Dear Shaky Knees,
You have a special place in my heart. You aren’t just a music festival in downtown Atlanta; you’re also a place I call home for the first weekend of every May. You make me laugh and cry, have the best grass to lay out on in between sets, and account for some of my best memories.
It all started when one of my friends mentioned Shaky Knees in the fall of my junior year of high school. I had no clue what it was, but it sounded like fun! Until I had to purchase the three-day pass, which cost an arm and a leg. I almost decided not to go because it was so expensive, a decision I’m glad I didn’t stick with. After a very convincing argument from one of my best friends, I overcame my fear of the sticker price and committed to the three-day experience with her.
The first time I went, I had no clue what to expect. My mind was blown at how beautiful Central Park could become when music was playing across the lawns, people were dancing around on their blankets, or when they were screaming for a set list at the barricade of a show. I loved just how wonderful it was to be around people who were living life to the fullest, only focusing on the music and people around them. It had the best popsicles I’ve ever had in my life, specifically the strawberry lemonade ones. I saw the band that I now call my “favorite of all time” at one of their first big shows. At the last show of Sunday night, I had a wonderful sense of curiosity about where I would be the next time I stepped foot on the hallowed grounds of the park and who I would become in the next year.
And then, it was senior year. My best friends and I were practically stuck together, going to our school’s games and events, eating Moe’s and Village Burger in my car as a part of our sacred “car sesh” meetings every week, and planning how we’ll coordinate our outfits for Shaky Knees happening in just a few months. Time had flown by, really proving the whole point that time moves faster the older you get. Although I was excited for Shaky, I also knew what was coming: graduation, summer, and then we would go our separate ways to college. In a way, this year of Shaky Knees symbolized more than just a fun time but the end of an era. At least that’s how I felt around this time last year.
When the weekend finally came around, we had the best time. The mixed weather resulted in some of the worst sunburns I’ve ever gotten, but that couldn’t keep us from trekking to each and every set, seeing performances from Suki Waterhouse, Hozier, Greta Van Fleet, and a ton of other bands. It was one of the best lineups I’ve ever seen. On the last night, at The Lumineers’ set, I bawled my eyes out about the upcoming changes in our lives, such as how my friends and I would be over 200 miles apart from each other for the foreseeable future. When I finally stopped crying, I realized how different our lives would be the next time we were at Shaky.
And now, that time is finally getting close to visiting Shaky Knees again. The outfits are beginning to be assembled, and the playlists are ready for each day. Shaky Knees means more to me than just going to a fun music festival to hang out. It means spending the best time with girls that I consider to be my family, arguing over the difference between an EP and an album or which food stand we should go to during our break. It means waiting at the boundary of a set to see my dad’s favorite band while talking with a woman I’ve never met about her journey from New York. It means coming back to reflect on the past year, how I’ve changed, how my friends have changed, and how Shaky Knees has always been there for me.
Shaky, these are all the reasons I love you. And for these exact reasons, I hope others will take the plunge and visit you at least once. I’m looking forward to seeing you this year more than ever before.
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