There are music festivals that happen in a city, and then there are festivals that gradually become part of a city’s identity. Shaky Knees has managed the latter. From September 18–20, the festival returned for its 13th edition, and its second year in Piedmont Park, bringing more than 60 acts to four stages beneath Atlanta’s stubborn late-summer sun.
Juanes was still able to stand in an Atlanta venue and make thousands of people sing as though they were one voice. The spectacle was impressive, but the deeper achievement was more difficult to manufacture — longevity without irrelevance, evolution without abandoning one's roots, and fame without losing the sense that music is ultimately about people.
MUSE turned Atlanta into something considerably more ambitious than a concert venue. Lakewood Amphitheatre became a launchpad, a theater, a science-fiction transmission station and, at various points, what appeared to be the control room of a very expensive alien invasion. The Atlanta stop of The Wow! Signal Tour arrived as part of the band tour... Continue Reading →
If there was one genuine problem with the evening, it was not Franz Ferdinand. It was physics. Buckhead Theatre’s general-admission floor was packed, and Franz Ferdinand are a band that practically demands more square footage than the average human body is willing to surrender. Their songs create an involuntary contradiction: your brain says, “Stand here and watch,” while your legs respond, “Absolutely not.”
His compositions have found homes on countless playlists because they articulate emotions that many struggle to express themselves. As contemporary folk continues evolving alongside indie and Americana influences, Peña has established himself as one of the genre's most compelling storytellers, balancing poetic lyricism with understated arrangements that never distract from the narratives at their core.
Over the past several years, he has evolved from a respected performer within regional circles into a figure whose influence now extends far beyond genre boundaries. His appeal rests not solely on commercial success, but on his ability to preserve the authenticity of traditional Mexican music while broadening its reach for new audiences.
What had transpired was not merely a concert, but a celebration of cultural fusion, artistic defiance, and communal spirit. Gogol Bordello had once again proven that their “Gypsy Punk” identity is not a gimmick, but a lived philosophy.
This 2025 tour — with only Jenner remaining from that classic core — is in many ways a reimagining. He is carrying forward the name, the memory, and certain signature songs, but in a leaner, more vulnerable formation.
Joey Valence & Brae are not simply a duo reviving old-school hip-hop — they are reanimating it with irreverent charm, kinetic energy, and a keen understanding of its roots.
A look back at the Shaky Knees Festival, 2025 version.
