthetics down pat to create a cool vibe, but they played their songs largely by the book. “Animals” and “Genghis Khan” seemed to be crowd favorites. The set included a new song, “I Was a Sailor,” which hopefully hits at a new album.
Rising Norwegian indie pop artist Marie Ulven brought a variety of styles with her to Shaky. Having quickly moved from bedroom-pop to more of an electronic dance-rock style, she exploded onto the stage in a whirl of dancing action. She had opened for the initial leg of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, and it’s easy to see that there’s more to her than “just” a super-star placement. In short, good lyrics, varying styles and an energetic performance are a winning combination. She also has captured the alt-audience for songs like “i want to be your girlfriend.”
The wait was over for many. SoCal punk legends, The Offspring, grabbed the Piedmont stage and never let go. The band has played Atlanta several times in recent years after a multi-year hiatus, and they still sound great. The band played basically all their major hits and threw in a cover of Ramone’s “Blitzkrieg Pop” just because they could. Definitely a Shaky programming win.
Sunny Day Real Estate reunited for the fourth time to tour the US this year and landed on the Ponce De Leon stage. 2024 is the 30th anniversary of their Diary album, known for being a landmark emo album, and the band played it start to finish.
Opening with songs “Seven” and “In Circles,” which are also two of their most well-known songs, the band was well received by a crowd that knew the lyrics and immediately got into the groove. The more acoustic and piano driven songs like “The Blankets Were The Stairs” and “Phuerton Skuerto” were particularly enjoyable.
White Stripes… The Black Keys… Royal Blood isn’t a copy or an apology to or for those bands (depending on whether you like them or not), but similar. In addition to pounding drums you get a fuzz bass played like a guitar. Big beat, rock music, baby! Great stage presence and a sound that fills a field of fans is what rock should be about. Great stuff.
Dead Poet Society was competing against Royal Blood with their blend of down-tuned djent guitars and dance-punk rhythms. The band joked, “You know Royal Blood is playing right now, right? What are you doing here?” Songs like “Running In Circles” and “.intoodeep.” had anthemic vocals and crushing guitars. The band also kept a tight beat and a heavy rhythm on “I hope you hate me.”
Chicano Batman played laid back funk and soul on the Piedmont stage and got the crowd moving. Frontman Eduardo Arenas danced around the stage and did antics like handstands to the music. The band laced their funk with psychedelic edge on songs like “Fly” and “Live Today” from their new album. The band closed with the danceable “Black Lipstick” that features a tight rhythm section and soulful lyrics.
Another heavy punk band from the UK, Bad Nerves took the same stage as their peers Tigercub at Criminal Records. Frontman Bobby Nerves joked about each song being high tempo, and jeered the sitting crowd on the nearby hill to participate by clapping. The band opened with “Don’t Stop,” and like the song’s name, the high tempo punk energy and mosh pit did not stop for the rest of the set, spurred on by fast songs like “You’ve Got The Nerve” and “Antidote.”
Shaky knew what was coming and had the pit crew to help the crowd surfers land on their feet.
Clad in a ski mask and long sleeve shirts in the humid heat, singer Ben Roter of NYC’s Quarters of Change brought danceable indie rock to the Ponce De Leon stage with a mix of songs bringing 90’s alt-rock hooks and crunchy guitar riffs. The band kept the crowd moving with songs like “Dead” and “Heaven Bound” while showing off their instrumental chops with a sterling guitar lead on “Kiwi.”
Tigercub started Saturday for an arriving crowd at the Criminal Record stage. The UK alt-rock band played a heavy set including songs like “Swoon” and “The Perfume of Decay” that got the mosh pit going. A fellow Englishman yelled “wanker” and front-man Jamie Stephen Hall got the crowd to chant the word to remind him of home. The band closed with “Play My Favourite Song”, a hard rock song that brings to mind Queens of the Stone Age.
Youth and infectious energy is a great thing, especially when applied to “emo math rock.” ? Whatever the label, this was a fun set from a band having fun, one that really defies expectations with their departures into odd signatures where most would just connect the dots of basic song structures. The band was soon to depart the road to go record an album, reminding the audience that they only had one T-shirt for sale at the merch tent, and it’s hard to see. “Ask for #21!” offered lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Christine Goodwyne. “Studio time is expensive!”
One can’t help but wonder if their name was one humorous degree of separation from Cool Kids. “No. We’re pool kids.”
With images of Columbia moving across the screen, Lido Pimienta patiently took the time to tell the story of each song before singing in Spanish, establishing a connection for those unable to translate. SHe largely played keyboards accompanied on keys by her “baby #2 daddy” drummer. This was a charming performance which is one of the benefits of a festival experience.
French organic farmers concerned about global warming play hard-hitting rock and roll. Missed them the last time they played Shaky, but not this time! They had just arrived to begin another U.S. tour.
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Some really good shots here!