Alabama Shakes shocked fans in Tuscaloosa, AL on Wednesday night with a surprise reunion for the band’s first show since 2017. The nine-song performance was originally billed as a Brittany Howard solo set at the Bama Theatre as part of the Get Up 3 benefit concert.

Last night marked the third Get Up benefit concert following editions in 2012 and 2013, both headlined by Alabama Shakes. In 2012—after the Athens, GA band’s landmark debut Boys & Girls made them an overnight success—the group was surreptitiously included on the lineup as “Boyz Room.” This year, decorated solo singer-songwriter and Alabama Shakes frontwoman Brittany Howard was the Trojan Horse as she was billed for a “short and intimate set” in support of her Grammy-nominated 2024 sophomore album What Now. Local music magnate Bo Hicks organized all three Get Up concerts, and this latest edition raised funds for Hicks’ Druid City Brewing Company “in their continuing mission to bring the best in live and original music to Tuscaloosa,” per the event website.

Following solo sets by fellow homegrown Alabama artists including Drive-By Truckers’ Mike Cooley, Howard took the stage to close the evening. According to AL.com, after opening with “Short and Sweet” from her 2019 debut Jaime she told the crowd “I forgot my electric guitar” before disappearing into the wings. Before the audience could ponder why she would need an electric guitar for a “short and intimate set,” Howard returned along with her Alabama Shakes bandmates Heath Fogg and Zac Cockrell. Ben Tanner, who has previously toured with Alabama Shakes as a keyboardist, took on drum duties in place of Steve Johnson, who pleaded guilty to violating a domestic violence protection order in 2020. As the reunited lineup took the stage, the LED screen reading “BRITTANY HOWARD” behind the band changed to “ALABAMA SHAKES” and the group charged into their Boys & Girls hit “Hang Loose”.

Alabama Shakes had not performed together since the Oshega Festival in August 2017. In 2018, the band officially went on hiatus so Howard could focus on her solo career, resulting in her instant-classic debut Jaime in 2019. Earlier this year, she followed up Jaime with What Now and which is up for “Best Alternative Music Album” at the 2025 Grammy Awards. In the meantime, Howard announced the launch of a new hardcore band Kumite which will make its live debut in Nashville on January 12th at the Basement East. Howard curated the show herself and assembled the lineup featuring Snõõper, Inner Peace, and Second Spirit.

Returning to the Shakes’ brief-yet-celebrated catalog, the reunited lineup rocketed through a series of oldies before they were gone in a flash. The charged Alabama crowd wasn’t going to let the band off that easy after seven years and following a couple minutes of thunderous applause, Howard returned to the stage and taunted, “Oh, y’all want some more?” The band obliged, firing off chart-topper “Hold On” and “I Ain’t the Same” before Howard once again highlighted the evening’s cause.

“I’ll say this one more time,” she said. “Being a musician and playing live is different nowadays. I’m proud of us for keeping live music alive and supporting each other. We’re gonna be alright.”

Underscoring that promise that everything will turn out alright, the band closed with “Always Alright”. As the crowd roared with approval, Howard declared “We’re Alabama Shakes” as they left the stage. There’s no telling yet whether this will mean more music and shows for the Alabama Shakes or just be a one-off reunion. But, as Howard reminded audiences on Wednesday, “We’re gonna be alright.”

[Video: AL.com]