The Reunion of Alabama Shakes at Forest Hills Stadium

Alabama Shakes did shake Alabama and the rest of the music world a bit in 2012. For a rock outfit that had been together only three years, the success of Alabama Shakes’ debut 2012 album, Boys & Girls, was the dream that a starting band rarely achieves. Bolstered by the commercial success of the song “Hold On,” Boys & Girls sold 744,000 copies and led to performances from the White House to Saturday Night Live. Led by the mainstream success of lead single “Don’t Wanna Fight,” a second album, Sound & Color, released in 2015, earned three Grammy Awards and sold 792,000 copies. The band’s music was featured on the soundtracks to the Academy Award-winning films Silver Linings Playbook and Dallas Buyers Club. Nevertheless, despite a soaring career, Alabama Shakes disbanded in 2018.

Brittany Howard, the heart and soul of Alabama Shakes, took her powerhouse vocals elsewhere. Embarking on a solo career, Howard recorded her debut, Jaime, winning the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song, "Stay High." Its follow-up album, What Now, was released in 2024. She toured on both albums, with audiences noting a difference. Her dynamic vocals remained intact, but her musical direction was shifting from a rock ethos to a mellower, middle-of-the-road repertoire. She was now more of a crooner than a rocker.

Alabama Shakes reunited for its first concert in seven years in its home state in December 2024. The band now consisted of three of the original four members, Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, and bassist Zac Cockrell, plus hired background musicians. These were Alabama Shakes’ first performances without founding drummer Steven Johnson, who was dismissed from the fold in 2021.

Alabama Shakes was back, and working on new music, the band reported on social media this past January. In February, the band announced a summer reunion tour. Supplemented by keyboardists Ben Tanner and Paul Horton plus drummer, Noah Bond, and three background vocalists, the band’s core trio would tour the United States from July to September. Alabama Shakes would include in its itinerary a September 17 concert at New York City’s Forest Hills Stadium.

El Michels Affair, a New York City-based jazz-soul band opened the night at Forest Hills Stadium with smooth sounds. As intermission drew to a close, the outdoor venue was very dark, as the overcast skies hid the moon and stars. The public address system played the sounds of crickets chirping rather than recorded music. The stage was adorned with loads of mock kudzu, the invasive vine that has been said to “eat” the south.

Alabama Shakes came on stage, with Howard front and center, wearing a long and billowing coat of sparkling fabric. Fogg, Cockrell and the hired hands flanked her in the distance. The positioning of the nine musicians subtly stated a lot about where the trajectory would go that evening. For all of the show, Howard was the star in the center spotlight, with her bubbly personality, her earthy lead guitar licks, and her booming, soulful voice lighting up the evening.

Yes, this was supposed to be a concert by Alabama Shakes, not Brittany Howard. No songs were played from her solo albums. The set was entirely Alabama Shakes catalog, consisting of all but one song from Sound & Color, four songs from Boys & Girls, and two new songs from an as-yet-untitled forthcoming album. The band performed a delicious brand of alternative pop, soul, blues and roots. Even so, the spotlight was all Howard’s. Talent like hers cannot be underwhelmed.

The disappointment in the band’s performance is that it has adopted Howard’s predilection for gentler pop sounds. The show rocked at the beginning and the end, but easily an hour of the 90-minute, 21-song set was dedicated to softer, moodier grooves, as Howard seemingly caressed the lyrics she was singing. Granted, the set expertly showcased the remarkable range of Howard’s thunderous talents. In live performance, however, audiences tend to want a better balance of uptempo beats and exciting arrangements.

“This might be my favorite show ever,” Howard told the audience towards the end of the concert. Before beginning the last song of the night, Howard encouraged the audience with a positive, parting message. She said that she did not want to talk about the current state of the world, but that she wished us well, and hoped that we would get the jobs that we wanted, with all the benefits, that we would get to live where we wanted to live, and that our pets would live for 35 years.

Setlist

1. Hang Loose
2. Shoegaze
3. I Ain't the Same
4. Future People
5. I Found You
6. Guess Who
7. This Feeling
8. Joe
9. Another Life
10. Dunes
11. Over My Head
12. Miss You
13. Hold On
14. Someday
15. Gemini
16. Sound & Color
17. Don't Wanna Fight
18. Gimme All Your Love

Encore

1. American Dream
2. Drive By Baby
3. Always Alright

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The Manhattan Beat covers New York City's live music circuit. All articles are written by Everynight Charley Crespo. All photographs are taken by Everynight Charley Crespo, except when noted otherwise.

For a list of Manhattan venues that are presenting live music regularly, swing the desktop cursor to the right of the home page and click on the pop-up tab "Where to Find Live Music."

For a more complete listing of upcoming performances in the New York City area, visit The Manhattan Beat's September calendar.