Alright, let’s dive into the highlights from an unforgettable Saturday at Shaky Knees. The weather gods smiled upon Central Park, with an early drizzle giving way to afternoon sunshine.
Blondshell brought her breezy indie pop and Bully-esque rock to the Piedmont stage, captivating the crowd with her moody lyrics and rising star power. Even a temperamental mic cord couldn’t throw off her game, as she effortlessly rolled with the technical difficulties and delivered a set that solidified her status as an artist to watch.
Grace Cummings started off on the keys but quickly transitioned to guitar, unleashing her powerhouse vocals and raw emotional energy. Her bluesy, almost primal sound was on full display during tracks like “Everybody’s Somebody.”
Dexter & The Moonrocks came out swinging with their ’90s-influenced alt-rock sound, but it was their Coldplay cover that really ignited the crowd. Drummer and resident hype man Dave Grohl (okay, not the real one, but his enthusiastic doppelganger that kicked it off in an “I ❤️ Dave Grohl” shirt) leapt from behind the kit to lead the audience in a rollicking singalong of “Yellow” before jumping back to his kit and launching into a punk-fueled version that had everyone going wild.
Bad Nerves brought the punk rock fury to the Criminal Records stage, with a relentless energy that never let up. The crowd matched their intensity, with circle pits and crowd-surfers. Naturally, their friends Queens of the Stone Age were watching from the side stage.
Chicano Batman brought their unique Latin-infused, genre-spanning sound to the Piedmont stage as the sun finally broke through the clouds. The LA band grooved through an engaging set featuring new songs from their Notebook Fantasy album.
Royal Blood took the Peachtree stage doing what they do best, rocking the crowd while creating the biggest sound of the weekend by only two people.
By the time The Offspring took the Piedmont stage, the area was jammed packed and ready for some punk energy brought in the way of extreme nostalgia with songs you had only forgotten how much you loved them back in the day. The Offspring still have it.
One of the most buzzed about acts of the weekend was Girl in Red, who exceeded all expectations with her big league stage presence. At one point, she crowd-surfed while singing upside-down.
While Girl In Red was taking the Peachtree stage by storm, over on the Criminal Records stage was Palace who had their own strong crowd that enjoyed a set of moody, atmospheric indie pop with soaring guitars.
Hardest conflict of the weekend: Miike Snow v. Queens of the Stone Age.
Miike Snow sounded great. He had a pretty cool stage setup with a giant mixing board, lots of smoke and back lighting. For the Miike Snow diehards, this had to be a massive win to get them on the lineup.
And for Queens fans, it’s a bonus to see them again. QOTSA headlined this festival a few years back and are certified rock and roll stars. They did the same thing Arcade Fire did to the Piedmont stage the night prior, with their trademark desert rock swagger. The crowd was packed to the gills, hanging on every riff. The band brought a light show to match their electrifying sound.
Throwback of the weekend: Weezer closed out the night on the Peachtree stage, treating the audience to a career-spanning set of sing-along hits. Though some die-hard fans might have been hoping for a full Blue Album run, there was no denying the power of hearing thousands of voices united in belting out classics like “Buddy Holly,” “Say It Ain’t So,” and “Only in Dreams.” A confetti-cannon finale (albeit a bit underwhelming) capped off a memorable set from the alt-rock legends.
Sunday Funday, just 13 hours away.
- Check out our full SHAKY KNEES 2024: Day 1 photo galleries: here
- Check out our SHAKY KNEES 2024: Day 1 Review, Friday Edition: here
- Check out our full SHAKY KNEES 2024: Day 2 photo galleries: here
- Check out our full SHAKY KNEES 2024: Day 3 photo galleries: here
All photos by Mike Gerry
