Punk, indie rock and plenty of sing-alongs at Piedmont Park!
There is something about the first day of a festival that always feels a little different. Everyone is still figuring out the layout, checking the schedule, deciding which stage to run to next and trying to catch as much as possible before the night is over.
At Piedmont Park, the sun was out and Shaky Knees was officially underway. The crowd kept growing throughout the afternoon, and by the time the bigger names started taking the stages, it was clear that Atlanta had been waiting for this weekend.
Day One was especially interesting because of how quickly the music changed from one performance to the next. Ben Howard opened things up at the Piedmont Stage with a more atmospheric sound, while Hot Mulligan immediately brought a completely different kind of crowd reaction to the Peachtree Stage.
From there, things kept getting louder and more unpredictable. Geese brought their improvisational side, Turnstile turned the Peachtree field into a giant sing-along and mosh pit, and Danny Elfman added a darker, more intense edge.
Then there was The Strokes.
By the time Julian Casablancas and the band took the Peachtree Stage to close the day, thousands of people were ready to sing along to songs they had known for years.
It was a pretty good way to start Shaky Knees.
BEN HOWARD
Ben Howard had the first real chance to set the tone for our day at Shaky Knees, opening the Piedmont Stage with a set that felt calm without ever becoming passive. There was something almost unusual about seeing that kind of atmospheric songwriting in a festival setting, with people arriving, finding their friends, checking schedules and gradually filling the field around him.
Howard’s performance leaned into the space in his music rather than trying to overpower the setting. His guitar work gave the songs room to breathe, and his voice carried a worn, intimate quality that worked especially well under the afternoon sun. Instead of constantly pushing for a big reaction, he let the songs do the work. Songs like “I Forget Where We Were,” “Rivers in Your Mouth,” and “End of the Affair” were just a few of his special selections.
That made the set a good starting point for the day. The crowd slowly settled in, with some people sitting on the grass while others moved closer to the stage. You could see festival mode taking over around the park, but once a song started, attention shifted back toward the stage.
What stood out most was the musicianship. Howard has a way of making intricate guitar parts feel natural rather than flashy, and the arrangements had enough movement to keep the performance from feeling static.
As an opening set, it worked because it didn’t try to be something it wasn’t. Ben Howard gave the Piedmont Stage a thoughtful beginning, leaving plenty of room for the louder and more chaotic performances that would follow.
HOT MULLIGAN
If Ben Howard eased us into the day, Hot Mulligan immediately changed the temperature. The band opened the action at the Peachtree Stage and wasted very little time getting people moving. From the first few songs, it was obvious that this was going to be one of those sets where the crowd becomes part of the show.
Nathan “Tades” Sanville was constantly working the audience, and the response came quickly. Fans were singing along, jumping and pushing toward the action, while small mosh pits started forming in different parts of the field. It wasn’t one giant circle of chaos. It was several pockets of people creating their own little moments.
The set moved through songs including “How Do You Know It’s Not Armadillo Shells?”, “Drink Milk and Run,” “Shhhh! Golf Is On,” “Fly Move (The Whole Time),” “Stickers of Brian,” “BCKYRD,” and “Equip Sunglasses.” The songs bounced between melodic hooks and heavier bursts without losing that emotional edge that has always been part of Hot Mulligan’s sound.
What made the performance work was how little distance there seemed to be between the band and the fans. Tades fed off the singing and movement in front of him, while Chris Freeman, Ryan Malicsi, Jonah Kramer and Brandon Blakeley kept the songs moving at full speed.
By the end, the Peachtree field already felt like it had been awake for hours. It was a very different beginning from Ben Howard, and that contrast is exactly what makes a festival day interesting.
GEESE
By the time Geese arrived at the Piedmont Stage, the festival had found another gear. The New York band didn’t need much time to grab attention. Cameron Winter immediately brought a loose, unpredictable quality to the performance, while Emily Green, Dominic DiGesu and Max Bassin gave the songs a strong rhythmic backbone.
One of the best things about watching Geese live is that the songs don’t always stay exactly where you expect them to. The band is clearly comfortable stretching things out, especially during extended outros, and those moments gave the set a feeling of discovery. You could hear the musicians listening to one another and deciding where a song was going next instead of simply reproducing the record.
Songs including “Husbands,” “Getting Killed,” “2122,” “Cowboy Nudes,” “100 Horses,” “Taxes,” and “Au Pays du Cocaine” gave the performance plenty of variety. Some moments felt tightly controlled, while others opened up into longer instrumental passages.
Winter’s stage presence helped keep the whole thing unpredictable. There was a restless quality to the way he moved and interacted with the music, which matched the band’s willingness to push the arrangements.
The crowd at the Piedmont Stage seemed especially interested in what might happen next. People who knew the songs sang along, while others simply watched the band work through the longer sections.
Geese didn’t need a huge production to make an impression. The interesting part was right there in the musicianship, especially when the four players locked into a groove and let a song stretch beyond its expected ending.
TURNSTILE
Turnstile was one of the sets people had clearly been waiting for. Long before the band came onto the Peachtree Stage, the area was filling up, and once Brendan Yates and the rest of the group appeared, the crowd immediately turned into one of the most active parts of the performance.
There was a lot of anticipation around this set, and the band delivered without making the show feel overly polished. Yates brought a direct, physical presence to the stage, while Pat McCrory, Meg Mills, Franz Lyons and Daniel Fang kept the music tight and forceful. The songs moved quickly, but there was enough space between them for the crowd to react, sing and jump before the next one hit.
The set included “BIRDS,” “Real Thing,” “ENDLESS,” “I Care/Dull,” “Holiday,” “Never Enough” and “T.L.C. (TURNSTILE LOVE CONNECTION).” Hearing those songs in a festival setting made the sing-along moments feel especially big. Fans weren’t simply watching. They were shouting lyrics back, moving constantly and finding their way into the mosh pit.
What stood out was the emotional side of the performance. Beneath the volume and movement, there was a genuine sense of release in the crowd. People were smiling, yelling, jumping, and leaning into the chaos.
Turnstile also understood when to let the songs carry the moment instead of overplaying the interaction. The result was a set that felt raw and immediate, exactly the kind of performance that makes a festival field feel much smaller than it actually is.
DANNY ELFMAN
After the heavy intensity of Turnstile, Danny Elfman brought something completely different to Shaky Knees. His performance at the Ponce de Leon Stage was easily one of the most visually and musically ambitious moments of the day, combining a full orchestra and choir with a powerful rock band. Elfman’s 2026 tour is built around this mix of his rock and film-composition work.
From the opening moments, the scale of the performance was obvious. Elfman moved comfortably between his work with Oingo Boingo, his solo material and some of the film and television scores that have become part of popular culture. The set included “Sorry,” “Insects,” “Spider-Man Main Title,” “This Is Halloween,” “Beetlejuice Theme,” “The Simpsons Theme,” “Batman / Batman Returns,” “Who Do You Want To Be” and “No One Lives Forever.”
What made the performance work was the contrast between the heavy rock band and the orchestra and choir behind it. The guitars and drums gave the show a real concert feel, while the orchestral arrangements added a much larger cinematic dimension. Elfman himself moved between those worlds naturally, never making the set feel like a simple collection of soundtrack highlights.
The crowd reaction was especially noticeable when the familiar themes appeared. You could hear people recognizing the songs almost immediately, even before the arrangements fully developed.
For a festival already moving between indie rock, punk and alternative sounds, Danny Elfman offered something completely unexpected. It was theatrical without feeling like a gimmick, and it gave Day One a memorable change of pace before The Strokes closed the night.
THE STROKES
By the time The Strokes walked onto the Peachtree Stage, there was no question what everyone had been waiting for. The crowd had been building throughout the afternoon, and closing our first day of Shaky Knees with the New York rock band felt like a natural way to bring everything together.
Julian Casablancas appeared in his usual unmistakable style, moving through the set with the relaxed attitude that has become part of The Strokes’ identity. Albert Hammond Jr., Nikolai Fraiture, Fabrizio Moretti and Steve Schiltz kept the music tight behind him, giving the songs that familiar combination of sharp guitar lines, steady rhythms and loose confidence.
The setlist moved comfortably between newer material and songs fans have carried with them for years. “Lonely in the Future,” “Hard To Explain,” “Going Shopping,” “Someday,” “You Only Live Once,” “The Adults Are Talking,” “Last Nite,” and “Reptilia” gave the crowd plenty to sing back.
There was something fun about watching people around us react differently to each song. Some fans were waiting for the older classics, while others were just as engaged when the newer material came around. By the time “Last Nite” and “Reptilia” arrived, the field was fully locked in.
The Strokes didn’t need to overdo the production or explain the moment. The songs were enough. Casablancas’ casual stage presence contrasted nicely with the size of the crowd, and the band let its catalog do most of the talking.
After a day that moved from Ben Howard’s atmosphere to Hot Mulligan’s chaos, Geese’s improvisation, Turnstile’s release and Danny Elfman’s darker edge, The Strokes gave Day One the ending everyone came for.
Walking away from Piedmont Park after Day One, it was hard to pick just one moment that defined the day. That was probably the best part.
The day kept changing shape. Ben Howard gave the afternoon a thoughtful opening, then Hot Mulligan immediately brought the first wave of chaos. Geese stretched their songs beyond the expected, Turnstile turned the crowd into an active part of the performance, and Danny Elfman brought a darker edge before The Strokes took over the final stretch of the night.
You could hear people talking about different things as they made their way out. Some were still discussing the mosh pits at Turnstile. Others were talking about Geese’s extended moments or how good Fontaines D.C. sounded. And, of course, plenty of people were still singing Strokes songs as they headed away from the park. That variety is what made the first day work so well.
It wasn’t one long buildup to a headliner. It was a series of very different performances that kept changing the mood around Piedmont Park. By the end, everyone had their own favorite moment.
For us, that made Day One feel less like simply checking bands off a schedule and more like experiencing everything Shaky Knees had to offer, one stage at a time.
