Loyal symphony patrons and those who get a thrill from musicals filled the Overture Center crowd Tuesday night; they were older, tamer and yes, more sober than the average Madison concertgoer.

This crowd and venue seemed incongruous for a band like Alabama Shakes. Known for their lo-fi, dirty sound cloaked in heartbreak and “keep on keepin’ on,” their style doesn’t fit the dressed up, velvety Overture. Nonetheless, the Shakes successfully took the audience below the Mason-Dixon line for some old-fashioned southern rock.

Unfortunately, opening act Promised Land Sound was nothing outstanding. They awkwardly took the stage around 7:30 p.m. as people still lumbered in. The group proceeded to combine decent guitar riffs, solid rhythms and uninspired vocal harmonizing in an attempt to create a distinct take on Americana-inspired rock. However, the set list, including titles like “The Storm” and “Other Worldly Pleasures,” failed to establish a thematic atmosphere, affording the crowd the privilege to check their phones as much as they could before the real deal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbHAbI5iJKY

While easy to listen to and slightly reminiscent of Tom Petty, the performance felt generic. Despite the valiant efforts of the shaggy-haired Ricardo Alessio on soundboard to get into it, the band displayed little emotion and exerted even less energy, failing to pump up a crowd of middle-aged women and college-grads. One of the guitarist’s strings even came off mid-set, which would have been a lot cooler if the band had any passion or character.

After a roughly 25-minute set of short, similar-sounding material, they exited the stage amid a lackluster reception from the audience. There are many bands that embody the same style, many with more talent and experience. Promised Land Sound’s weak brand wasn’t about to set new precedents in a room full of people waiting for an act who does the same shtick better.

Not too long after the opener exited the stage, front-woman Brittany Howard and her Alabama Shakes bandmates emerged out of a blue, hazy darkness. They immediately broke into “Dunes,” a cut off their new album.

The Athens, Alabama-based quartet remained mostly stationary, save for Howard; it became very clear early the band centers on Howard’s mood. They drove through both older songs and newer material, politely asking the audience for permission to play songs they don’t know.

They pounded out “Rise to the Sun” and reinforced the vibes of their first single off upcoming release Sound and Color, “Don’t Wanna Fight.” Another song on their new album, “Miss You,” embodied their honkytonk standard: a classic, Western piano melody with a hint of Ragtime and guitar parts steeped in sweet tea-like smoothness.

A staple in their discography, the bold, uplifting “Always Alright” surpassed the already high expectations for this blues-inspired powerhouse. The deep guitar croons, coupled with Howard’s guttural belts, brought the entire crowd to the ground floor of the soul. Her confident lyrics and simple, entrancing guitar riffs induced a sense of conviction often hard to come by in the Midwest.

In contrast, “I Found You,” a gentler track from their debut album Boys and Girls, paired the three background singers with Howard’s honesty to represent the relief and affirmation of an unearthing love in a world that often makes us feel alone.

Yet despite her obvious passion and stage presence, Howard spoke to the audience fewer than four times, keeping Madison observations and sentiments of gratitude to a minimum. Many may interpret a lack of audience banter as impersonal, but for Alabama Shakes, it’s nothing but intimate. From the moment they started playing until Howard blew profuse kisses into the audience at the night’s end, there was tenacious, emotional passion in every verse of every song. Someone shouted “Alabama SHAKES” between songs, capturing the band’s ability to play to the crowd’s emotion through their classic, grinding sound.

Playing more than two new songs in a row, however, did not bode well for the audience. After doing five new cuts back-to-back, the Shakes ran the risk of losing the audience from the start by touring before their new album’s release.

The group also left out fan favorites “Hold On” and “Hang Loose,” which many, including myself, expected to hear in the five-song encore. At $40 for general admission, one would assume Shakes would play to what the audience already knew — and wanted to hear.

A band as new as Alabama Shakes certainly has a lot to live up to with their upcoming album Sound and Color, and as evidenced in concert, are capable of doing so. Despite the predominantly off-campus crowd and ill-fitting venue, the band succeeded in conveying the message they have delivered well before: out of the worst times, the best times gloriously shine through.