Season 9

On a warm summer evening, the GRAMMY award-winning Zac Brown Band brought music back to the historic Forest Hills Stadium in Forest Hills, NY with a hit-filled performance for the sold out stadium crowd under the stars. Zac Brown Band, one of the most successful and critically-acclaimed acts of its generation, incorporated a mix of country, bluegrass, reggae, Southern rock, and jam music into its performance which included such fan favorites as the Caribbean-inspired “Jump Right In,” lush ballad “Colder Weather,” free spirited anthem “Free” before sending the frenzied crowd home with the boisterous “Day For The Dead” from the 2013 EP, The Grohl Sessions Vol. 1.

Alabama Shakes delivered a crushingly electric set at the rustic-chic Loveless Barn outside of Nashville, behind the famous Loveless Café. Beneath white lights strung from the rafters, the crowd of 500 cheered each song as the band delivered a thrillingly uninhibited show which aired as part of the ninth season of public television’s acclaimed series Live from the Artists Den. The six-piece band dashed through blistering rockabilly boogies, eruptive country-soul ballads, and plenty more from both their 2012 debut album, Boys & Girls, and the collection of new material earmarked for a much anticipated follow-up. Front woman Brittany Howard testified to the deeply felt truths of the songs with ferocious flamboyance, and her bandmates were with her all the way—gutsy, dynamic, and altogether riveting.

Cage the Elephant brought their funky, soulfully psychedelic sound to the stage at the Santa Barbara Art Foundry for their episode of Live from the Artists Den. Thriving off the energy of the crowd of 400 invited guests, frontman Matt Shultz delivered an epic performance in an intimate setting, hurling himself around the small space like a man possessed, while the rest of the band equaled his intensity. The set, drawn mostly from the band’s Grammy-nominated album, Melophobia, ended with a shirtless Shultz held aloft by the cheering crowd, a triumphant exclamation point to an unforgettable night.

Damien Rice delivered an unforgettable performance at the Greenpoint Loft for his episode of Live from the Artists Den. The Irish singer-songwriter concentrated largely on material from his acclaimed new album, My Favorite Faded Fantasy. While the concert—in an intimate, in-the-round setting on the top floor of a 19th century warehouse on the Brooklyn waterfront—was mostly played solo, Rice thrilled the fans with a full choir backing him on “Trusty and True.”