Live Review: Waxahatchee & MJ Lenderman with Brennan Wedl at Atlanta Symphony Hall, 4/13/26

Other than a brilliant night of this co-headlining show, the biggest surprise of the evening was seeing Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee walking onstage to join opener Brennan Wedl for a song – appearing very pregnant. Fans gasped, jaws dropped. As Crutchfield had not been on the road recently, this was the first time in months she’d been in public.

As the first stop of this brief, 18-city tour, fans did not know what to expect. Crutcfield, MJ Lenderman, pedal steel master Colin Croom, and keyboardist Cole Berggren walked onto the lamp-filled stage. The two singers settled in on stools and opened with the title track of Lenderman’s latest release Manning Fireworks.

Katie next announced her request for Lenderman to play “Under Control,” his song from the 2022 release Boat Songs. He shot a glance at Crutchfield asking, “How does it start?” As the song progressed, he forgot the words for a beat, then jumped back in. Nice moment. The Waxahatchee singer had another request later in the set, telling the audience, “I want to hear ‘Someone Get the Grill Out of the Rain.’ This was the first MJ song I ever heard.” Lenderman looked genuinely surprised, saying, “I didn’t know that!”

One of the many highlights came when Crutchfield delivered a cover of Gillian Welch’s “Wrecking Ball,” doing the classic full justice. The setlist echoed the dynamic of classic Drive-By Truckers shows, where Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley trade off songs. Crutchfield and Lenderman leaned into a similar back-and-forth, each taking turns at the mic while playing guitar and providing backing vocals for the other.

The foursome looked and sounded like a fully cohesive unit – even after Crutchfield admitted to the crowd, “We only rehearsed one day before this tour, so we’re keeping it loose.” So many hummable/sing-along tunes on tonight’s setlist. Crutchfield has secured her place in the pantheon of great Americana artists, while Lenderman just came out of nowhere with a killer album reaching many best-of lists at the end of 2024. His intrepid guitar work is a big part of that. Don’t miss his stint with the Asheville band Wednesday.

Crutchfield and Lenderman are no strangers to collaboration. On Waxahatchee’s 2024 album Tigers Blood, Lenderman contributed guitar and backing vocals across much of the record. The two have also joined forces in the supergroup Snocaps, alongside Katie’s sister Allison Crutchfield and producer Brad Cook. On this opening night, fans were treated to “Angel Wings” from the great new Snocaps album.

Later, Crutchfield dug into the standout title track “Tigers Blood,” delivering the line, “You come alive in the heat, you ain’t crossing state lines / Stood up like a crepe myrtle, can’t be killed or denied,” as the song steadily built to a peak. It became the loudest moment of the night – about as close to full-on rock as a band can get without a drummer.

The final two songs were the artist’s most popular, with Lenderman’s “Wristwatch” and Crutchfield’s “Right Back To It.” With those played, and Katie’s obvious limited mobility, maybe this was it… no encore. But the audience had other plans and continued cheering, clapping, and yelling for several minutes until the band returned.

The musicians once again took their seats, with Crutchfield joking, “This is the biggest song in the country and we thought it would be fun to play,” before launching into a cover of Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas,” a current hit that fit snugly into the band’s wheelhouse. Next came the Lucinda Williams classic “Abandoned,” sung beautifully by Crutchfield and opener Brennan Wedl, who remained onstage for the rest of the set.

Leaning further into their influences, they delivered a glowing take on The Jayhawks‘ “All the Right Reasons,” its rich harmonies among the evening’s finest moments. To close, they turned to Kathleen Edwards‘ “Six O’Clock News,” a song Crutchfield and Wedl recorded and released just last month – an apt and graceful ending to a spectacular night.

Brennan Wedl warmed up the fans nicely, performing with just a guitar. The Nashville-based indie-country singer offered free GRUNGETRY stickers at the merch table (that stands for “grunge-country” to the uninformed). Her lyrics were filled with vulnerability, and a dash of wit and wisdom to back them up.

As mentioned earlier, Crutchfield joined Wedl onstage for “Will You Still Want Me When The Crazy Comes Out?” The song is at once serious and hilarious. These two women can harmonize with the best. Her “Scorpio” and “High Priestess” are perfect examples of a singer on the verge. “A montage of monologues big talk and Smirnoff / I listened and sucked in my gut” Wedl sang on “Fake Cowboy,” an ode to the Honky Tonk Tuesdays in East Nashville. She did her thing solo, and blended with the headliners nicely.

For more information on the tour, visit the artist’s websites at Waxahatchee, MJ Lenderman, and Brennan Wedl. Check out setlist below and the #SetListPlayList under it.