Brittany Howard Denounces ICE Raids at Ohana Festival

Brittany Howard stopped Alabama Shakes' set at Ohana Festival in Dana Point, California, on Saturday to protest nationwide Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.

The frontwoman wore a billowing white gown and an "ICE OUT" pin attached to her guitar strap as she addressed thousands of fans gathered in the heart of Orange County's conservative enclave, just a few cities down from MAGA-heavy Huntington Beach.

"I was thinking about people who risk their life, living to protect each other, protect their communities, protect their neighbors, protect our rights, and when I see that, it gives me hope for our future," Howard said from the stage. "At the end of it all, it's really just us taking care of each other."

The beachside crowd met her words with cheers.

Howard's onstage message echoes the themes of Alabama Shakes' first new record in 11 years, I Must Be Dreaming, which reckons with the social and political shakeups of the past decade alongside the beauty found in the everyday.

"I want people to be able to know that they can rely on each other," Howard told Rolling Stone last month when discussing the LP.

Howard and her bandmates, Zac Cockrell and Heath Fogg, have been touring across the South, Midwest, and Southwest. Their Southern California stop delivered a set stretching back to the band's 2012 debut album, Boys & Girls, including aching performances of "Rise to the Sun" and "Hold On," alongside Sound & Color tracks "Guess Who" and "Dunes."

The band also performed material from the new record, including the standout "American Dream," in which Howard belted: "Low-grade fever, lower-wage people/How many folks got shot this week? Mm, it's enough to make you wanna go back to sleep."

Tyler Childers closed Ohana's second night, and Pearl Jam is set to deliver what the festival bills as a historic performance on Sunday.