Tag Archive for: shaky knees

SHAKY KNEES 2025 DAY 2: MESS AROUND

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 9/21/25

Photo: Roger Ho, Shaky Knees

With day 2 in the Shaky Knees book, yesterday was a whirl wind of bands and music. We call it the mess around, a nod to my favorite Cage the Elephant Song. We saw as many bands as we could from Radio City Alice to kick it off to Public Enemy to end the night. Here are some of our thoughts on them.

Starting with Radio Free Alice, they had a solid sound and vocals and were impressed with them for such young men. Next, we joined our friends to watch Johnny Marr. I should know who he is as he is the guitarist from the Smiths, but I had no idea until my writer and photographer friend, Reece told me, so I had to go. They didn’t disappoint playing greats like my favorite of theirs, How is Soon Now? and The Charming Man. Morrisey who?

We walked over to Highly Suspect but it was more a chat fest for our group. We agreed they were like a folky Cage the Elephant. Returning back to the Peachtree stage, we caught TV On the Radio. I have always wanted to see Wolf Like Me live since falling in love with the cover by Local H. They turned me on to the song.

Now on to Cage the Elephant, the best show of the day. I have so many stories about their music, like my niece, Katherine, was a huge fan in her teens and I took her to their concert as her birthday present and really enjoyed it. Shultz is so animated and seems to really enjoy his own music. When we covered Shaky back in 2016 at Centennial Park, the group was in the media room doing interviews, so we listened in and caught the show there and were impressed. This one was just as good, maybe better. We were on the hill, and the light show and pyrotechnics were fun, the energy high. They played all of their hits from my favorite Mess Around to Trouble, their first hit Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked, and ending with Cigarette Dreams.

We ended our night seeing a few songs from The Black Keys and heard the iconic Lonely Boy to open. But we really wanted to catch Public Enemy because we love old school rap. They are so engaging, really talk to the crowd, and want the crowd to be in it. They actually have new music that was good!! It was a nice reprieve from all the rock we’d heard all day and a great way to end the night.

I know, we didn’t stay for My Chemical Romance. I liked their first album but was disappointed in a concert I saw before the pandemic. To be honest, I was just so tired by then, I hit a wall.

Pro tip: bring a flashlight!

SHAKY KNEES 2025 DAY 1: MONKEYS GONE TO HEAVEN

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 9/20/25

Photo: Ismael Quintanilla III, Shaky Knees

John and I boarded Marta and took the train down to Piedmont Park for day one of Shaky Knees 2025. For us, today was about getting acquainted with the new venue, perusing all the fun activations, deciding on what merch to purchase, and of course catching all the great bands performing on my birthday! I thank them for making my birthday an epic one.

First, my favorite thing all day, was what I call “large Ozzy.” A larger-than-life Ozzy costume with a huge bat with whom I had some fun interactions. He was walking around near the media tent and food row and tried to “bite my head off.” It was hilarious. It is a great tribute to the late rocker. The coolest activation we found is the two-story Patron Tequila bar. It looks like a real bar and restaurant with lounge seating upstairs and DJ’s spinning every hour. They even have their own DJ line-up you can enjoy. I’m definitely going to spend some time there today upstairs during the day. We also ran into our friend, Steve Craig, DJ at 99x and had a great chat about Inhaler that they were going to interview that day. I didn’t know Elijah Hewson; the lead singer is Bono’s son. Yes, that Bono. I wish we had made it to their show now.

We made our way to the Piedmont stage to check out Idles first. I was really impressed with their sound; it really is a throwback to punk of old with a mix of grunge, rock elements, and a strong bold voice. I don’t know if this is what they were going for, but it was like Rage Against the Machine with a mix of Dead Kennedys, Henry Rollins, and then a grunge influence. I am not a huge Rage fan but love Dead Kennedys and grunge, so I enjoyed the performance. But what I really like is his voice. It is bold, deep, and commanding.

What who we really went to see were Pixies and Deftones. Starting with Pixies, I first discovered them in 1999 from the Fight Club soundtrack. Where is My Mind was an anthem to the times and still rings true today, so immediately I was hooked. This performance was just as good as all the ones I’ve seen before, with Doolittle and crew singing everything from poppy, surfer rock, Here Comes Your Man to grungy Gouge Away to one of my favorites, Monkeys Gone to Heaven. Fitting that the T-shirt they were selling for this tour is a monkey with a halo in clouds. I had to have it.

This leads me to the headliner of the night, Deftones. We literally just saw them about 4 months or so ago at State Farm Arena where they filled an entire arena with fans. They have seemed to have a resurgence in popularity lately and we are here for it! What strikes me every time with Deftones is their use of light and video in tandem with the Chino’s melonic voice. Their performance is always spot on and they know how to keep a crowd engaged sticking mostly with the hits. Deftones performed several of my favorites including Quiet and Drive (Far Away) to start then proceeding with My Own Summer that launched their career, Knife Party, then slowing it down a little with Diamond Eyes and Digital Bath. The hits kept coming with some of their new album, that is absolutely amazing, but nothing is better live than Change (In the House of Flies). The sun rising behind Chino is just chilling and beautiful. Deftones stock has risen! Now, how do I get them to play my favorite of their songs, Passenger from White Pony.

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, BLINK-182, DEFTONES TO HEADLINE SHAKY KNEES 2025

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 4/15/25

LINEUP INCLUDES VAMPIRE WEEKEND, LENNY KRAVITZ,
CAGE THE ELEPHANT, ALABAMA SHAKES, THE BLACK KEYS,
SUBLIME, “WEIRD AL” YANKOVIC, THE MARIAS, PUBLIC ENEMY,
LUCY DACUS, DEVO AND MANY MORE

SEPTEMBER 19-21, 2025

PIEDMONT PARK

ATLANTA, GA

PRESALE BEGINS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27 AT 10AM ET

 My Chemical Romance, Blink-182 and Deftones will headline the 12th edition of Shaky Knees Music Festival, taking place September 19-21 at its new home in downtown Atlanta’s crown jewel, Piedmont Park. The massive lineup includes Vampire Weekend, Lenny Kravitz, returning for his first performance in Atlanta in nearly seven years, Cage The Elephant, Alabama Shakes, The Black Keys, Sublime, “Weird Al” Yankovic, The Marias, Public Enemy, Lucy Dacus, Devo, Pixies, The Backseat Lovers, TV On The Radio, The All-American Rejects, Idles and many more for over 50 performances across four stages. Fans can sign up now at ShakyKneesFestival.com to receive an SMS access code for the presale on Thursday, February 27 at 10am ET with access to the lowest-priced tickets. 1-Day and 3-Day GA, GA+, VIP, and Platinum Tickets will be available.

VIP Tickets include access to prime viewing areas at Peachtree, Piedmont and Ponce de Leon Stages, unlimited access to the VIP Lounge between Peachtree and Piedmont Stages with shade, relaxed seating, air-conditioned restrooms, private bar with drinks for purchase or complimentary beer and water, dedicated food vendors, lockers and mobile charging units available for rent, dedicated hospitality staff and more. Platinum Tickets provide all VIP amenities, plus exclusive on-stage viewing opportunities at Peachtree Stage, front-of-stage viewing areas at Peachtree, Piedmont and Ponce de Leon Stages, unlimited entry into the air-conditioned Platinum Lounge inside the Park Tavern restaurant with relaxed seating and TVs with live sports, complimentary full-service bar, coffee service and fest-curated lunch, dinner and snacks, daily acoustic performance by a Shaky Knees artist inside the Platinum Lounge, dedicated entry lane and concierge staff, and more. The Ultimate Ticket Package is an exclusive experience that will bring fans into the inner workings of the festival from a unique vantage point, including on-stage viewing and access to viewing at front-of-house sound board at Peachtree and Piedmont Stages, golf cart transportation, entry into the Artist Village with complimentary beverages, plus one ticket per person to an Official Shaky Knees Late-Night Show of your choice. For the full list of amenities and all ticket types, visit ShakyKneesFestival.com/Tickets. Layaway plans are available starting at $25 down for a limited time.

Sign up for official Shaky Knees SMS and email lists to be the first to receive new information and follow along on social media to stay in the loop for all festival announcements and updates.

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SHAKY KNEES 2024 DAY 3 – THE DOWNPOUR

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 5/6/24

If you have never seen a rock show in the rain, you’re missing out. Today was all about one of John’s favorite bands, Dinosaur Jr.  

First off, we caught a newer band we had not heard of until the festival, Arcy Drive. They are out of New York with a mash-up of varieties of sounds like indie, 90s fast slow, two-step, and singsong talking and singing mix. Not all at the same time, for example one song would be songs that are softer almost ballad-like that erupt into heavy guitar for the chorus. Then, the next song would be a rock song with more of a southern twang and have some two-step influence. I enjoyed lead singer Nick Mateyunas’ voice, it is smooth yet gritty. The one we really like is called Wicked Styley, which is the one they started with. It is a fun upbeat rock song with lots of 90’s influence and reverb. 

The Downpour. About 5 minutes before Dinosaur Jr. went on the Ponce De Leon stage, the skies opened up and a torrential downpour started and lasted for almost the entire set. People were caught in the rain, and it was so much that even us with ponchos got pretty soaked. Especially our feet in ankle deep water near the front of the stage flowing into the crowd. No one seemed to mind too much and it actually electrified the audience. John quipped at one point, “it’s like we’re back in the 90’s.” And he was right, the energy from the crowd was noticeably high! They even broke out into mosh pits and a sea of crowd surfers dotted the front. It was a sight to behold! Plus, the music had a lot to do with the mood! If you don’t know Dinosaur Jr, they are what I call hard skate rock. Something I imagine skaters on their boards would listen to in their ear buds. Songs like Feel the Pain and Over It are melodious with heavy guitar and just plain fun. Plus, the covered The Cure, “Just Like Heaven.” It was a great show. 

After our Dinosaur Jr. experience, we headed back over to see Billy Idol and found the main stage to be a mud bog. People without shoes dancing in the sprinkles, drenched friends with smiles on their faces. We saw him back in 2015 during Music Midtown and his show has always been top notch! Billy Idol is always a good time singing greats like White Wedding, Rebel Yell, and Cradle of Love that anyone will sing and dance with. Visually, he had some fun LED graphics and seems to have not aged a bit and still sounds really good live! He even took his Billy Idol shirt off and threw it in the crowd.  

I’m just going to come right out and say it, we left before Foo Fighters. We’d seen them before, and the weather had made the main stage too muddy. Plus, we had stood in ankle high water for an hour, so our feet were wet, and we had a long weekend. We will catch them next time.  

Did you have a favorite Shaky moment? 

SHAKY KNEES 2024 DAY 2

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 5/5/24

Photo Dusana Risovic

With bands like Sunny Day Real Estate, Offspring, Queens of the Stone Age, and one of my favorites of all time Weezer. Day 2 had it all. Here’s a short recap. 

Starting with the newer bands, we heard both Microwave and Dead Poets Society. Microwave is out of Atlanta, which I didn’t know, and has a variety of sounds from loud, hard rock to 90’s fast slow, and then some punk. The other was Dead Poet’s Society out of Boston that had hard riffs that reminded me of Rob/White Zombie up front, thrash, but then the vocals come in softer and higher for a fun mix of sounds. I like that Jack Underkofler, the lead singer, fell into the crowd and crowd surfed while singing one of the first songs.  

On to the 90’s bands we love, first we actually had to miss Offspring because we had never seen Sunny Day Real Estate and we’re going to spend time with a band that we hadn’t seen. We love Offspring, I saw them back in 1994 and heard they did an incredible show. That brings us to Sunny Day Real Estate. They are one of those 90’s bands that I just got introduced to by a friend a few years ago and we started watching their videos on YouTube. I call them the quintessential fast slow early 90’s band. Melodious verses and vocals erupt into a barrage of heavy guitar and pounding drums, Sunny Day Real Estate satisfies song after song. Tour t-shirt purchased! More to come in our review. 

Have you ever found yourself driving too fast on the interstate? You might have been listening to Queens of the Stone Age. What I call fast driving music, Queens of the Stone Age are very drum forward with deep and heavy beats, beautiful guitar riffs and Josh Homme’s great voice. Plus, they visually never disappoint, this year with roaming light show. Last time we saw them they had a large video board with led visuals that really went well with the music. Did you know Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) also did the drums on “No One Knows?” which you can tell by the drums! But my favorite of their songs after last night is “Go with the flow.” I always liked it but realized it is more diverse musically than some of the others.  

My boyfriend back in 1994 gave me a non-descript bright blue album as a present. Little did I know that that album would be in my top 5 all-time records, and Weezer would cement themselves into rock god status in my life. I’ve seen Weezer over the years from them playing large festivals to arenas to a small stage at the Braves stadium and they always sound perfect. What I call garage or college rock, Weezer has a distinct sound that no one else can create and that sets them apart from some of the other 90’s bands, don’t get me wrong, I love most early 90’s bands! The underlying hum of the guitars, explosions of rock juxtaposing the smoothness or River’s voice, it all comes together completely. What I love about them live is they really play up the guitar and show their musical prowess, plus, visually, they always have their W front and center. If you’ve never seen them live, you must; it is an experience.  

We didn’t make it to liquid death’s activation, it is on our to do list for today. We’re excited about Dinosaur Jr, Billy Idol, and Foo Fighters today. It’s going to be hot, so wear sunscreen and drink plenty of water. 

SHAKY KNEES 2024 DAY 1

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 5/4/24

Photo by Roger Ho.

With acts like Weezer and Foo Fighters, this year’s Shaky Knees spoke to my Gen X heart. Here’s our day one recap with our favorite new bands, artist moments, and everything in between.

Something we’re highlighting this Shaky Knees beyond the stout 90’s band line-up are the new bands that we catch. The first one is Ax and the Hatchetmen, a young indie 7-piece out of Chicago with tons of energetic big band, funky, rocky, and beachy all rolled into one fun time. A great show! They had a wonderful artist moment, handing out water with a QR code to their newest song, “Flagstaff” that they performed live and came out yesterday! Another band that we hadn’t seen is and enjoyed is Late Night Drive Home out of Texas. The lead singer, Andre Patillo, came out with a red mak on that had frills at the bottom. They’re a blend of punk, rock, 90s with swelling choruses. We loved they sang Blur, “Song No. 2.”

Our favorite of the bands we know is Metric out of Canada. A band that played on 99x back in the day, and that I know probably 5 songs from was thoroughly enjoyable. Emily Haines, the lead singer, came out in a bright red shinny body suit. If you know Metric, they are heavy into electronic and keyboard, yet rock and 80s infused. Reminiscent of Garbage to me, “Help I’m Alive,” was the highlight for me. I hadn’t heard it live and it was my favorite of their music then and now.

We also caught Interpol and Arcade Fire, two bands I had not seen live. Arcade Fire puts on a spectacle of a show with tons of light and movement, and loved the horizon and sunset/sunrise visuals of the performance. Interpol had black and white on the big screens, they’re very controled yet upbeat rock and smooth lyrics all encased in a European rock sound.

It wouldn’t be a large music festival without festival polls, our favorite was the blown up stick of butter. Plus, we were blown away by the Doordash food court with some great Atlanta and regional restaurants like Hattie Bs. Today we are going to explore the most elaborate activation I’ve ever seen, Liquid Death. We will report back.

Who is ready for day 2? John and I are super excited for Sunny Day Real Estate today! We hope the Thunderstorms stay away.

This is just a snapshot of day 1. A full article and review of bands to come.