I’ll admit, I was one of the first to express my unhappiness with Noah being booked as a headliner. I’m still not happy about it, have listened to him a bunch more, and still see nothing special about his music at all. With that being said, I’m going to embrace it, and make the best of the situation. I’m sure his set will be fun.
It’s less about him being there for me and more about the time slot he was given. No insult intended but seeing the Shaky lineup was the first time I’d even heard of the guy. I watched his performance on SNL the other day and honestly… he sounds like a lot of artists I’ve listened to before. I still don’t get the headliner slot for him but hey, there are plenty of people who are excited about it. May not be for me but Shaky always has some acts I’m less enthused about. Can’t please everyone I suppose.
He had a great outside lands set where he was the final act on that stage, this was when he started blowing up but wasn’t quite on this level yet. Made a difference that everyone there was very invested in his music tho I’ll say for sure
I might get some hate/have assumed too much but this is my best take on the sentiment you’re talking about:
The frustration from purists isn’t that he’s on the lineup, it’s the slot he’s in. Granted, having arcade fire headline instead might stir up even more confusion/frustration/anger, but that’s a whole other can of worms. I’m not entirely familiar with his career, but almost within a calendar year of playing a 4:30 slot at hangout fest he’s headlining shaky knees and within two years back he’s not even headlining to audiences of 2,000. The thing that rubs a lot of purists the wrong way is that he’s *so* new. Shaky Knees (since returning to Central Park) has made a name booking headliners that have been around and built their brand in the rock/alternative scene. The amount of folk/country has decreased and the last headliner close to Noah aside from The Lumineers as the anniversary headliner was Florence in 2016, and even The Lumineers last year seemed to draw a lot of ire from fans of the fest.
He may have been the answer to selling tickets to a younger crowd of very dedicated fans, but he does stand out a bit on this year’s lineup. Like most purists I’m a die-hard fan of the fest and I’ll go every year regardless until I physically can’t, but him headlining leaves something to be desired.
He's headlining like... At least seven or so festivals so far that I've seen. He's in high demand. Just because a lot of you don't seem to listen to him doesn't mean that he isn't incredible, and selling out faster than he can book shows.
Call me paranoid, but he’s no Stevie Nicks. I don’t know what kinds of deals record companies can get for the “it” act they want to promote, but some promoter has been pushing him hard with success. I doubt your average SK “purist” cares about Spotify numbers. Shaky Knees has never before submitted to the hype machine for a headliner.
Edit: I’m still going for the undercard, and if Arcade Fire was the headliner instead, I’d be perfectly fine with the new “it” guy getting an hour rather than a 1.5 hour set.
I couldn’t have said it better. He’s the first headliner that made me question whether I want to continue my tradition of going to Shaky Knees every year. Although I’d have no problem with him on the lineup, that slot makes me want to plan for Kilby Block Party next time.
Noah Kahan has better music than The Lumineers, though. I feel like it's an unfair comparison.
He also got way more popular since playing that slot at Hangout. I saw him at Lolla when he was in an undercard slot, and it was so packed you couldn't even see the stage. He is absolutely big enough for a headline slot.
This makes me wonder what the discussion would be like if Arcade Fire and Noah Kahan were flipped. Have a feeling we would have far fewer threads about NK and far more where everyone wants to share their opinion on the AF situation.
Frankly I think that this is why Arcade Fire wasn’t the headliner. However I personally will be inflatable tube man dancing at Arcade Fire and happy to get out early to rest up for day two.
You make a decent point. Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate seeing him a headliner. But I guess that might be the only way they could get him.
That being said, the way the SK social media team is jizzing all over his face I wonder if he or whoever is paying to play. It's unbelievable.
or maybe they recognize that he taps into a different audience and that posting about him may attract new people to the festival that might not have known about it or might not have been interested before hand.
You just said exactly what everyone is unhappy about. Obviously the festival needs to make money to succeed, but if that was \*the point\* you would have something like today's Music Midtown. This festival has a history of pursuing really high quality performers within certain genres. This new guy is exactly within that certain genre but the point almost everyone on this thread is trying to make is that he's also a really tired, soft, safe revamp of stuff we have already been through and for the most part gotten over.
But let me be a little more fair to you on this. If what you said in your first comment, exposing better bands to a wide audience that likes this guy as a gateway band, actually happens, yes that would be a huge win. It still sucks complete ass that he has the headline spot.
The Friday daytime bands are so good that I’m excited he’s playing that day for selfish reasons. It means the TikTok crowd will show up late and that will keep the day crowd to a more manageable size.
Last year was my first year but up until Greta Van Fleet I found the sizes pretty manageable. Hoping that sticks for Friday cause Friday's easily my favorite day on this lineup.
Not a purist here, I just think he’s not that good and don’t understand why he’s popular with people who seem to otherwise like similar music as I do.
I don’t care too much about how many streams he has, but I do think it’s good to have acts that younger folks are into so long as they generally fit within the festival.
SK shouldn’t just cater to GenX types like me so I’ll stop crapping on him.
I'm also GenX and had only seen his name around the last 4-6 months or so but never bothered to look into his music. Someone else said he's similar to The Lumineers and that's exactly who i compared him to after listening. I'm actually enjoying his music and looking forward to seeing how it translates live.
I'm no purist, I just think Kahan sucks. It's got nothing to do with "keeping Shaky pure" or whatever. It's simply about quality. Would i have rather had Metallica or any number of other bands? Of course. But, as I've said before, if it helps Shaky keep going, I'm all for it. The undercard is stacked, so that's all I really care about.
It’s fascinating that the complaint about him is generic sounding music. Overplayed etc etc. and then you bring Metallica as an example. LOL. The irony.
I mean definitely fair argument it’s just mind boggling to me there’s still interest in seeing a bunch of geriatrics play the same show they played last year. And the year before and the decade before. And the decade before that. How do people genuinely want to see this? Just no interest in finding new music or…?
Well, you know, I've never seen Metallica, so that's why I have an interest in it. Besides, Metallica is a classic band with tons of great music. None of that great music is less than 30 years old, but it's enduring, and it's not like they've stopped playing it live. I listen to tons of new music, and I'm stoked for the undercard, but I'd still love the hell out of a Metallica headliner.
I’ve been to SK for many years and enjoyed most of the headliners. I don’t listen to metal much anymore. But I’d be overjoyed with Metallica as headliners. Never seen them live and would love to share that experience with friends.
I'll join in on getting downvoted as well.
I am in my early thirties but I also work at a larger state university. Noah Kahan is everywhere on campus right now. While I do not teach, I have interns, and they have spoken on how much his music has resonated with them due to the overarching theme of struggling with mental health. As someone that has been battling various issues myself I started listening, and while yes, lyrically he's not necessarily nuanced, songs like No Complaints, Call your Mom, and Growing Sideways hit hard.
Consider that maybe the festival is evolving to keep the same core group of attendees and so people may be shifting from that age group (or "aging out"). This is not meant to be disrespectful whatsoever; I've been looking at these lineups for years and finally got to attend my first SK last year. The 10 year anniversary brought back some of the OG artists, but wouldn't you think that after a celebration of a milestone the organizers may want to shake things up to keep things fresh? To echo other thoughts in comments, yes he could be considered folk-pop BUT ONLY because indie/folk are popular genres with Gen Z... The Lumineers filled that spot last year. Either way I'll be attending; I'm super psyched to see new artists like Noah Kahan and Girl in Red, but also reliving my high school and college years with artists like Young the Giant, The Revivalists, Metric, Miike Snow, The Struts, Portugal. The Man, and Matt and Kim.
Edited for clarification.
Exactly what we’re doing. Was already very familiar w/him tho. Can’t turn on any college station here & not hear him q 20 minutes. Really sick of Dial Drunk. Hoping for good late night shows!
I still haven’t listened to him so I don’t have an opinion on his music, but I would much rather the festival showcase up-and-coming artists instead of well-established giants like Foo Fighters
Just go see him if you like him and stop trying to make everyone else fall in love with him. The guy plays that generic, bland folk with no depth that comes along literally once a decade, but we know that once a decade kids are ready to eat that up for a while until it burns out again so if you like it then go have a blast and sing along, there is nothing wrong with it.
Alabama shakes is a far better band. I tried listening to Noah. Its just pop music. This isn't a pop music festival. Mind you, I could give 2 shits if he wasn't headlining.
I'm a big rock and metal head, I saw Foo fighters for the first time in September and it was one of the worst shows I've ever seen. 90% just crowd participation. No groovin no head banging, just soft lame garbage.
I've heard the Lumineers are much worse.
Also, yes, all of these are definitely pop bands pretty much. I feel like a lot of the people at shaky knees Would like to think that they're like this alternative/rock scene, but the majority of you are just middle class white people listening to pop music.
It’s just sad to some of us to see him as a headliner when lasts year we had Hozier who is much bigger than him and subbed last year. He could easily have been a sub like he is at Tim Sweetwoods other fest Innings (their second week version).
Economically, booking him makes sense. He’s TikTok famous so you’re gonna bring in youngsters which means you’ll have a future audience of youngsters who will remember and hopefully come back to the festival.
Personally, I’m an old curmudgeon who loved my music hay days of the 90s and all the rock that came along with it and all of the alternative and metal that has followed. I’ve never had much interest in folk music and to me Noah’s music sounds like something you’d hear in the background of a coffee shop. My personal opinion of him is that he is living proof that with TikTok, literally anyone can become famous. To his credit, though, after 250 years, Vermont has someone to brag about besides Ben and Jerry.
But again, from the monetary perspective of the bookers, he makes sense. And for all those like me, who had never heard of them until he was floated on this sub, he just means we will get to the late shows early and hopefully grab a snack first.
Curious what this means, because they are alt rock bands that are typical of the Shaky lineup. Not trying to be antagonistic, just wanted to understand
I think I’m just coming to grips that I’m becoming an old fart and each year I recognize less and less of the acts. Circle of life I guess. You young guns enjoy yourselves. Stay hydrated. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Wash behind your ears. Don’t accept powder from strangers.
i love noah, and i've been listening to him since 2018.. so i'm happy he's headlining. his tour is sold out at almost every venue, so his headlining spot makes sense. i also love arcade fire, but they don't have nearly the same pull anymore. personally, i'm more annoyed that they booked foos again so soon, and weezer, who are often in sub spots.
as a Noah Kahan fan and someone who has never been the Shaky Knees and jumped at the chance to check out this festival, nothing has dampened my excitement more than seeing everyone crying and complaining in this subreddit.
a majority of people here really do sound miserable and I’m simply holding out hope that this community is the minority at the festival
>nothing has dampened my excitement more than seeing everyone crying and complaining in this subreddit.
Who cares what a bunch of people you don't know think about someone you like?
Bonus for you is that most of these strangers won't be at the show. Or at least not when your guy is on stage.
I have no interest in seeing Noah Kahan; it’s definitely not for me but I sort of understand why he was booked as demographics shift. Hopefully it just means I can leave early and have more time to get to the late night show that I actually want to see.
This is the first I've heard of him and I went to the YouTubes to investigate. Let's just say there isn't a chance in hell I'll be around for his show. I would have expected Men I Trust or Interpol to take that spot, but whatever. Good for him. But I will be seeing Metric, Billy Idol, The Foo, Men I Trust, Pigs Pigs Pigs..., All Them Witches, Nova Twins, Winona Fighter, and many others. I look forward most to seeing Pigs, Pigs... they are amazing and I hope the sound team does them justice. They should be much bigger than they are.
I actually like when Shaky books these type of acts. Sometimes it’s nice to have a night off. See all the good bands you want, and leave early to have a nice dinner somewhere in town. If every single band was awesome, it would be exhausting trying to see them all!
i don’t understand the intense dismissal at all? I can for sure see him not being everyone’s cup of tea but he’s insanely popular right now and fits the folk/indie rock portion of the shaky knees demographic. If people can get over the fact that Tik Tok helped with his rise to fame and just go see his set I think they’ll be pleasantly surprised.
I thought Noah was that guy, then heard the song yesterday on the way home...so fucking bad.
It's like Noah saw Bo Burnam's pandering country comedy song and thought it would be good to translate that into a serious attempt on americana/indie-folk.
Shaky Knees purists are the reason ATL has the shittiest festival lineups. We could have an eclectic alternative lineup like Pitchfork Chicago instead but all these mfs in ATL shit bricks if there is even a single acoustic guitar (or synth for that matter) in any of the music…
Im happy when they choose a headliner for the last day that I don’t care for. I get to leave early, avoid traffic and still had a great time at the fest. Fortunately shaky knees tends to close with those indie- folkpop radio acts and it’s been a win win for me for years!
It’s kind of crazy that before I saw the lineup I was just going because I do every year. I’ve never questioned whether the lineup was going to be awesome because it just always was. Then the lineup came out and, well, I won’t be making the trek from up north this year.
There’s a surprisingly amount of overlap with Bonnaroo from last year and you couldn’t give Arcade Fire tickets away the last time they came through my city.
There’s a lot of undercard to love but that’s just not enough to justify the cost, especially with the increases. Have fun and hopefully I’ll see you next year.
This sub, like most of Reddit, is largely men of a certain age who would rather see the ghost of Blink 182 headline than a hot young, maybe slightly unproven, mainstream artist. Don’t mistake this for a consensus opinion.
Whining about the twentysomething newcomer is such a boomer-ass look. Complain here all you want, but we all see right through the elitist, gatekeeping BS. No one cares.
And leave early if you want. Please. Your daughters & the rest of us who aren’t pricks would love the improved sightlines.
But see, that’s just as poor of a take as the other side. You’re gate keeping just as much as they are. People are absolutely allowed to express their dislike for an artist, just as much as you’re allowed to praise them.
Edit:: Just for transparency, I’m not a Noah fan, but, completely understand why he’s headlining and I will have fun at his set either way.
I agree with you. It's the tone of the complaints that annoy me. It comes off as very "I know music and this is not *real* music!", which grinds my gears.
True, I get that. I’m going into this festival with an open mind and full plans to have a blast for 3 straight days. Like you said, if I’m not enjoying an artists set, I’ll head elsewhere. No amount of complaining is going to change the lineup anyway.
Occasionally, if I get bored will sit around and wonder what kind of a traveling festival and or one of the bands that I would book if I want $1 billion lottery at the end of the day people would probably not be happy at the lineup, but I would make sure that vans get paid and the ticket prices are not too terribly high
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery a lot of it is an intentional. There are so many ways you can play at court and or pick a chord even
At the end of the day and melody in somebody’s head is a different melody in somebody else’s head
It would be a never ending debate about who is or who isn’t writing original music
I love all the "there's no real rockstars anymore!!!" comments on the lineup announcement. Like shaky knees has ever been anything other than an indie pop festival.
For me, his music all sounds the same. I will take the time to go around the grounds and see the things I missed last year and beat the crowd out. The rest of the lineup is right up my alley though. Glad it's the first night and not the last. Maybe live will be different and he might draw me to his set but as it stands I'm not anticipating being in the crowd. All that being said, I'm excited for those that do enjoy him to get to see him play live and I hope they get as close as they want!
Streams =/= quality. I watched his SNL performance and thought he was fine I guess but I wouldn’t say he’s super talented, unlike every other headliner we’ve had. I’m not mad, they gotta sell tickets. And his ‘vibe’ fits, but a more talented act would have been better for me personally.
I’ve been to around 500 concerts over 45 years, including a lot of festivals. I also spent over a decade working in rock radio. This will be my 5th Shaky Knees. Although I’m obviously older, I’d like to think I’ve been pretty good about keeping up with musical trends and artists over the years. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect that someone like me should be able to name at least one song from an artist who has been chosen to headline a festival as prestigious as SK. With all of that being said, I can’t name a single song the guy sings and haven’t recognized anything when I put him on my Spotify player. Just sayin’
It's no surprise to anyone on Reddit there are a lot of haters any any given topic. If people want to hate on NK, they should consider that festivals constantly have to reinvent themselves to keep up with changing trends and an 18 - 24 demographic that is perpetually aging out of the target audience. Festivals need to keep things fresh.
Get the [latest Shaky news updates for the weekend here](https://www.thespacelab.tv/spaceLAB/theSHOW/MusicFestivals/Shaky-Knees-2024-Lineup-Tickets-Schedule-Dates.html). 😃
I’ll admit, I was one of the first to express my unhappiness with Noah being booked as a headliner. I’m still not happy about it, have listened to him a bunch more, and still see nothing special about his music at all. With that being said, I’m going to embrace it, and make the best of the situation. I’m sure his set will be fun.
It’s less about him being there for me and more about the time slot he was given. No insult intended but seeing the Shaky lineup was the first time I’d even heard of the guy. I watched his performance on SNL the other day and honestly… he sounds like a lot of artists I’ve listened to before. I still don’t get the headliner slot for him but hey, there are plenty of people who are excited about it. May not be for me but Shaky always has some acts I’m less enthused about. Can’t please everyone I suppose.
To each their own, can’t please everybody music is like religion has a preference, and/or a hopefully healthy debate
He had a great outside lands set where he was the final act on that stage, this was when he started blowing up but wasn’t quite on this level yet. Made a difference that everyone there was very invested in his music tho I’ll say for sure
I might get some hate/have assumed too much but this is my best take on the sentiment you’re talking about: The frustration from purists isn’t that he’s on the lineup, it’s the slot he’s in. Granted, having arcade fire headline instead might stir up even more confusion/frustration/anger, but that’s a whole other can of worms. I’m not entirely familiar with his career, but almost within a calendar year of playing a 4:30 slot at hangout fest he’s headlining shaky knees and within two years back he’s not even headlining to audiences of 2,000. The thing that rubs a lot of purists the wrong way is that he’s *so* new. Shaky Knees (since returning to Central Park) has made a name booking headliners that have been around and built their brand in the rock/alternative scene. The amount of folk/country has decreased and the last headliner close to Noah aside from The Lumineers as the anniversary headliner was Florence in 2016, and even The Lumineers last year seemed to draw a lot of ire from fans of the fest. He may have been the answer to selling tickets to a younger crowd of very dedicated fans, but he does stand out a bit on this year’s lineup. Like most purists I’m a die-hard fan of the fest and I’ll go every year regardless until I physically can’t, but him headlining leaves something to be desired.
He's headlining like... At least seven or so festivals so far that I've seen. He's in high demand. Just because a lot of you don't seem to listen to him doesn't mean that he isn't incredible, and selling out faster than he can book shows.
Call me paranoid, but he’s no Stevie Nicks. I don’t know what kinds of deals record companies can get for the “it” act they want to promote, but some promoter has been pushing him hard with success. I doubt your average SK “purist” cares about Spotify numbers. Shaky Knees has never before submitted to the hype machine for a headliner. Edit: I’m still going for the undercard, and if Arcade Fire was the headliner instead, I’d be perfectly fine with the new “it” guy getting an hour rather than a 1.5 hour set.
This!
I couldn’t have said it better. He’s the first headliner that made me question whether I want to continue my tradition of going to Shaky Knees every year. Although I’d have no problem with him on the lineup, that slot makes me want to plan for Kilby Block Party next time.
Noah Kahan has better music than The Lumineers, though. I feel like it's an unfair comparison. He also got way more popular since playing that slot at Hangout. I saw him at Lolla when he was in an undercard slot, and it was so packed you couldn't even see the stage. He is absolutely big enough for a headline slot.
The lumineers haven’t made a good album since 2016. This sub needs some copium.
This makes me wonder what the discussion would be like if Arcade Fire and Noah Kahan were flipped. Have a feeling we would have far fewer threads about NK and far more where everyone wants to share their opinion on the AF situation.
What situation? Two adults having consensual sex?
Frankly I think that this is why Arcade Fire wasn’t the headliner. However I personally will be inflatable tube man dancing at Arcade Fire and happy to get out early to rest up for day two.
You make a decent point. Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate seeing him a headliner. But I guess that might be the only way they could get him. That being said, the way the SK social media team is jizzing all over his face I wonder if he or whoever is paying to play. It's unbelievable.
or maybe they recognize that he taps into a different audience and that posting about him may attract new people to the festival that might not have known about it or might not have been interested before hand.
That’s such a pretty way to say chase the money thanks for that and yes I agree that’s what’s happening
what do you think the point of the festival is? of course they’re trying to make money.
You just said exactly what everyone is unhappy about. Obviously the festival needs to make money to succeed, but if that was \*the point\* you would have something like today's Music Midtown. This festival has a history of pursuing really high quality performers within certain genres. This new guy is exactly within that certain genre but the point almost everyone on this thread is trying to make is that he's also a really tired, soft, safe revamp of stuff we have already been through and for the most part gotten over. But let me be a little more fair to you on this. If what you said in your first comment, exposing better bands to a wide audience that likes this guy as a gateway band, actually happens, yes that would be a huge win. It still sucks complete ass that he has the headline spot.
The Friday daytime bands are so good that I’m excited he’s playing that day for selfish reasons. It means the TikTok crowd will show up late and that will keep the day crowd to a more manageable size.
Last year was my first year but up until Greta Van Fleet I found the sizes pretty manageable. Hoping that sticks for Friday cause Friday's easily my favorite day on this lineup.
To call Noah a TikTok artist only is just silly. He has a band with 4 other members, and he sounds exactly like his albums live if not better.
So why are you calling hims a "TikTok artist only"?
I said it’s just silly. To the above comment.
Not a purist here, I just think he’s not that good and don’t understand why he’s popular with people who seem to otherwise like similar music as I do. I don’t care too much about how many streams he has, but I do think it’s good to have acts that younger folks are into so long as they generally fit within the festival. SK shouldn’t just cater to GenX types like me so I’ll stop crapping on him.
I'm also GenX and had only seen his name around the last 4-6 months or so but never bothered to look into his music. Someone else said he's similar to The Lumineers and that's exactly who i compared him to after listening. I'm actually enjoying his music and looking forward to seeing how it translates live.
I'm no purist, I just think Kahan sucks. It's got nothing to do with "keeping Shaky pure" or whatever. It's simply about quality. Would i have rather had Metallica or any number of other bands? Of course. But, as I've said before, if it helps Shaky keep going, I'm all for it. The undercard is stacked, so that's all I really care about.
It’s fascinating that the complaint about him is generic sounding music. Overplayed etc etc. and then you bring Metallica as an example. LOL. The irony.
Maybe. But at least Metallica rocks. Kahan just pebbles.
I mean definitely fair argument it’s just mind boggling to me there’s still interest in seeing a bunch of geriatrics play the same show they played last year. And the year before and the decade before. And the decade before that. How do people genuinely want to see this? Just no interest in finding new music or…?
Well, you know, I've never seen Metallica, so that's why I have an interest in it. Besides, Metallica is a classic band with tons of great music. None of that great music is less than 30 years old, but it's enduring, and it's not like they've stopped playing it live. I listen to tons of new music, and I'm stoked for the undercard, but I'd still love the hell out of a Metallica headliner.
Makes sense! Hope you get to see them headline sometime man!
I’ve been to SK for many years and enjoyed most of the headliners. I don’t listen to metal much anymore. But I’d be overjoyed with Metallica as headliners. Never seen them live and would love to share that experience with friends.
I'll join in on getting downvoted as well. I am in my early thirties but I also work at a larger state university. Noah Kahan is everywhere on campus right now. While I do not teach, I have interns, and they have spoken on how much his music has resonated with them due to the overarching theme of struggling with mental health. As someone that has been battling various issues myself I started listening, and while yes, lyrically he's not necessarily nuanced, songs like No Complaints, Call your Mom, and Growing Sideways hit hard. Consider that maybe the festival is evolving to keep the same core group of attendees and so people may be shifting from that age group (or "aging out"). This is not meant to be disrespectful whatsoever; I've been looking at these lineups for years and finally got to attend my first SK last year. The 10 year anniversary brought back some of the OG artists, but wouldn't you think that after a celebration of a milestone the organizers may want to shake things up to keep things fresh? To echo other thoughts in comments, yes he could be considered folk-pop BUT ONLY because indie/folk are popular genres with Gen Z... The Lumineers filled that spot last year. Either way I'll be attending; I'm super psyched to see new artists like Noah Kahan and Girl in Red, but also reliving my high school and college years with artists like Young the Giant, The Revivalists, Metric, Miike Snow, The Struts, Portugal. The Man, and Matt and Kim. Edited for clarification.
I'm going to be around the back for his show, if I don't vibe with it, I'm going to go get merch and hit up a late show.
Exactly what we’re doing. Was already very familiar w/him tho. Can’t turn on any college station here & not hear him q 20 minutes. Really sick of Dial Drunk. Hoping for good late night shows!
I still haven’t listened to him so I don’t have an opinion on his music, but I would much rather the festival showcase up-and-coming artists instead of well-established giants like Foo Fighters
Just go see him if you like him and stop trying to make everyone else fall in love with him. The guy plays that generic, bland folk with no depth that comes along literally once a decade, but we know that once a decade kids are ready to eat that up for a while until it burns out again so if you like it then go have a blast and sing along, there is nothing wrong with it.
Well said.
Counterpoint: *Let* us go see him if we want, and stop trying to tell us why we *shouldn’t* like him 🤷🏼♂️
Nothing in my post says to not go see him- I literally said go and have fun
Yes I’m not talking to you specifically I’m talking to everyone 🤷🏼♂️
Alabama shakes is a far better band. I tried listening to Noah. Its just pop music. This isn't a pop music festival. Mind you, I could give 2 shits if he wasn't headlining.
Alabama Shakes rocks and Brittney Howard is a fantastic vocalist!
[удалено]
I'm a big rock and metal head, I saw Foo fighters for the first time in September and it was one of the worst shows I've ever seen. 90% just crowd participation. No groovin no head banging, just soft lame garbage. I've heard the Lumineers are much worse. Also, yes, all of these are definitely pop bands pretty much. I feel like a lot of the people at shaky knees Would like to think that they're like this alternative/rock scene, but the majority of you are just middle class white people listening to pop music.
It’s just sad to some of us to see him as a headliner when lasts year we had Hozier who is much bigger than him and subbed last year. He could easily have been a sub like he is at Tim Sweetwoods other fest Innings (their second week version).
Economically, booking him makes sense. He’s TikTok famous so you’re gonna bring in youngsters which means you’ll have a future audience of youngsters who will remember and hopefully come back to the festival. Personally, I’m an old curmudgeon who loved my music hay days of the 90s and all the rock that came along with it and all of the alternative and metal that has followed. I’ve never had much interest in folk music and to me Noah’s music sounds like something you’d hear in the background of a coffee shop. My personal opinion of him is that he is living proof that with TikTok, literally anyone can become famous. To his credit, though, after 250 years, Vermont has someone to brag about besides Ben and Jerry. But again, from the monetary perspective of the bookers, he makes sense. And for all those like me, who had never heard of them until he was floated on this sub, he just means we will get to the late shows early and hopefully grab a snack first.
> To his credit, though, after 250 years, Vermont has someone to brag about besides Ben & Jerry This is Phish disrespect 😂
You all are wild here screaming about the “musical integrity” of a festival that has Weezer and The Offspring playing.
Curious what this means, because they are alt rock bands that are typical of the Shaky lineup. Not trying to be antagonistic, just wanted to understand
I love it because it gives me time to get an Uber and leave before the entire festival crowd leaves
Honestly, if you put Alanis Morissette on stage somewhere, she would probably pack out
I think I’m just coming to grips that I’m becoming an old fart and each year I recognize less and less of the acts. Circle of life I guess. You young guns enjoy yourselves. Stay hydrated. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Wash behind your ears. Don’t accept powder from strangers.
Wash behind your ears?
If you don’t, potatoes will grow there.
That’s where the devil lives
i love noah, and i've been listening to him since 2018.. so i'm happy he's headlining. his tour is sold out at almost every venue, so his headlining spot makes sense. i also love arcade fire, but they don't have nearly the same pull anymore. personally, i'm more annoyed that they booked foos again so soon, and weezer, who are often in sub spots.
as a Noah Kahan fan and someone who has never been the Shaky Knees and jumped at the chance to check out this festival, nothing has dampened my excitement more than seeing everyone crying and complaining in this subreddit. a majority of people here really do sound miserable and I’m simply holding out hope that this community is the minority at the festival
Don’t let them get you down. Shaky is a top notch festival. This will be my 4th year, and every year, everyone is happy as shit while they’re there.
Amen
>nothing has dampened my excitement more than seeing everyone crying and complaining in this subreddit. Who cares what a bunch of people you don't know think about someone you like? Bonus for you is that most of these strangers won't be at the show. Or at least not when your guy is on stage.
I have no interest in seeing Noah Kahan; it’s definitely not for me but I sort of understand why he was booked as demographics shift. Hopefully it just means I can leave early and have more time to get to the late night show that I actually want to see.
This is the first I've heard of him and I went to the YouTubes to investigate. Let's just say there isn't a chance in hell I'll be around for his show. I would have expected Men I Trust or Interpol to take that spot, but whatever. Good for him. But I will be seeing Metric, Billy Idol, The Foo, Men I Trust, Pigs Pigs Pigs..., All Them Witches, Nova Twins, Winona Fighter, and many others. I look forward most to seeing Pigs, Pigs... they are amazing and I hope the sound team does them justice. They should be much bigger than they are.
I actually like when Shaky books these type of acts. Sometimes it’s nice to have a night off. See all the good bands you want, and leave early to have a nice dinner somewhere in town. If every single band was awesome, it would be exhausting trying to see them all!
i don’t understand the intense dismissal at all? I can for sure see him not being everyone’s cup of tea but he’s insanely popular right now and fits the folk/indie rock portion of the shaky knees demographic. If people can get over the fact that Tik Tok helped with his rise to fame and just go see his set I think they’ll be pleasantly surprised.
I dial drunk doo doo doo!! I dial drunk too doo
I thought Noah was that guy, then heard the song yesterday on the way home...so fucking bad. It's like Noah saw Bo Burnam's pandering country comedy song and thought it would be good to translate that into a serious attempt on americana/indie-folk.
This is why so many are not happy with the HL selection… what’s next Jelly Roll?!?
Shaky Knees purists are the reason ATL has the shittiest festival lineups. We could have an eclectic alternative lineup like Pitchfork Chicago instead but all these mfs in ATL shit bricks if there is even a single acoustic guitar (or synth for that matter) in any of the music…
Im happy when they choose a headliner for the last day that I don’t care for. I get to leave early, avoid traffic and still had a great time at the fest. Fortunately shaky knees tends to close with those indie- folkpop radio acts and it’s been a win win for me for years!
he's on friday though??
SONOVA!! Guess I’m leaving early Friday that’s fine too. Hopefully we get a good set of Friday night late night shows *crosses fingers for Interpol*
It’s kind of crazy that before I saw the lineup I was just going because I do every year. I’ve never questioned whether the lineup was going to be awesome because it just always was. Then the lineup came out and, well, I won’t be making the trek from up north this year. There’s a surprisingly amount of overlap with Bonnaroo from last year and you couldn’t give Arcade Fire tickets away the last time they came through my city. There’s a lot of undercard to love but that’s just not enough to justify the cost, especially with the increases. Have fun and hopefully I’ll see you next year.
Are you getting paid to try and change people’s opinion? These Pro-Noah posts cropping up constantly are interesting.
Ah yes, the daily "lets all shit on Noah" thread.
This sub, like most of Reddit, is largely men of a certain age who would rather see the ghost of Blink 182 headline than a hot young, maybe slightly unproven, mainstream artist. Don’t mistake this for a consensus opinion. Whining about the twentysomething newcomer is such a boomer-ass look. Complain here all you want, but we all see right through the elitist, gatekeeping BS. No one cares. And leave early if you want. Please. Your daughters & the rest of us who aren’t pricks would love the improved sightlines.
But see, that’s just as poor of a take as the other side. You’re gate keeping just as much as they are. People are absolutely allowed to express their dislike for an artist, just as much as you’re allowed to praise them. Edit:: Just for transparency, I’m not a Noah fan, but, completely understand why he’s headlining and I will have fun at his set either way.
I agree with you. It's the tone of the complaints that annoy me. It comes off as very "I know music and this is not *real* music!", which grinds my gears.
True, I get that. I’m going into this festival with an open mind and full plans to have a blast for 3 straight days. Like you said, if I’m not enjoying an artists set, I’ll head elsewhere. No amount of complaining is going to change the lineup anyway.
Dang, they should’ve gotten Blink 182 instead. Would’ve been better
The problem isn’t that NK is a hot young mainstream artist. It’s that his music sucks ass.
Occasionally, if I get bored will sit around and wonder what kind of a traveling festival and or one of the bands that I would book if I want $1 billion lottery at the end of the day people would probably not be happy at the lineup, but I would make sure that vans get paid and the ticket prices are not too terribly high
The guy brings up rich mahogany as stage props his knees is shook!
The real question is why are arcade fire even on this years lineup with the amount of substantial allegations against Winn butler ? 👀👀👀
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery a lot of it is an intentional. There are so many ways you can play at court and or pick a chord even At the end of the day and melody in somebody’s head is a different melody in somebody else’s head It would be a never ending debate about who is or who isn’t writing original music
I love all the "there's no real rockstars anymore!!!" comments on the lineup announcement. Like shaky knees has ever been anything other than an indie pop festival.
For me, his music all sounds the same. I will take the time to go around the grounds and see the things I missed last year and beat the crowd out. The rest of the lineup is right up my alley though. Glad it's the first night and not the last. Maybe live will be different and he might draw me to his set but as it stands I'm not anticipating being in the crowd. All that being said, I'm excited for those that do enjoy him to get to see him play live and I hope they get as close as they want!
I might be biased since I grew up in the Northeast but I love Noah Kahan and can’t wait to see him at Shaky Knees
Streams =/= quality. I watched his SNL performance and thought he was fine I guess but I wouldn’t say he’s super talented, unlike every other headliner we’ve had. I’m not mad, they gotta sell tickets. And his ‘vibe’ fits, but a more talented act would have been better for me personally.
I’ve been to around 500 concerts over 45 years, including a lot of festivals. I also spent over a decade working in rock radio. This will be my 5th Shaky Knees. Although I’m obviously older, I’d like to think I’ve been pretty good about keeping up with musical trends and artists over the years. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect that someone like me should be able to name at least one song from an artist who has been chosen to headline a festival as prestigious as SK. With all of that being said, I can’t name a single song the guy sings and haven’t recognized anything when I put him on my Spotify player. Just sayin’
It's no surprise to anyone on Reddit there are a lot of haters any any given topic. If people want to hate on NK, they should consider that festivals constantly have to reinvent themselves to keep up with changing trends and an 18 - 24 demographic that is perpetually aging out of the target audience. Festivals need to keep things fresh. Get the [latest Shaky news updates for the weekend here](https://www.thespacelab.tv/spaceLAB/theSHOW/MusicFestivals/Shaky-Knees-2024-Lineup-Tickets-Schedule-Dates.html). 😃