Since 2013, Atlanta has been rocking out every fall to the sounds of ‘Shaky Knees’, the city’s homegrown indie music festival. What began as a modest two-day gathering in Historic Fourth Ward Park has grown into a full three-day event now staged in the heart of Piedmont Park. With three separate stages and nearly 40,000 in attendance every year, Shaky Knees has come a long way from where it started. Festival creator Tim Sweetwood set out to give Atlanta the indie and alternative rock festival it was missing — and he’s more than delivered.
I was there for day two, and let me tell you, this festival lives up to the hype. Piedmont Park was buzzing from morning until evening. Three stages, music running from 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., food trucks and vendors lining the paths, and a crowd that never seemed to lose its energy. They even had merch trucks, full of items from the artists playing as well as all sorts of Shaky Knees festival merch.
Among the dozens of performances, two stood out to me: Cage the Elephant and, of course, My Chemical Romance. Cage the Elephant brought raw energy to the stage, powering through a set packed with fan favorites like ‘Cigarette Daydreams’ and ‘Come a Little Closer’. The crowd was right there with them, some pressed against the barricade in the pit, others sprawled on blankets across the lawn, all singing along in unison.
But the real headline moment came when My Chemical Romance took over. Now, I’ll admit my bias: I’ve been a die-hard fan since middle school. But even setting that aside, this performance was something special. The band is currently on their ‘Long Live the Black Parade’ tour, a reimagining of their iconic 2006 album, ‘The Black Parade’. And at Shaky Knees, they adapted the tour and brought it to life. Mixing nostalgia with a full theatrical performance, complete with the band’s lore woven throughout the performance.
This includes an ominous looking guy in a chair who sits in silence watching the entire performance, singing a national anthem to a nation, Dragg, that does not exist, and a (fake) public execution. In one particularly outlandish moment, the lead singer, Gerard Way, gets stabbed by a clown and begins gushing blood. He then proceeds to die on stage, while the clown dances around him singing. At the end of the song the clown rips off his shirt to reveal that he has a (fake) bomb strapped to his chest, and proceeds to explode. You know, the normal stuff you usually see at a concert.
After a day like that, it’s safe to say Shaky Knees has me hooked for life. And if you’re thinking of checking it out yourself, keep an eye on their Instagram for updates about next year’s festival. Trust me—you won’t want to miss it.
Dig more into My Chemical Romance’s lore with this article: https://loudwire.com/my-chemical-romance-draag-explained/
Follow Shaky Knees on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shakykneesfest/
Written by: Nova Cardone