Alabama Shakes Must’ve Had Us Dreaming at MTELUS

I couldn’t have thought of anywhere more perfect to be than at MTELUS on Tuesday night about to see to Alabama Shakes after the longest shift of my life. I may or may not have arrived 40 minutes too early, witnessing the crowd slowly trickle in, get their drinks and fill the room. There was a wide demographic of fans who had all come united in the same anticipation; to see Alabama Shakes live.

Debuting in 2009, the Alabama-born trio blends soul and blues rock all with their unmistakable southern charm. With the electric Brittany Howard on lead vocals and guitar, groovy Heath Frogg also on guitar and Zac Cockrell always steady on bass, the group has won four Grammys and been on soundtracks of Academy Award winning films. Needless to say, they have left a mark on the contemporary culture of rock.

The evening began with Emily King coming on to warm up the stage with her acoustic set. The singer-songwriter from New York also featured two backup vocalists for a few of her songs. The blend of voices was so smooth live, but what stood out to me was the audience laughing at the first turn of lyrics in “BYIMM” when they realized that the wonderful partner she had been singing about in the song was actually herself. While I was focused on the musicianship of the performance, it made me realize how actively the audience was following the lyrics.

Finally, Alabama Shakes came on stage one by one and immediately kickstarted the night with “Future People”. Right away, the energy was cranked to one hundred and you could feel how hungry the crowd was for a good time. When the lights all came on, you could see the stage adorned with huge clouds hanging, preparing us for a ride into a surrealist dream world. Their latest album title, I Must Be Dreaming, was oh so fitting, because all I kept thinking was “I must be dreaming”. 

Their addictiveness live was thanks to the full house band that had three backup vocalists, two keys players, and a drummer. I always love to listen to an artist before and after a concert, but the studio versions felt almost dry compared to how loud and explosive it was to hear live.

One key weapon to their magic is undoubtedly, frontwoman Brittany Howard. Her vocals alone provide a perfect balance of raspy and ragged yet velvety and polished. They were the catalyst to the band’s presence. The funk and groove that they deliver is definitely enough to get your feet moving, but it’s not an understatement to say that Brittany Howard is an absolute powerhouse of a talent. 

Their whole set was electric from start to finish, especially the encore, which came back around with a fresh load of adrenaline. However, a highlight of the evening was hearing the live version of one of my personal favourite songs of theirs, “Time.” Though the studio version is already eclectic, soulful and psychedelic, their extended performance of it went on with improvisations charged with a heightened punch of feeling and grit. It was definitely the catalyst of the night for me and a rendition I kept thinking about on my commute home.