Alabama Shakes Reunite For 1st Performance Since 2017

Alabama Shakes reunited during a surprise appearance last night at the Tuscaloosa Get Up 3 benefit concert held at the Bama Theatre in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The band led by Brittany Howard last performed in public seven years ago.

The event was organized by Bo Hicks, who operated the now-closed Egan’s bar where Alabama Shakes played in their infancy and currently co-owns Tuscaloosa live music venue Druid City Brewing Company. Proceeds from Tuscaloosa Get Up 3 will help Druid City’s support of the local live music community.

Wednesday’s concert saw additional performances by fellow Alabama musicians, Jameson Hubbard, Wanda Wesolowski, Lee Bains III and Drive-By Truckers’ Mike Cooley.

The event listed Brittany Howard on the lineup of “short and intimate sets.” Howard, also an Alabama native, emerged alone and played “Short And Sweet” from her 2019 solo album, Jaime.

The solo performance was itself short and sweet, as Howard was soon flanked by her Alabama Shakes bandmates – bassist Zac Cockrell and guitarist Heath Fogg – and others. The video screen on the stage faded from “Brittany Howard” to project “Alabama Shakes” behind the reunited band.

“If we’re gonna get back together it’s gonna be in Tuscaloosa and it’s gonna be for Bo Hicks,” Howard told the Bama Theatre audience.

Alabama Shakes’ unannounced set pulled evenly from their two albums, 2012’s Boys & Girls and its 2015 follow-up Sound & Color. The Grammy-winning group went on hiatus in 2018.

Scroll on for videos of Alabama Shakes reuniting posted by attendees of last night’s concert:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDv-exlR8OJ/