Friday started late with doors at 4:00 p.m., and Cartel opened Ponce de Leon on what was already the biggest day of their year. Learning How To Cope, their fifth record and their first full-length since 2013’s Collider, had come out that morning, AND they were playing their hometown before heading across town for a late night release show at Masquerade. Their fans knew every word of their older stuff, and were jamming along to the new record.

Geese took over Piedmont next, their set turned into a sound-bending, genre defying, jam session. At one point Cameron Winter played music from his phone into his guitar so it fed back through the amp. During “Cowboy Nudes,” Bassin went feral, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. Crowd surfers responded with waves crashing over the rail.

That energy seemed to spill onward to Turnstile, who detonated Peachtree. The performance was a 10 out of 10 and the crowd matched it note for note, with mosh pits opening across the field and a steady procession of surfers going over the front. Brandon Yates had energy to burn, jumping from the drum riser, to bouncing off the other band members, and eventually the stage couldn’t contain him. He climbed down into the crowd, gripping a fan’s hand for support as he performed ENDLESS, before falling onto his back and floating outstretched hands of thousands of fans. I lost Turnstile to a scheduling conflict at Outside Lands last month, so catching them here felt like collecting on a debt.

Modest Mouse at Shaky Knees Festival 2026 photo by David Saxum

Danny Elfman and Fontaines D.C. both ran at 8:30 on opposite ends of the park, so I started with Elfman over at Ponce de Leon and finished at Piedmont. I had no idea Elfman’s catalog ran so deep outside the film work, and for a man his age he absolutely kicked ass out there. Fontaines D.C. were every bit as good as I hoped, a really solid performance with their new album on the horizon, the teasing of some new songs was welcomed.

The Strokes closed Peachtree, my third time seeing them this year. Julian was uncharacteristically restrained, no tangents, no rants, just a solid headline set for a very large crowd. Fortunately for me, I got to see a deep portion of The Strokes catalog live across the three festivals. The Shaky Knees crowd was treated to some favorites like “Last Nite,” “Take It or Leave It,” “Is This It,” “The Adults Are Talking,” and many more.

Saturday opened with Sophie’s Body at noon over Ponce de Leon, earning their slot by refusing to let anything shake their resolve. The mic wasn’t working when they first walked out. A pedal board came unplugged. The lead singer broke a string. Any one of those can stall a young band, and they played straight through all three like professionals twice their experience. Great energy, great crowd work, good sound, and a lot of lift under their wings. They’re still building and it’s going to be fun to watch.

Geordie Greep opened with something like a ten minute jam. Jazzy and sprawling and completely unlike anything else on the bill the entire weekend. I’ve wanted to catch him live for a while and it was worth the wait. Their music is so infectious. Blood Orange took over at Piedmont and moved fluidly between the microphone, the guitar, and dropping back to the keys, working with a strong pair of backup singers. Unfortunately, we were cut short of a set that was building towards being a festival favorite, and just four songs in, the festival shut down.

Geese at Shaky Knees Festival 2026 photo by David Saxum

The organizers came over the stage speakers and ordered an evacuation with thunder and lightning already invading the park boundaries. Once we were outside the gates the storm arrived in force, and as festival goers scrambled for cover. People huddled under trees and bridges, and neighbors opened up their porches to people looking for any square foot of dry ground. I was told the festival was canceled for the night, so I went home. However, a notification went out that they were reopening at 9:20 for a 10:00 p.m. Twenty One Pilots set. To the disappointment of many, Pavement and The Prodigy, went down with the weather.

Sunday reset everything. Cardinals opened Peachtree, and they were one of my most anticipated acts of the weekend despite sitting well down the bill. They sound exactly like the record live, with little to no fussing around on stage, just a really solid set and them playing through an album that I was a big fan of earlier this year. I fully expect them to be higher on a lineup soon.

Violet Grohl over at Piedmont was the weekend’s one real letdown. Her band was solid, but she stood essentially static at the microphone and her voice didn’t have the strength to carry the material. I needed more from her than I got.

Big Special, tucked away at Criminal Records, was the opposite in every respect. I’d never heard of them and they absolutely smashed it, probably my favorite set of the weekend, a top three for certain. The UK guys threw everything they had at a small stage, working the crowd relentlessly, they seemed genuinely thrilled just to be there. Joe Hicklin got down and deep into the crowd, dragging a cymbal and stand with him, so people could smash it themselves. Their songwriting, performance, and effort reminds me of another U.K. band, the Idles.

Violet Grohl at Shaky Knees Festival 2026 photo by David Saxum

Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock is still one of the most entertaining performers working. He’s a recluse on stage, from playing the guitar with his mouth at Outside Lands to attempting to play a song completely blindfolded he is unpredictable. Graciously, the band pulled from their deep catalog to give a real treat to the fans.

Wu-Tang Clan at Peachtree was the set I wouldn’t have missed under any circumstance. This was part of Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber, the farewell run that will wrap up a couple of weeks later, with a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction waiting in November. RZA, GZA, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, Cappadonna, Young Dirty Bastard, and Mathematics all came through, and they brought out Havoc from Mobb Deep for “Shook Ones, Pt. II.” Watching most of a field throw up the W and bump along together was healing.

Towards the end of the night, Knocked Loose took over Ponce de Leon on the heels of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, a band that Garris mentioned he grew up idolizing. He clearly felt like there was an expectation to live up to. He demanded that we become apart of the performance, telling us to send waves of crowd surfers, constantly, and like offering up a sacrifice the crowd delivered for the length of the set. On stage, flames went up, surrounding the drumkit in a wall of heat that felt like hell-fire.

Gorillaz closed out the festival, Damon Albarn spent the set stitching the virtual band and the live band together, his animated bandmates projected behind the players on stage with those toothy smirks that have been familiar to many generations. A run of Atlanta guests came out to join him, including Earthgang, Bootie Brown, and Kara Jackson. Later he reminded the crowd to vote in the midterms, pointing out that what happens in America affects everyone, then dropped straight back into the set with “Clint Eastwood” and “Feel Good Inc.” closing it out.

Shaky Knees does it better than most festivals its size. Offering up some of the biggest hitters and paying attention to every artist they book, ensuring there is a common thread throughout the whole festival. From Danny Elfman’s orchestral catalog, Geordie Greep’s jazz rock, Knocked Loose’s hardcore, and Wu-Tang’s farewell, they all fit into the same weekend without any of them feeling like a novelty booking.

Wu Tang Clan at Shaky Knees Festival 2026 photo by David Saxum

Read More on Shaky Knees HERE