A reunited Alabama Shakes rock The Mann

Almost ten years to the day from their last Philadelphia appearance, Alabama Shakes took the stage of the Mann Center — the same venue they played in support of their acclaimed 2015 album Sound & Color.

It’s a record that broke the band to a whole other realm of renown; it took them from being promising a roots / Americana four-piece to internationally loved, genre-blurring, Grammy-winning stars. It was also the final entry in the Alabama Shakes catalog until now; the band parted ways in 2018, and frontperson Brittany Howard embarked on a successful solo career, as well as collaborative projects like Thunderbitch and Bermuda Triangle.

At last night’s concert, the reunited and rejuvenated band took their Philly fans on a tremendous ride, playing almost the entirety of Sound & Colour on a set wrapped in ivy vines and bathed in moody multicolored spotlights. Howard’s voice sounded strong and self-assured, and her and the band confidently shared new music with fans — the new single “Another Life” — as well as highlight from their XPN-favorite debut record, Boys & Girls.

Before the show, Howard sat down with WXPN program director Jim McGuinn to chat about how the tour has been going. The band played a high-octane set the night before at Forest Hills Stadium, and they showed up energized to Philly. When McGuinn asked if the tour had them feeling nervous like a first date, or comfortable like a good pair of slippers, Howard had a very descriptive answer: “it’s kind of like you can’t find your slippers, but you’re walking around the house looking for ’em, and you’re like, I think I put them over here. Oh yeah, there they are. You slip ’em on. And they’re this familiar feeling.”

Howard said it’s been incredibly fun to play their songs not just for the longtime devotees, but for newer fans who learned about the band after their breakup. They have “been waiting to see us for like eight years or more. You know, some folks never had a chance, but enjoyed our music, and now we’re coming back around again. All these folks are coming out and it’s like so infectious. Seeing the joy and hearing everyone sing the songs back to us, it’s like it’s really emotional sometimes.”

Howard says she appreciates having the reliability of bandmates Zac Cockrell (bassist) and Heath Fogg (guitarist) in her creative life again, and contrasts the difference with her solo career and the band by saying “When you’re a solo artist, you are making all these really big decisions for yourself. And it can be really exhilarating because it’s like, you know, my ship sails because of me, or it sinks because of me, and the wins are really meaningful.

“And I feel like when you’re with a group, it’s like now you have a team. You can ask their opinions, what do you guys think is the best thing to do? And it’s also really exhilarating. It’s really nice to do this as a team and to have this pride as a team.”

With the crowd filling the Mann Center’s pavilion and far out onto the lawn, Howard spoke of the importance of bringing people together, “especially in times like these where it’s like, you know, the world seems like a very overwhelming place right now. And bringing people together in these rooms, it’s just like a little moment of solace where everyone can agree on one thing, which is like, we wanna be here and join this music. And that’s been really, really special. And I think it’s good for the fans, but it’s also really good for us too.”

She reflects on the first time Alabama Shakes was together, and the constant grind that their career was. “I was much younger back then when we were touring and stuff, and I think we hit it hard. We like toured really hard. And it was exhausting. I think taking this break was really important for creativity’s sake and for that feeling of wanting to be here.

“And, and of course I’ve always been grateful, but it’s different now that I’m older and I’m happy to look around and see everyone’s still here, everyone’s still healthy, like kind of like a second chance, which I don’t know if that happens a lot. And it’s been amazing, and I’m so grateful for the experience.”

Opening the night for Alabama Shakes was The Budos Band, the New York City instrumental jam outfit inspired by Afrobeat, soul, and groove-oriented rock. Their seventh album, VII, released earlier this year on Diamond West Records. The tour continues this weekend at The Anthem in Washington D.C., before heading south and west, wrapping up their North American reunion run in the fall. Full dates can be found here.