Brittany Howard Tour: Reviewed

Written by: Liz Wagner

Edited by: Maddie McVey

I recently attended Brittany Howard’s show at The Fillmore in Philadelphia, PA. For those who don’t know who Brittany Howard is, she’s the lead singer of Alabama Shakes who just recently started doing her own stuff after playing with the band Thunder Bitch for an album. Also, in case you don’t know who Alabama Shakes is: if you’ve ever seen the movie Silver Linings Playbook, their song “Always Alright” is in the soundtrack!

Anyway, Brittany Howard basically has a soul/southern rock vibe if you’re into that. Her current tour is for her newest album, Jaime, which in truth I did not really personally enjoy. I found most of the songs very repetitive and too-similar sounding, whereas her work with Alabama Shakes was much more diverse. However, her live performance of Jaime was amazing. I realized afterwards that it’s very much an album that needs to be performed live. I saw Alabama Shakes back in 2015 at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD, and comparing then to now, Howard’s stage presence is so much better. Overall, she gives off a very comfortable and confident vibe, and this time around she interacted with the crowd much more (of course making the concert more enjoyable).

In addition to reviewing the concert, I also reviewed the venue since it was my first time seeing a show there. I’ve been to the Fillmore DC location, but never to the Fillmore Philadelphia before this concert, which is surprising considering how popular it is. Anyway, I really enjoyed the venue. It’s small enough that the sound is still personal, but big enough for larger crowds. My only issue with it is that the top floor is reserved for those who buy VIP passes. I much prefer arriving early and getting front row on the top floor because 1) the view is better, and 2) it is not as crowded and there are no tall people in front of you! The area around the venue was really nice and chill though, which I also enjoyed. I would definitely see a concert there again.