Atlanta’s biggest festival was back and better than ever! Shaky Knees celebrated its 12th year in beautiful Piedmont Park, located in downtown Atlanta. The lineup was stacked with local bands, fan-favorites, and can’t-miss sets. The 3-day general admission tickets sold out quickly, along with the Friday tickets. I’ve attended this festival three times, and this year was the strongest, not only with the selection of bands, but with the amount of space at Piedmont Park and even food options.

Friday

The Festival opened at 4 pm, with security allowing fans to fill in earlier than expected. There were three main entrances, and I ended up going through the main one. The weather was warm, but the vibes were already there. Lambrini Girls opened up the festival at the Ponce De Leon stage. They were incredible! They set the energy for the whole weekend and were the perfect start. If you’re not familiar with Lambrini Girls, they’re a punk band based in the UK. They’re very anti-establishment, and this was reflected in their set as they mentioned US current affairs. One of the highlights from the set was lead singer Flora Kimberly crowd-surfing and finding someone’s ID.

After their set ended, I found my way to the main festival area in the middle of Piedmont Park. This area had two stages in a V-shape on the green. Sublime performed on the main stage, Peachtree. I was intrigued to see the band, but it wasn’t one of the main reasons I attended. However, I was deeply impressed with Rome. We rarely see musicians’ kids perform with their parents' band. This felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it was amazing to see. Rome sounded just like his dad and had great energy with the crowd. He also gave a shoutout to IDLES, who were performing after Sublime.

Speaking of IDLES, they were once again fantastic live! If you’ve never seen them live, this is your sign to change that! This was my second time seeing the band live and at Shaky Knees. I preferred this show better than the last time I saw them. They were playing at a smaller stage last time, so it felt stuffy, especially for the number of people. This year, IDLES were out in the open, and the pit could be open. I loved the shoutout to ATL things, including Hattie B’s. The band was incredible, and the crowd was loving it. The next band I saw felt a bit like the complete opposite of IDLES, which goes to show the variety the festival had. Joey Valance & Brae played at the Criminal Records stage across the park. It was a smaller stage with no screens, but the vibes were there. Joey Valance & Brae are like a modern Beastie Boys meets rave. Their songs are full of cultural references, great beats, and witty rhymes. Their set was plain old fun. There were chill songs, rave vibes, and dancing all around.

The second-to-last set I watched was Pixies. I grew up listening to the Pixies, so I knew this would be a special set to see. I knew the band members were older, but if you closed your eyes, you would have no idea. The vocals, instruments, and sound were perfect. The band didn’t interact with the crowd, but everyone was excited for the music. The night ended with Deftones, whom I’m not really familiar with. Their effects were really cool, and the music sounded great. It wasn’t my favorite band, but they were definitely worth checking out.

Saturday

Saturday was when the festival was open the longest. I started the day seeing Girl Tones at the Ponce stage. I had seen them last year when they opened for Cage the Elephant, and they were even better than I remembered. They had great energy and hyped the crowd for the day. If you like rock music, definitely check them out. Next, I walked over to see Soft Play, who were playing on the other side of the park. They had a real System of a Down vibe. They’re punk rock and only played with a guitar and drums. I loved how scrappy and raw Soft Play’s set was.

In the afternoon before lunch, I got to see another great UK band, Fat Dog. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it wasn’t both a DJ and a saxophone on the same stage. They were like rock meets rave. It was an amazing set and I’m glad I went and saw them. I grabbed some lunch and headed over to see Hey, Nothing at the recommendation of a friend. I loved their singer/songwriter vibe. They had a great time with the crowd, and it was chill enough to eat lunch to. After lunch, I headed to see The Beaches. This was another band I was unfamiliar with. The all-girl band won me over easily with their breakup songs and banter. I fell in love with lead singer Jordan Mills’ vocals. They were really fun to see in person.

I need to pre-emptively apologize for what I’m about to say, so just know I do feel bad. I didn’t realize Johnny Marr was in The Smiths. I know I should’ve known better. I will never forget this fact after seeing Johnny Marr live. Imagine my surprise listening to him perform, and everyone starts singing “Please, Please Please, Let Me Get What I Want”. This set did alter my brain chemistry in the best way and it wouldn’t be the last time that happened on Saturday. After hearing The Smiths, I headed to see one of my favorite bands, The Linda Lindas. Originally, Mannequin Pussy was supposed to take this slot, but they dropped out. The Linda Lindas absolutely crushed it! They brought the energy, fun, and put on an incredible performance. This is one band you need to see live. After another break for some dinner, I saw/heard CMAT’s performance. I was mostly in line while she was performing, but from what I heard, she was great. I knew two of her songs and got to sing along to those.

Now we’re into the heavy-hitters of the evening, and Shaky Knees did not mess around with their Saturday evening lineup. All-American Rejects started it off just before sunset. The crowd was ginormous! I was on a hill just to be able to see the band play. At one point, lead singer Tyson Ritter got emotional over how big the crowd was. There were several highlights with their set, including an inflatable giraffe finding its way back home. The biggest highlight for me was hearing a huge crowd sing along to “Gives You Hell”. The band also talked a little about their experience of recording their first album in Atlanta, which made the set that much sweeter. I made my way back to the Peachtree stage to watch Cage the Elephant. As I mentioned before, I saw them last year in August. In fact, the lead singer, Matt Schultz, broke his foot at said concert last year. It was great to see him hopping, running, and in general doing stunts on stage like normal. He made sure to mention the story to everyone else. They sounded great live, as per usual.

Things got interesting in the last two sets of the night. The Black Keys kicked it off at the Piedmont stage just opposite the main Peachtree stage. The band was really good; however, the sound mixing was off. I enjoyed their set, and they even had Johnny Marr come out and play one of their songs. As they were closing up, the Peachtree stage was getting ready for My Chemical Romance. MCR walked out while The Black Keys were finishing up with “Fever”. I was so anxious during that two-minute interlude of both bands being on at the same time. The Black Keys did wrap on time, but it was a close call. My Chemical Romance was the perfect choice to end Saturday. This was the last stop on their 2025 tour. I loved how they created an entire narrative for their concert. Some other fans around me were confused, but I absolutely loved it. The band was everything you’d want them to be and more. The whole of The Black Parade live felt like another once-in-a-lifetime show. Even for a slightly shorter slot at the festival, they were able to share a cohesive version of the narrative. It truly did feel like it was not just a phase, and some part of me will be emo forever.

Sunday

Sunday things got started a little later. Everyone is feeling more sore, and the lack of sleep is catching up. I started the day with The Criticals, who really brought the rock/indie sound. I didn’t hear too much of their set, but I liked what I did hear. I wanted to get a good spot for English Teacher, so I stayed around to listen to Teen Mortgage, who were another punk band based in the UK. You know their set was good when the pit was kicking up a dust storm. Shaky Knees definitely had a big range of music; I just happened to see a lot of punk bands. English Teacher felt like a different vibe than Teen Mortgage. I have been dying to see English Teacher and was ecstatic when they announced they would be at the festival. They were so good live! This stage had some mixing issues with the bass being turned up way too loud for the band. Beyond that, their set was perfect! They interacted with the audience and asked about the DEVO hats some people had on. If English Teacher is on the bill, make sure to go check them out!

While grabbing some lunch and a spot for Franz Ferdinand, I heard part of The Stews’s set. They had a beachy/chill vibe going on. They sounded really good and made me want to check out their music. Another huge draw to me attending the festival was Franz Ferdinand, and they did not disappoint! They played a great mix of older songs and new ones for their latest album. A highlight for me was when they told us to put our phones away and just enjoy singing “Take Me Out”. I loved those moments of sharing a memory with the friends, family, and strangers around me. After they finished, I found a more central spot between the Piedmont and Peachtree stages. I would camp out there for the rest of the day. DEVO was the next band I saw, and I was pleasantly surprised. I grew up with my parents playing DEVO, I’m sure, like most people my age. The band really put on a show, especially with members being in their 70s. There were costume changes, choreography, and of course, their famous red hats. I was glad to stick around to see it all.

Shaky Knees messed me up by putting Weird Al and Wet Leg on at the same time. I did have to make a choice, and that choice was seeing Weird Al. I don’t know if I would have seen him outside of a festival lineup. When Weird Al walked out with his band in costumes and began to sing “Smells Like Nirvana”. Their second song was a parody of DEVO, and I knew at that moment I was watching something special. He played many of his classic hits, including my personal favorites, “Amish Paradise”, “The Saga Begins”, and “White and Nerdy”. He did a whole medley of some of his other ones in the middle of the set. I was sad to miss Wet Leg, but this was one of my favorite shows I saw all weekend.

Alabama Shakes were up next, and seeing them perform was a spiritual experience. Brittany Howard’s voice is incredible live. It’s unlike any other artist I’ve ever seen. In each song, you could feel the soulful emotion as she sang and played guitar. I was completely blown away by how beautiful their set was. Vampire Weekend was right after, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I didn’t expect was a Weird Al in the middle of their show, but I loved it. They played so many favorites across their discography. I even loved the images they used, taking you from Oxford College to classic art pieces. Their whole show was just a lot of fun with the crowd dancing and singing along. Blink-182 closed the weekend. They brought a strong energy to being a closer, which hasn’t always happened at the festival. Their on-stage banter with “your mom” jokes took me aback at first, but by the end, it made more sense. Seeing them perform made me feel like I was 12 again, hearing their music for the first time. They had some great pyrotechnics, and the fireworks at the end made it the perfect ending to the weekend.

This year’s Shaky Knees was easily my favorite year. The bigger layout allowed for more people to attend. There were plenty of great food vendor options, no matter where you went. The big downside for me was just how bad some of the sound mixing was on the Piedmont stage at times. If you’re paying $300+ to see some of these bands, they need to sound good. Beyond that, Shaky Knees is worth the money. I hope next year the lineup is just as good!

Festival Review: Shaky Knees

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Festival Review: Shaky Knees

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