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There was a palpable sense of joy throughout Stage AE's packed outdoor venue on Tuesday night amongst fans seeing a favorite band back together after nearly a decade.Alabama Shakes rose onto the scene like a rocket in the early 2010s, a retro-styled band with a fresh sound and the powerhouse vocalist Brittany Howard leading the charge. Then, after only two full albums and nine Grammy Award nominations (with four wins), the band separated, mostly so that Howard could try it out solo. But to the delight of lovers of soul and Southern rock, the Shakes reunited earlier this year after a surprise one-off performance last December. And boy, is it good to have them back.Eight years may be a long time for the band to be apart, but it's been even longer since they were in Pittsburgh; their last show here was also at Stage AE, in 2014.Opening Tuesday night's show was Sam Evian, a talented singer-songwriter surrounded by a band of musicians who played his clean, earworm-y set with precision. The songs were reminiscent of 2000s indie rock with a touch of Americana thrown in, a pleasant accompaniment to the clear September evening.Moving deftly between slower songs like the ear-catching "Runaway" and harder tunes like "Why Does It Take So Long," Evian appeared to be having a great time. "Pittsburgh, you guys are kind of sneaky," he said. "You're kind of one of the best places, but you don't tell anyone about it."And then -- a little sneakily himself -- he closed out the set with a mind-bending saxophone solo that had the crowd cheering.Alabama Shakes gave off an even more outdoorsy vibe with a nature-dressed stage, low blue and green lights and the recorded sounds of crickets echong as the crowd waited for them to appear. Then, the opening strains of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Run Through the Jungle" introduced the band.So, Brittany Howard. An absolute force to be reckoned with. There have been many words written about Howard's talent, and deservedly so. From the first notes of the anthemic "Dunes," she had the audience absolutely captivated.But the rest of the band shouldn't be discounted; returning from the original lineup of the Shakes are guitarist Heath Fogg and bassist Zac Cockrell, both of whom had exceptional moments throughout the show. They also worked especially well with the two keyboardists onstage, Ben Tanner and Paul Horton. Second song "Hang Loose" provided a great one-two punch of guitar and keys.There was a smart balance between flashier and more sentimental songs, the latter including "I Ain't the Same," an uplifting and spirited soul song that featured Howard's stunning falsetto.The opening drumbeats of "Hold On," one of the band's signature songs (and Rolling Stone's best song of 2012), elicited squeals of excitement from the audience. I've rarely seen a crowd so excited to see any artist.Before singing the quiet and intimate "This Feeling," Howard talked about the experience of moving from small band to global sensation. "We had to drive like three, four hours to play original music and we'd get paid a hundred bucks and that'd go in the gas tank," she said. "We loved doing that. That was worth it. And then we got to tour the world eventually, and that was crazy. I remember coming home and looking around for the first time. ... I said, 'I can't believe this.'"So much of the band's music is influenced by soul legends such as Aretha Franklin and James Brown, but they also have some surprisingly forward-looking songs, too. "Future People" felt spacey and innovative with a touch of funk, Howard reaching into the operatic with her vocals. Then there was one of the night's best moments, when Howard dueted with male backup singer Lloyd Buchanan on "Gemini." Over a plodding beat, the two harmonized impeccably with Howard's notes dipping low to meet her duet partner.In addition to touring this year, the Shakes have also put out new music. Two new songs made it into this tour's setlist. "Another Life" fits in perfectly with their catalogue; it's brisk and complex with an arrangement that evolves throughout the verses. "American Dream," on the other hand, is a fuzzy and darker throwback with the posture of a classic protest song from the 1960s that made a powerful start to the encore.They turned up the heat even more during the encore with the zippy "Drive By Baby" and a perfect Hollywood end credits song, "Always Alright.""Thank you for keeping my dreams alive. I want to put blessings on each and every one of you," Howard said.The set was tight and executed flawlessly, no song overstaying its welcome (and in the case of crowd-pleasers like "Sound and Color," I even wished for more). Howard is one of those talents who makes passionate delivery, freight-train vocal power and electric stage presence look easy. And the band's chemistry makes every song pop with both interesting musical flourishes and a genuine love of the tunes.It's about time we had the Alabama Shakes back -- I hope they stick around forever.Alexis Papalia is a TribLive staff writer. She can be reached at apapalia@triblive.com.
