Saturday evening belonged to Alabama Shakes, and honestly it was not close.
The band hit the stage in the early evening with their deep-South R&B and rootsy rock, frontwoman Brittany Howard out front, Heath Fogg on guitar, Zac Cockrell on bass, and a backdrop of trippy digital clouds. Howard is a Nashvillian, so this was practically a home game, and she sang like it.
The set ran through the classics, Hold On and Sound & Color, plus newer ones: 2025 tracks Another Life and American Dream. Her voice did that thing it does where a whole field of people just stops talking.
At one point she looked out at the soupy Tennessee air and said, "Little bit thick out here isn't it." Then she told the crowd she hoped everyone has a great time and leaves all the world behind. That is the whole Bonnaroo pitch in two sentences.
Best vocal performance of the weekend. Not a debate I am interested in having.
Photo: Photo by Máté Lakatos via Pexels
Source: The Tennessean
