New Music Fridays presents a new live release every Friday night! This week’s hand-picked show is a genuinely historic one: Alabama Shakes, live from Surly Brewing Co.’s Festival Field in Minneapolis on August 28, 2026, the band’s official reunion show after an eight-year hiatus and the launch night for their 2026 tour.

The date lined up exactly with the release of I Must Be Dreaming, the band’s first new album in eleven years, out via Island Records. The show was livestreamed globally for free on YouTube and nugs.net, and the City of Minneapolis made it official, declaring August 28, 2026, “Alabama Shakes Day.”

Opener Hannah Cohen set the tone before an emotionally charged, raw set from the band itself, though the shape of the show has clearly shifted. Brittany Howard’s vocals carried the night almost entirely, with founding members Heath Fogg and Zac Cockrell positioned further back alongside three backing vocalists and three touring musicians. Former drummer Steve Johnson sat this one out due to ongoing personal legal matters, with a touring drummer filling in. The set leaned into the new record and the catalog’s biggest moments, “Hold On” included, and skipped Howard’s solo material entirely.

Tune in Friday at 9 PM EST and catch the full reunion set.