Friday, May 9
Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires
Despite having never released an album until his debut effort, “No Time For Dreaming,” in 2011, 65-year-old Charles Bradley is no stranger to the stage. Bradley’s life saga is as varied and stirring as the funk and soul singer’s formidable voice. From child runaway to homeless hitchhiker to decades of working intermittent jobs as a cook and James Brown-tribute moonlighter, his story has finally morphed into one of success, and it shows. “Triumphant” is the simplest way to capture Bradley’s performance on the Ponce De Leon stage Friday. Along with his seven Extraordinaires, Bradley delivered a set of grippingly soulful anthems echoing those of Otis Redding and, naturally, James Brown. The sheer power of his voice, and of his stage presence, was astounding. Strutting and gesticulating about the stage in a chest-baring jumpsuit, Bradley supplied one of Shaky Knees’ most incandescent moments when he splayed his arms wide open for the soaring ending of “Let Love a Stand A Chance” before diving headfirst into the raving crowd.
The Airborne Toxic Event
The members of California-based The Airborne Toxic Event brought their curious combination of impassioned rock and orchestral arrangements to a riotously receptive crowd, who gathered en masse despite a deluge that threatened to rechristen the festival “Soggy Knees.” Splashing about in paper-thin plastic ponchos, much of the audience appeared to be reliving the glory of a young adult angst effectively resonated by hits like “Sometime Around Midnight.” Regrettably, the rain’s influence on the PA system did sour a violin solo by the group’s sole female member, Anna Bulbrook, serving as a foreshadowing of the festival’s continued unfortunate lapses in sound quality. Darren Taylor’s vigorous drum solo, however, helped remedy this. For their close, a raucous cover of The Clash’s “I Fought the Law” was an unexpected treat that lead singer Mikel Jollett gleefully dedicated to the “racist, homophobic cop” who arrested him after the band’s most recent Atlanta endeavor.
Spoon
Maybe it was the doing of the continuously and inexplicably erroneous sound system. Maybe it was the less-than-enthused crowd, who, despite promisingly large numbers, mustered a disproportionately meager energy level. Maybe it was simply the telltale smoky haze clouding over their heads. For whatever the reason, the performance of alt-rock hero and headliner Spoon fell disappointingly flat. One thing was certain—the volume level of the Austin-bred group’s set was irrefutably and frustratingly too low. Why festival management wasn’t able to recognize and rectify this during the show was maddeningly unclear, but the PA error was significant enough to dampen the entire effort of lead singer Britt Daniel and his band mates to spark audience enthusiasm. What could be heard of the music was too incongruously mellow compared to the day’s other more boisterous acts to compensate for the volume deficiency. Stage presence fizzled to an almost embarrassing low; during one exceptionally awkward moment, Daniel asked the audience if it had been a good show only to be met with a stiflingly underwhelmed response. While the seasoned performers were indeed partially responsible for the lack of audience engagement, it is deplorable that a headlining act should have had to combat such a slipshod sound system. Unfortunately, they were not to be the last act to face this obstacle.
Saturday, May 10
Portugal. The Man
The bards behind the Pacific Northwestern quartet Portugal. The Man brought a dose of electronic-tinged rock to Saturday’s lineup. Originally a post-hardcore band hailing from the founding members’ Alaskan hometown, the group has spent the last year riding on the success of their most recent album, “Evil Friends,” which was produced by the illustrious Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton. Throughout the duration of their set, the falsetto harmonies guided by lead singer John Baldwin Gourley were consistently on point as the group performed songs like “Atomic Man” and “The Sun.” The structure of the set list itself, sadly, was not as inspired. With most of their chosen ditties beginning with a fast, hard-edged rhythm and culminating in a contemplatively mellow mood, the band’s repertoire began to feel formulaic. Thankfully, a spirited cover of “Another Brick in the Wall” broke that mold and unexpectedly segued into a performance-concluding rendition of their hit “Purple Yellow Red and Blue.”
Cold War Kids
You don’t have to have the surface sheen of Mick Jagger to put on a good show. Appearing simply to be a group of guys wearing T-shirts and holding electric guitars, the members of blues-rock band Cold War Kids testified to that on Shaky Knees’ Ponce De Leon stage. What stuck out wasn’t their lack of leather jackets, trendy ‘dos or tattoo sleeves; it was the group’s obviously deep-felt engrossment with their music. Eyes closed and heads titled back in concentrated attunement with their instruments, the band appeared as though they could have been oblivious to the fact they were on stage playing in front of a hundred-fold crowd. The result was a refreshing authentic feel, and the audience seemed to be enjoying the music as much as the band was. A finale consisting of their hit “Hang Me Up to Dry” resulted in a mass sing-along.
Modest Mouse
As the day’s late-afternoon monsoon dissipated and the sun began to peek out, a crowd larger than the fledgling festival had yet seen began to gather for the performance of experimental rock group Modest Mouse. Little did they know they were patiently waiting for what would be the festival’s greatest disappointment. This was owed entirely to indefatigable issues with the Shaky Knees PA system, a reoccurring problem that became the Achilles’ heel of the festival. After the band took the stage to a riotous welcome, it was with frustrated clamor that the crowd immediately deemed the opening song too quiet. Even near the front of the stage, audience members could be heard loudly complaining that the volume level, as with Spoon, was severely lacking. Breaks between songs provided the crowd with the opportunity to chant, “turn it up!” in unison. By halfway through the show, festival management appeared to have clued in enough to adjust the volume upwards slightly, but it wasn’t enough to compensate for the crowd’s unfulfilled expectations. Certainly this letdown will not be remembered as either a high point of Shaky Knees or of the beloved band’s touring history.
Sunday, May 11
Iron & Wine
“Make sure you get some water, because it’s hot as s—,” Samuel Beam of Iron & Wine kindly instructed his flock of fans at the opening of the folk band’s show. Despite the oppressive heat (temperatures reached a high of 88, with the cement-encased festival grounds offering no repose), Beam’s sweetly serenading voice and troupe of talented musicians made the audience’s time, and sweat, worthwhile, despite having to battle more of Shaky Knees’ plaguing PA problems. Mid-performance, the flustered keyboardist had to beckon repeatedly for his instrument to be adjusted, and most outrageously of all, a radio advertisement began to blare from the bassist’s amp in the middle of “God Made the Automobile.” Beam handled this PA faux pas with grace, however, and used the temporary lapse in instrumentation to perform an a cappella version of “Naked as We Came,” much to the crowd’s delight. The singer-songwriter’s gorgeously pure voice in this improvised moment was perhaps the highlight of the entire performance, and he thanked the audience warmly and sincerely at the show’s conclusion.
Local Natives
With only two albums under their musical belt, the performance of California-based quintet Local Natives breathed fresh life into the audience and became one of the most unanticipated highlights of the entire festival. “It’s great to be back in Atlanta; I don’t know if you guys know this, but Atlanta is one of our favorite places to play in the world,” singer and guitarist Taylor Rice told the audience before delving into one of the group’s signature hypnotic harmonies, “Wide Eyes.” A truly unexpected delight was their debut of a Johnny Cash cover, “Out Among the Stars,” recorded after Cash’s son personally called and requested they reprise it. Already eagerly engaged, the audience’s energy level rose to match the frenetic rhythm when the band began to play their hit song “Airplanes.” It seemed no one within listening distance could help but be absorbed by the music and dance along, and Local Natives left the stage with the audience craving more.
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
By now a festival staple, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros did not disappoint the high expectations audiences have come to hold the musical ensemble’s live shows to. The performance of the group, whose numbers fluctuate but typically round out at 10, and of the exceptionally compelling front man Alex Ebert, especially, was revitalizing, enchanting and frankly religious, even. One couldn’t help but get the uncanny feeling they were partaking in some kind of ecstatic ritual, or perhaps experiencing an early 20th century southern revival meeting. The sheer presence and audience connection of Ebert, who stands as the messianic center of this musical religion, cannot be overestimated. Donned in his signature white linen blazer and rolled trousers, he danced rapturously around the stage and nearly provoked audience hysteria when he leapt into the pit and, held high for all to see, took three long drags from a fan’s blunt. Notably missing was the presence of front woman Jade Castrinos, whose former relationship with Ebert was the subject of as much fan adoration as the band’s music until the two recently parted ways. In lieu of sharing the story of their romance during the pair’s co-written love anthem, “Home,” Ebert invited a young couple from the audience onto the stage to share their own tale. This memorably ended in an on-stage proposal, causing an eruption of audience elation for the remainder of the song.
