Performances at Shaky Knees were stopped and crowds were evacuated Saturday evening as lightning was seen in the area and rain fell over Piedmont Park.
After a hot first day featuring Cartel, Geese, Snow Strippers, Alice Phoebe Lou, Fontaines D.C. and the Strokes, Shaky Knees returned to Atlanta’s Piedmont Park on Saturday with a packed lineup — including Athens band Hotel Fiction; The Rapture; Peach Pit; Blood Orange; Taking Back Sunday; Pierce the Veil; The Prodigy; Pavement; and Twenty One Pilots.
Follow along all weekend for live updates, artist performances, interviews and more.
UK singer and producer Blood Orange performed at the Piedmont stage at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. However, his set was canceled three songs in due to storms in the area.
"Sad we couldn't give a real show," the artist wrote in an Instagram story shortly after. "Stay safe."
A dozen festivalgoers fleeing the thunderstorm took refuge in the loading dock of a hotel as the rain poured down.
Navy Eger of Powder Springs said the evacuation made sense, but she said the festival should be allowed to continue once the heavy weather passes. “Beyond that, safety is the most important thing,” she told the AJC's Chris Joyner.
Nearby, the line at Willy's Mexicana Grill & Howlin' Willy's, next to the Piedmont Ave. NE entrance to Shaky Knees, is out the door, and the area under the restaurant’s awning has filled with people in ponchos taking shelter, reports the AJC's Yvonne Zusel.
Photos of the scene:
Festivalgoers filed out of Shaky Knees on Saturday evening after as severe weather moved into the area.
Organizers made the decision to evacuate Piedmont Park following an initial weather delay.
The Shaky Knees music festival has been temporarily paused for severe weather in the area.
Festival organizers stopped acts mid-performance around 6:40 p.m. and urged festival goers to seek shelter, AJC reporters at the festival said. Lightening was seen in the area.
Near the end of Peach Pit’s 4:30 p.m. set, a “weather in the area” message set against a teal background flashed on a giant screen as the sky darkened.
The same message was flashed on other screens at the festival Saturday afternoon.
As of 6:30 p.m., no announcements had been made regarding delaying or canceling sets, though thunderstorms were part of the weather forecast earlier in the day.
A large crowd was still gathered in front of the Piedmont stage for Blood Orange’s 6:30p set
Check back here for updates on weather and potential schedule changes.
We've about halfway through Shaky Knees 2026 with many more exciting acts to come Saturday night and Sunday. Take a look at some of the sights from earlier Saturday.
Canadian indie pop quartet Peach Pit hit the Peachtree stage at 4:30 p.m. and rose to the occasion in spite of blistering heat that refused to quit. It was their second appearance at Shaky Knees, following their debut in 2019 (on a smaller stage).
The group opened with theatrical “Everything About You” featuring a dramatic fiddle, before merging into the sweet pop of “Black Licorice,” the jangly “What Once Was” and the tropical-tinged “Techno Show.”
Smith thanked the crowd for sticking with the band through the heat, before noting that many in the front were likely in place for Pierce the Veil and Twenty One Pilots, bands set to play the stage later in the evening.
“I know you’ve been waiting for a long time, and I’m sorry we’re playing right now,” he said.
Halfway through the set, a cloud finally partially eclipsed the sun and a light breeze came through, providing a few minutes of relief.
“It’s a tiny little cloud, but it’s so strong,” lead singer Neil Smith said.
The cooler temps and more ethereal numbers like “Give Up Baby Go,” “Up Granville” and the rueful “Shampoo Bottles” provided a nice reprieve for a band that brought all the energy, even when no one would have blamed them for flagging.
Dance punk legends The Rapture, who shot to fame in the early 2000s NYC scene that included last night’s headliners The Strokes, danced on to the Peachtree Stage for a 3:45 p.m. set.
Now featuring original front man Luke Jenner and newer members, the band played on one of the mid-2000s most celebrated tours, the Robert Smith-curated "Curiosa" which also boasted The Cure, Interpol and Muse.
Jenner’s wailing voice, in fine form, wrapped around guitar feedback and a bouncy beat to announce the group’s signature sound in short order.
“Heaven” sounded stellar, with Jenner and his bassist harmonizing perfectly. The singer said very little to those gathered, choosing to maximize the band’s 45-minute time slot and keep the groove going. He did acknowledge some fans from Japan and commented briefly on the heat before jumping back into the music.
Another highlight was “In The Grace Of Your Love,” the title track of the group’s third (and most recent) album, from 2011. With its insistent organ groove, “Killing” got even the most tired festival goers up to dance along.
Similar to the crowd that came out for My Chemical Romance last year, Twenty One Pilots fans turned out early in theatrical getups expressing their love for the Saturday headliners.
Dana Vanderveer and Dylan Collins drove nine hours from Virginia to see the band for the first time.
Annabelle Krook from Greenville, South Carolina, was gearing up to see the band for the seventh time.
“It’s so fun seeing everyone dressed up, “ she said.
Ashlynn Brushwood came from Wisconsin specifically to see Twenty One Pilots.
“We’re seeing a couple of people, but we’re really just here for them, “ she said.
Twenty One Pilots hits the Peachtree stage at 9:30 p.m.
It’s about 9,000 degrees at Shaky Knees right now (only a slight exaggeration).
Pro tip: There’s a giant fan misting water in front of the Slushie booth near the Peachtree stage. Thirty seconds standing in front of it with your eyes closed should refresh you for at least a few minutes.
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