MSM 90s: Intermission
9/13/26
By Monica Collier
Welcome to Muscle Shoals Meets the 90s intermission. Yes, this "intermission" pause of our favorite annual charitable concert marks the end of the first set. Makes sense, right?
Yep. That means we've reached the point in our recap of the MSM 90s main show where we've relived 15 of the 31 performances. Let me be completely honest with you: Whether it's a play or a concert or whatever, I find intermission to be an odd animal. I always experience intense love/hate feels.
I firmly believe how someone approaches intermission is very much a tell of whether they're a glass half full or a glass half empty person. I'm a little of both.
I always feel a little like intermission -- the break between acts, or in this case, between sets -- is an accomplishment of sorts. I guess it feels a little like a win to me because half of the show is complete. As an audience member, it's a good time to run through first set highlights with your seat mates.
Wow. Where to even start with highlights of the first set?? Good grief. It was like a rolling wave of being constantly surprised and amazed. If I was hard pressed to name a gut reaction/newsworthy/highlight reel performance, y'all, I think it was Scott Todd's "Good Riddance." Ask me tomorrow and I'm sure I'll have a different answer because every single performance was next level but friends, I can't stop thinking about Scott and those Shoals Strings. It was a really heartfelt, no nonsense, performance.
You know, glass half empty Emmy equates intermission with ... oh no, the show is half over. After recounting high points of the first set, I love taking a minute to run through a wishlist of what I hope is left to come. It's a sad sort of excitement knowing only 15 (or 16) performances are left in the show.
I didn't see a setlist ahead of the show but I paid close attention to the teasers Russell Mefford posted from rehearsals. Plus, I did attend the Fiddleworms and friends rehearsal with the Shoals Strings a week or so before we kicked off MSM 90s Mixtape Week. We hadn't seen "Creep," "Black Hole Sun," "No Rain," or "You Oughtta Know" ... I was dumbfounded thinking about what I knew was left to come, y'all.
Yes, intermission had me taking stock in what I knew was left in the show but, oh my gosh, I was also shivering with anticipation over the unknown of what COULD be left. I told my son, Jared, "This second set is going to be fire."
I was so right, friends.
Stay tuned. More to come.
Dig Worms.
Photo by Devona Hawkins
