Blues-rock stars Alabama Shakes made a surprise return at the end of 2024, playing an unannounced reunion set at a Tuscaloosa benefit — their first time playing live in seven years. They've been touring hard since then. Last year, they shared "Another Life," their first new song in ten years. Right now, they're at work on their third album, and they've got a ton of shows coming up. Today, they share their new sign-of-the-times single "American Dream."
Given the music that Brittany Howard made on her own, it's not exactly surprising that Alabama Shakes would drop a protest song today. It's still cool to hear what they do with the form. Over a slow, heavy psychedelic groove, Howard wails about the state of things through layers of echo: "I thought we wanted the same thing! I must be dreaming!" She works in references to abortion laws, environmental deregulation, gun violence, and the widening income gap — a swirling kaleidoscope of unrest that takes clear inspiration from things like Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. In a press release, Howard says:
It’s a snapshot of what we’re living through in 2026. I look around and wonder how we got to a place where there’s so much strain and so little support. I mean, it shouldn’t be impossible to take off work so you can bring your child to the doctor — that’s actually insane. My hope is that one day people will hear this song and say, "Yeah, shit was crazy back then, but we made it through."
We can hope, right? Below, check out "American Dream" and their tour dates.
TOUR DATES:
4/16 - Richmond, VA @ Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront ~
4/17 - Asheville, NC @ ExploreAsheville.com Arena ~
4/18 - Charleston, SC @ High Water Festival
4/22 - Memphis, TN @ Grind City Amphitheater +
4/24 - Atlanta, GA @ Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park +
4/25 - Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater +
4/26 - St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre •
4/28 - Tallahassee, FL @ Adderley Amphitheater •
4/29 - Boca Raton, FL @ Sunset Cove Amphitheater •
4/30 - Clearwater, FL @ The BayCare Sound •
5/02 - New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
5/24 - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre #
5/25 - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre #
5/27 - Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra Resort
5/29 - Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre @
5/30 - Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre @
6/12 - Tuscaloosa, AL @ Mercedes-Benz Amphitheater %
6/13 - Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
7/01 - Leeds, UK @ Millennium Square &
7/03 - London, UK @ Alexandra Palace*
7/05 - Ghent, Belgium @ Gent Jazz Festival
7/07 - Lucca, Italy @ Summer Festival
7/09 - Lisbon, Portugal @ NOS Alive Festival
7/10 - Bilbao, Spain @ BBK Live
7/11 - Madrid, Spain @ Noches del Botanico§
7/24 - Tacoma, WA @ Dune Peninsula–
7/25 - Eugene, OR @ Autzen Stadium^
7/26 - Vancouver, BC @ Freedom Mobile Arch–
7/28 - Boise, ID @ Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden–
7/29 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre –
7/31 - Jackson Hole, WY @ Snow King Mountain–
8/01 - Jackson Hole, WY @ Snow King Mountain–
8/21 - Highland Park, IL @ Ravinia ≠
8/22 - Indianapolis, IN @ Ruoff Music Center «
8/23 - St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheater «
8/25 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Acrisure Amphitheater «
8/26 - Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center «
8/28 - Minneapolis, MN @ Surly Brewing Co ¡
8/29 - Minneapolis, MN @ Surly Brewing Co ¡
8/30 - Madison, WI @ Breese Stevens Field ¡
9/01 - Bridgeport, CT @ Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater¡
9/02 - New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall ¡
9/04 - Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts >
9/05 - Lenox, MA @ Tanglewood >
9/06 - Shelburne, VT @ Concerts on the Green at Shelburne Museum º
9/15 - Montreal, QC @ MTelus º
9/18 - East Aurora, NY @ Borderland Festival
9/19 - Dover, DE @ The Woodlands^
9/25 - Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl *
~ with Joy Oladokun
+ with Mon Rovîa
• with Lamont Landers
# with JJ Grey & Mofro
@ with Nathaniel Rateliff
% with The Secret Sisters
& with Dove Ellis
* with Tyler Ballgame
§ with Joel Culpepper
– with Billy Allen + The Pollies
≠ with Liam Kazar
« with Tedeschi Trucks Band
¡ with Hannah Cohen
> with Mavis Staples
º with Emily King
^ with Zach Bryan
