Alabama Shakes reunited for the primary time since 2017 at a profit live performance in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Wednesday evening.
The efficiency occurred through the Tuscaloosa Get Up 3 profit live performance on the Bama Theatre. Along with performances from Mike Cooley of Drive-By Truckers and Lee Bains of Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires, the band’s Brittany Howard was scheduled to play a solo set. As an alternative, nevertheless, she stunned the viewers by inviting her former band members Zac Cockrell, Heath Fogg, and Steve Johnson onstage to hitch her.
The quartet performed 9 songs, together with fan-favorites like “Dangle Free,” “Gimmie All Your Love,” and “Maintain On.” It marked their first live performance collectively since their 2017 look at Osheaga Pageant; the band introduced an indefinite hiatus shortly after as Howard started to deal with her solo work. Although the profit live performance efficiency exhibits that the door on Alabama Shakes isn’t completely closed, it’s unknown whether or not they’ll reconvene for extra exhibits or new music. Watch clips of the band’s shock efficiency under.
The Athens, Alabama group had launched two studio albums — 2012’s Boys & Ladies and 2015’s Sound & Shade — earlier than placing the challenge on pause in 2018. Howard launched her debut solo album Jamie in 2019, and returned this yr to supply her second solo album, What Now (we even ranked certainly one of its singles, “Energy to Undo,” as the most effective songs of 2024). Howard additionally made her appearing debut this yr because the titular character within the Netflix animated movie Thelma the Unicorn.
Bassist Cockrell has continued to again Howard in her solo work, whereas guitarist Fogg launched his debut solo album underneath the moniker Solar on Shade again in 2019. In the meantime, drummer Johnson pleaded responsible to home violence prices in 2020; he was additionally arrested on suspicion of kid abuse in 2021 and charged, however the prices had been later dropped.
All people is on their ft for THE ALABAMA SHAKES on the Bama Theatre pic.twitter.com/9D85T9YPaZ
— Ryan Phillips (@JournoRyan) December 19, 2024