Cage The Elephant - 2024 - 09

By: Ken Kohlmeier

I love when I go to a concert and the band puts on a dynamic show. It pumps you up and makes a fun night out an even better experience. Unfortunately it seems that some artists will try to find any excuse they can to just stand at the microphone doing no to very little moving once they are there. Thankfully, other artists, such as Cage The Elephant's front man Matt Shultz seem to understand that fans love movement on stage and as such he wants to make it a memorable night out for those who took the time out of their night to come see him and the band. Having recently broken his right foot, Matt could have easily used that as an excuse to just sit in a chair and sing behind the mic stand. Being an actual performer, that wasn't an opinion Matt wanted to pursue. He came out on stage with his foot elevated on a mobility scooter so Matt was easily able to zip around the stage keeping the fans entertained and excited with his performance.

Along with Matt, his brother Brad Shultz, guitar, also knows how to entertain. Brad moved around the stage and even went into the crowd while shredding it and giving us his signature power cords. The audience loved it!

You could literally feel the heat as Cage started their set. They had multiple pyrotechnic cannons set along the front of the stage that sent flames high into the air during "Broken Boy", their set opener. The remainder of the 80+ minute, 23 song set gave us classic cage tunes that fed the fans long cherished love for the band, and sprinkled in just a touch of new music from their latest album, Neon Pill. Most of the audience was standing, dancing or singing along with the band the majority of the night.

I was really impressed with the lighting Cage used throughout their show. More and more often I'm seeing artists using either limited lights, or going with xtreme reds and magenta lighting. Cage had the stage lit! You could clearly see all members of the band and not just the lead singer hanging out under a spotlight.

If you are debating about going to see this tour because you've heard Matt has a broken foot and thought this might be a boring tour, I'd say think again. It was a fun night out with great music and I definitely saw many happy fans having a wonderful night out.

Head to cagetheelephant.com for all things related to Cage The Elephant and tour details.

When I saw Young The Giant was going to be taking part on the Cage The Elephant's Neon Pill Tour, I was really excited. I know several people who have seen them and so I've heard how good their performance is. They are a band I've wanted to see live for a couple of years now and I originally wanted to see this tour specifically to see them.

Honestly, for as much as they had been hyped up to me, it feels like it was underselling them. It was everything I was expecting, and more! Just seeing the raw energy Sameer Gadhia, lead vocals, put into his performance was worth the price of the ticket. He's very much a shows man, drawing your attention towards him as he moved around the front of the stage. Sameer does have a special connection with Michigan, he was born here in Ann Arbor, so it is possible that this gave him incentive to make the show extra, however I really feel this is just the type of show he enjoys putting on. After all, when the crowd has fun, it makes for a better experience for the artist also.

We were treated to their very best music. The 13 song set spanned their entire music catalog, giving us their favourite selections from each of the five albums. Of course, they included what most people would consider their anthem song, "Cough Syrup", which really got the crowd to sing and dance along.

It's always great when both the lighting and sound system are on point, and they certainly were this night. The bright lights allowed everyone to see the incredible show the entire band was putting on and you could clearly hear each note they gave us. This was easily one of the best nights of music I've experienced so far this year.

Head to youngthegiant.com for all things related to Young The Giant and tour details.

"The Mission" singer Bakar gave us nine songs for his set. The indie rap/rocker was happy to be on stage and to be a part of the Neon Pill Tour.

Head to instagram.com/bakarrrr for all things related to Bakar and tour details.

The early opener for the night was Willow Avalon. This self described "Southern Belle" reminded me of early June Carter. Her short 7 song set had the crowd sing along, particularly with her final song "Homewrecker"

Head to willowavalonmusic.com for all things related to Willow Avalon and tour details.

CLICK HERE for Full Photo Album

CLICK HERE for Full Photo Album