An hour after the sun had gone down on Friday, the crowds gathered at Merriweather Post Pavilion to watch soulful rock-and-rollers Alabama Shakes. 

Opening for the band were country rockers Drive-By Truckers. Attracting a diverse audience of khaki-wearing frat boys and flannel-wearing country-folk, the performance united a large group of seemingly unrelated people with one common desire: good music.  

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Drive-By Truckers performed beneath the crescent moon, playing songs that showcased their Southern-rock style and country twang. The highlight of their set was the song “The Righteous Path,” which came near the end of their performance. The crowd danced and sang along with vocalist and guitarist Mike Cooley.

Roadies broke down the large setup that Drive-By Truckers’ five musicians had amassed on stage and put together the equipment for Alabama Shakes. When singer and guitarist Brittany Howard’s signature custom Gibson SG guitar was brought on stage, the crowd roared in anticipation of her arrival. 

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Blue ambient light filled the pavilion, and Howard and her guitar screamed to life for the opening song “Future People,” off the band’s most recent album, Sound & Color. With the rest of the band on stage, the group followed up “Future People” with the songs “Dunes” and the Grammy-nominated “Always Alright.”  Howard and company led an energetic set, full of wild guitar solos and a voice that embodied rock ‘n’ roll.

The crowd loved the performance, moving in time with the music, letting the band take it for a ride. From the front of the pit to the back of the lawn, everyone was swaying along and dancing to the beat. Despite the music’s rhythm-and-blues feel, it became more evident in a live setting that their music was also inspired by classic rockers like AC/DC and Led Zeppelin.

While the band passed on playing its gold-certified debut song “Hold On,” the set included other popular songs, such as  “Don’t Wanna Fight” and “Hang Loose,” the audience knowing every word of the latter.. 

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The stage lighting had a minimalist design, allowing the musicians to make their own impressions rather than let the lights and production value of the show do the talking for them.

Alabama Shakes ended the set with a three-song encore of “Sound & Color,” “You Ain’t Alone” and “Over My Head.” As the sound of the audience died out, the last feedback screech of the guitars hushed to a whisper. After the controlled chaos of the last hour and a half came to an end, all was silent.