Crowded second day delivers on promise of up-and-comers, established acts alike
By John Flannagan, Rusty Odom and Matt Rankin
Upon arrival on Saturday, it seemed almost as if most of the festival attendees were there for Friday’s slate of music instead. Crowds lined up early in the morning hours to get into the gates, with many individuals sporting The Killers and Greta Van Fleet merch. As a result, there was a small but dedicated number of main-stage campers who opted to forgo the artists on the other stages and stake their claims to a prime spot for the last two acts of the day. Still, the rest of the festival was noticeably busier than the previous day, and we wondered if Saturday would garner the same attendance. The lines didn’t hit as early and their sprawl wasn’t as large, but by midday, it was obvious that people weren’t just there for Friday. This was perhaps most evident during 311, which owned one of the largest crowds in Piedmont Stage history. The previous winner for most-packed show at this stage (as far as we know) was held by Tenacious D in 2018. As a result, we didn’t even try to catch Jack Black and Kyle Gass this go-round because they were set to take the same stage after 311.
Instead we made the trek to the new Ponce de Leon Stage to catch Phantogram. Big Boi made a guest appearance with Killer Mike the day before, and rumors ran rampant that he would do the same with Phantogram. The two released an album together as Big Grams in 2015 and toured to support the project. It had been quite some time since they had hit a stage together, but with less than 10 minutes left in the set, Phantogram’s Sarah Barthel made note of where she was, and since it was Big Boi’s hometown, they needed to have some help with a couple of songs. For the second night in a row, Big strolled across the stage as only he does, and the trio burst into two Big Grams tracks to complete an already-excellent set. Hip-hop is here to stay at Shaky Knees, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see Big Boi have a slot of his own in the near future. The possibility for guests on that one would be interesting, to say the least.
Here’s the rest of what we dug on a day that caught us a bit off guard, in a good way. – Rusty Odom
Shame
The new version of the Ponce de Leon Stage quickly won me over. Not only is the layout perfect, but the sound has matched the larger scale. It helps that I’ve seen some of the best sets Shaky Knees has had to offer over the past two days, with groups like Digable Planets, Placebo and Cypress Hill playing on the first day alone.
Day two was much the same, as we began our musical odyssey with hard-rockers Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol and then Shame. The latter group wasted little time getting the party started, beginning with “Fingers of Steel” before ripping through a 12-song set. Shaky Knees was the first stop on a month-long U.S. tour and just the second time the group has performed in Atlanta.
Shame’s sound and energy were reminiscent of Idles, and the band had the mosh pit stirring early, with the festival-famous “pink cowboy hat guy” bouncing around tirelessly. Lead singer Charlie Steen got the crowd to join him in a chant against the newly minted King Charles toward the end of the tone-setting set, which ended with a blistering version of “Snow Day” that dispersed the riled-up masses out to continue their day basked in the glow of both the music and the early afternoon sun. – John Flannagan
Heartless Bastards
Ever since forming in Dayton, Ohio, in 2003, Erika Wennerstrom’s five-piece troupe has been steadily reliable, releasing six quality albums and performing high-profile gigs like Austin City Limits television series and George Fest, a celebration of George Harrison’s music back in 2014.
On Saturday afternoon, however, Wennerstrom and company played the perfect set for the time of day at Criminal Records, featuring songs culled mostly from the 2021 effort “A Beautiful Life.” I’ve always felt Heartless Bastards are a great festival draw, and based on the size of the crowd – maybe the most packed that stage has been all weekend – that point was proved. The band displayed its adept ability to flow between traditional-sounding indie rock, gentle psych and country rock, building tracks from a simmer to a boil, which made for a wonderful show among the trees. – JF
Joey Valence and Brae
Joey Valence and Brae are young and fun and everything a party band should be. On record, it’s easy to find a connection to Rage Against the Machine, but onstage, it comes across way more like Beastie Boys. Now, I understand these are big important words I’m using here, so I’ll say it in a different way. These guys are Lord T & Eloise doing the Memphis radio guy’s Masters update. They are the human form of jalapeño corndogs. But I LOVE jalapeño corndogs. I’ve had one both days so far, and so has our esteemed and normally highbrow editor Matt Rankin. In fact, it’s the only food we’ve purchased inside the gates. Sometimes people just want to have fun.
Anyway, these guys have all the tools, their crowd work is far beyond their years, the songs are well-made and they can flow. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this pair rise up festival posters in the near future. – RO
The Mars Volta
Admittedly, I didn’t know too much about The Mars Volta going into the band’s Saturday afternoon show at Peachtree, although I was fairly familiar with its predecessor At The Drive-In. Being that it was one of those rare acts that I’ve yet to see, BLANK publisher Rusty Odom convinced me that we should check it out, as we likely would have ample opportunities to catch the band playing opposite at that same time at future shows/festivals.
When the boss is right, he’s right, and we were rewarded for our decision from the get-go, as The Mars Volta put on a clinic of progressive rock, stretching out its first two songs to nearly 25 minutes. Frontman Cedric Bixler-Zavala didn’t waste much time interacting with the crowd, keeping the banter to a minimum and saving his voice for the important stuff of belting out line after line.
The set started with drummer Linda-Philomene Tsoungul performing an insanely raucous drum solo to “Roulette Dares,” which was an impressive way to start. From there, each member showcased their skills, though none more so than lead ax-handler Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, whose riffs and solos were truly jaw-dropping at times.
The Mars Volta may be an acquired taste for some, as its timing and grooves are a bit hard to catch up with at first, but the instrumentation is rivaled by few, which is usually the case with most prog-type acts. It’s the kind of band that could fit just fine into the lineup at a festival like Big Ears; the improvised jamming over choreographed, off-timed backbeats would do nicely among the myriad jazz offerings the Knoxville fest offers.
For those of us grateful folks who witnessed The Mars Volta’s stunning twilight set on Saturday, we can agree that it will go down as a favorite moment, one that even the late great Frank Zappa would be proud of. – JF
Soccer Mommy
Sophie Allison’s contemplative lyrics and patient vocal delivery are the driving forces behind this project, but the magnificent groove – replete with indelible hooks and an impressive wall of sound – that she and her bandmates were able to summon Saturday evening at the Criminal Records Stage was dynamic and undeniable. Allison was shy with her banter, acknowledging her association with and admiration of the festival but offering little else in between songs. However, both the musicianship and the music itself spoke volumes.
The opposition – The Mars Volta on the main Peachtree Stage – was tough, but the festivalgoers at Soccer Mommy were clearly secure where they were and focused their rapt attentions solely upon the band performing before them. Perhaps sensing the players’ measured restraint, collectively they constituted – by a significant margin – the most chill aggregation of fans at any show I’ve attended thus far this weekend. Even the selections that ended with psychedelic, phaser-drenched denouements elicited mainly just appreciative, knowing nods of approval and a smattering of heartfelt applause. – Matt Rankin
Muse
In order to avoid being a prisoner of the moment, I waited until Sunday morning before ultimately deciding that, yes, this was the single greatest show I have ever seen.
I should have prefaced that statement by acknowledging that I’m about as unfamiliar with Muse’s catalog as one can be and that the only other occasion I have seen the group perform live was a disastrous engagement way back in the year 2000 in which it was serving as the opener on a tour by Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters. That set at Thompson-Boling Arena was plagued with sound issues that eventually resulted in the band storming/being booed offstage, so suffice it to say that my expectations going into this headlining gig at Peachtree were fairly low.
It’s healthy to be wrong about things sometimes, and I will freely admit to being mistaken about Muse’s capabilities. In terms of overall scope – stage, lighting, sound, pyrotechnics etc. – not many acts can hold a candle to what Matt Bellamy and company bring to the table. And all those elements combined made for a stunning spectacle, the sheer grandiosity of which was unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed.
And while I still may not the biggest fan of the music, I definitely gained an appreciation for it last night. Presented in the manner it was, just about anything probably would have sounded great. But the band has the songwriting acumen and the chops to deliver on its grand ambitions, and both were on full display Saturday night. It was next-level stuff that would seem to indicate that Shaky Knees has made the step up to a higher echelon of festivals. – MR
Shaky Knees celebrates first day of 10th festival in style with sellout
