During Alabama Shakes‘ sublime set at Ohana Festival on Saturday in Dana Point, California, frontwoman Brittany Howard paused the show to deliver a brief commentary on hope and solidarity amid nationwide Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that have devasted communities across the United States.
Howard, who wore a billowing white gown and an “ICE OUT” pin prominently attached to her guitar strap, addressed the thousands gathered in the heart of Orange County’s conservative enclave. “I was thinking about people who risk their life, living to protect each other, protect their communities, protect their neighbors, protect our rights, and when I see that, it gives me hope for our future,” said Howard. “At the end of it all, it’s really just us taking care of each other.”
The singer’s message was met with cheers from the beachside crowd, which was just a few cities down from MAGA-heavy Huntington Beach. Howard’s words echoes Alabama Shakes’ first new record in 11 years, I Must Be Dreaming, which finds the band reckoning with the social and political shakeups that have happened over the past decade — alongside the beauty found in the everyday.
“I want people to be able to know that they can rely on each other,” Howard told Rolling Stone last month when discussing the LP.
Howard and her bandmates, Zac Cockrell and Heath Fogg, have been on tour across the South, Midwest, and Southwest. Their stop in Southern California saw the band deliver a potent performance that stretched back to their 2012 debut album, Boys & Girls, including aching performances of “Rise to the Sun” and “Hold On,” alongside Sound & Color tracks “Guess Who” and “Dunes.” Their set also delivered offerings from their latest LP, including their standout, “American Dream,” which saw Howard belt out: “Low-grade fever, lower-wage people/How many folks got shot this week? Mm, it’s enough to make you wanna go back to sleep.”
Ohana’s second night was closed out by Tyler Childers and is set to see a historic performance by Pearl Jam on Sunday.
