Lenny Kravitz, Deftones perform: 7 highlights from Shaky Knees Day 1

In case you missed it, here are seven highlights from Day 1:

Shaky Knees opened under the late afternoon sun, where a sizable crowd hustled in early for Dublin’s Inhaler. Fans were pressed against the rail, singing along like it was already prime time.

Fronted by Elijah Hewson (yep, Bono’s son), the band wears its U2 influence proudly in soaring guitar lines and arena-ready choruses. The band’s set leaned on favorites like “It Won’t Always Be Like This” and “My Honest Face,” equal parts polished and vulnerable. It was a hot, sweaty and earnest opener that made showing up early worth it. — Avery Newmark

Jakob Nowell — who serves as the band’s frontman, carrying on the legacy of his father, Bradley, who died in 1996 — brought both nostalgia and a fresh spark to the catalog. Sing-alongs to “Santeria” and “Doin’ Time” stretched across the park, proving those sun-soaked ska-punk anthems still hit three decades later. In true Atlanta fashion, the band shouted out their visit to Clermont Lounge the night before. — Avery Newmark

Over at the Piedmont stage, Idles turned their hourlong set into pure, sweaty catharsis. Parents with kids on shoulders, punks in black and curious first-timers alike crowded in. A few songs deep, frontman Joe Talbot shared the origin of their song “Mother,” an ode to his own late mother. He rededicated the anthem as a plea for young men to respect women in their own lives — a moment that drew huge cheers.

The set was part punk show, part rally, including songs about anti-fascism, addiction and minimum wage struggles. Talbot even led the crowd to “Get Low” before erupting into chants of “Free Palestine.” The performance was chaotic human, and unforgettable. — Avery Newmark

Shaky Knees is a bigger festival than ever this year, and nowhere is that more apparent than on the full-sized Ponce de Leon stage. With a sizable crowd in the pit and on the hill overlooking the cityscape, Black Francis and crew wasted no time, with the audience exploding just three songs in for “Here Comes Your Man.”

Their hour was a crash course in alt-rock history, rolling from “Monkey Gone to Heaven” to “Where Is My Mind?” with ease. Older fans swayed with beers in hand while younger ones shouted every word — proof that the Pixies remain one of the rare bands able to bridge generations and time. — Avery Newmark

At 7:30 p.m., Lenny Kravitz, wearing black shades and leather jacket over a bronze halter top, hit the Peachtree Stage looking every bit the ageless wonder (though, on paper, he’s actually 61). The legendary rocker opened his hourlong set with “Bring It On.” He also performed older hits like “I Belong to You” and “Fly Away,” much to the delight of the crowd.

A child who could be seen on screen holding a sign that read “Lenny Kravitz’s youngest fan” nearly stole the show. The cute moment ended with Kravitz thanking all of his fans, and issuing an important reminder: “We’re not here to judge. We’re here to love.” — DeAsia Paige

Later in the night, Los Angeles-based band The Marías performed a quieter set. The hushed tone of front woman María Zardoya (who was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Snellville) carried the crowd for songs like “Run Your Mouth,” “Only in My Dreams” and “Back to Me.”

For the duration of their show, the stage was adorned with red and blue lighting, which echoed the color scheme of their albums: red for 2021’s “Cinema” and blue for last year’s “Submarine.”

The Shaky Knees crowd didn’t seem thoroughly engaged across the set, but the energy picked up with “No One Noticed,” the 2024 song that catapulted The Marías to mainstream fame. — DeAsia Paige

Around 9 p.m., Shaky Knees attendees flocked to the Peachtree stage for the Deftones, the final act of the night. The esteemed metal band kicked into high gear throughout their 90-minute set.

It was tough to make out their lyrics, but that didn’t seem to matter to the band’s longtime fans, who jammed and sang along to songs “Be Quiet and Drive” and “My Own Summer.” Lead singer Chino Moreno was drenched in sweat in his blue button-up, but his vocals and energy didn’t seem defeated by the Atlanta heat.

The Deftones delivered an explosive set filled with screams and ghostly imagery that felt like the perfect segue into spooky season. — DeAsia Paige