What’s your go-to karaoke song? Mine is “What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes. I definitely don’t have the voice for it, but it’s fun and I love the song. The band stopped touring in 1994, over three years before I was born, yet their songs have stayed some of the most joyful, cathartic rock tracks out there. When I saw their name on the Shaky Knees lineup, I knew I couldn’t miss it, not knowing when they might perform again.

Their set was a religious experience, and not just because of “What’s Up.” Even before that final chorus, the energy was already communal. People in the crowd were handing out little gifts like communion, rubber ducks, bracelets, bouncing beach balls back and forth and passing them to kids to hit up. It was all incredibly sweet. On stage, Linda Perry reflected on leaving touring over 30 years ago to focus on producing. She said the band had started writing new songs and wanted to test them live, adding that with the last album she hadn’t been having fun. Now, she just wants to have fun and wants us to have fun too.

And we did. Mid-set she brought her son, Rhodes, out to take a photo of the crowd, a moment that got a huge cheer. Later her guitar unplugged mid-song; instead of letting it derail the performance, she counted herself back in with the band and launched into an insane solo. She even flubbed some lyrics, leaned back laughing, and restarted without missing a beat. The new songs sounded fantastic—“Hollow” in particular was a true rock standout. I can’t wait for that one to come out on vinyl.

As the set wound down, Linda skipped one song entirely, saying, “I don’t feel like playing it,” and instead gifted us “What’s Up.” Singing it with thousands of people alongside Linda Perry herself was an out-of-body moment. It’s one thing to drunkenly belt it out in a bar with forty strangers, but to do it with the artist who wrote it and a sea of fans? That’s incomparable. It was a perfect reminder of why live music matters.

Review by: David Saxum; Photo by Roger Ho/Shaky Knees

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4 Non Blondes Get Spiritual at Lively Shaky Knees Set