Day 3 @ Shaky Knees Music Festival – May 15th 2016

Sunday saw Shaky Knees round third and head for home. Day 3 was a bit cooler but it provided the same glorious sunshine as the previous days. It was almost as if the Heavens had bestowed the ultimate festival weather upon founder Tim Sweetwood and his festival organizers. By Sunday, not only were festival staff at the top of their game, but the crowd was also in a groove. The fans now had the lay of the land and knew the ins-and-outs of the festival grounds. Like a plane that had reached its cruising altitude, the seatbelt sign was off and people were free to move about… and that is exactly what they did, catching some stellar last day performances that ranged from introspective and thoughtful, to full on raging rock and roll.

Standouts from day 3 included: Julien Baker delivering her stunning vocals before a large opening set crowd that had her shyly admit she was surprised at how many people came to her performance; Diet Cig became everyone’s new favorite band with a non-stop onslaught of infectious energy and hook laden songs; Jesse Hughes led the Eagles of Death Metal through what can only be described as a rock and roll party that challenged for best set of the weekend honors; Deftones delivered an in your face performance of punky, post-hardcore that had singer Chino Moreno bounding all over the stage; And Florence + The Machine brought the weekend to a rousing conclusion.

At three days, five stages, and more than 70 bands, Shaky Knees has evolved into a formidable juggernaut. In a landscape of increasingly corporatized festivals, it has stayed true to its roots and ultimately remains focused on the music. We are already looking forward to next year!

Photos © Dan Kulpa