Cage the Elephant headlined a show at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands, Tx on July 12th, 2024 with support from Young the Giant, Bakar, and Willow Avalon on their Neon Pill Tour!
Cage the Elephant is an American rock band originating from Bowling Green, Kentucky and was formed in 2006. Their current lineup consists of lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Matt Shultz, rhythm guitarist/ketboardist Brad Shultz, bassist/backing vocalist Daniel Tichenor, lead guitarist/backing vocalist/keyboardist Nick Bockrath, keyboardist/rhythm guitarist/backing vocalist Matthan Minster, and drummer/percussionist Jared Champion.
Cage the Elephant delivered a phenomenal performance, showcasing their new album “Neon Pill“. The title is a reference to the brightly colored medication that kicked off his psychosis.
Matt Shultz speaking about his prolonged state of psychosis and the process of writing the new album:
“I’ve been calling it a miracle. It’s a miracle to be performing again. It’s a miracle I’m alive. Anyone who knows what psychosis is like knows how all-encompassing of an experience it is. Once I was getting on the other side of recovery, there was a good portion of time that had to be spent recrafting the lyrics and trying to understand the sentiment behind them. After I’d gotten well again, things that meant something profound to me were no longer profound. It’s profoundly interesting. A lot of the lyrics had a very powerful meaning to me, but that meaning wasn’t based in reality.”
Over the years, they have garnered critical acclaim and a dedicated fan base through their highly energetic performance and captivating lyrics. The chemistry between the Shultz brothers is truly impeccable. Their resemblance shows through their charisma and showmanship.
From the moment the band took the stage, it was clear that this was going to be an unforgettable night. They started their set with “Broken Boy“, where flames erupted from six different pyro devices lined across the front of the stage. This song being the opening track for their GRAMMY award winning album “Social Cues” for best rock album.
Matt Shultz being a high-octane frontman, remains one of the most exciting in rock & alternative. He leaps nearly over his mic stand while grasping it whenever he’s not strutting across the stage to the groove of the music.
Lead guitarist and older brother Brad Shultz was equally as captivating. His guitar work was nothing short of impeccable, as he commanded the audience’s attention charging off the stage and over the barricade. You can see in his facial expression how immersed in the music he truly was. He clearly shares the same love and passion for the music as the fans.
The setlist was a perfect mixture of older fan favorites while also debuting songs of their most recent release. My personal favorite off their fresh new album is “Good Time” and it translated so well through their live performance. The audience’s reaction showed their dedication as they sang along with a song that’s been out for less than a few months. This song is still resonating through my mind with images of the brothers strutting around in beautiful harmony with one another.
They progressed through their set with little to no stoppages. No banter or even band introductions. It was as if they were making up for lost time after taking a five-year hiatus.
Midway through the set, they performed arguably their most popular song “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked“. Not only a huge commercial track, but an infectious one. This came as a huge delight to both the fans and myself. If they were playing this song so early in their set then they must have had much more in store for the evening.
Two songs later they performed “Rainbow”, said to be Matt Shultz’s favorite song on the record. It has an almost Black Keys-esque groove about how Eva lifts him back up at his lowest. During this song lasers were used to create a mesmerizing display.
Immediately following was “Telescope“, a soothing ballad from their staple album “Melophobia“. This song had the audience utilizing their phone lights as lighters to emanate that feeling you can only experience at a show as remarkable as this.
They concluded their set with some of their biggest fan favorites. The first two being “Shake Me Down” and “Cigarette Daydreams“. Finally they enticed the crowd to “Come A Little Closer” as they brought the intimate evening to an end. This performance was well worth the wait!
Setlist:
- Broken Boy
- Cry Baby
- Spiderhead
- Too Late to Say Goodbye
- Good Time
- Cold Cold Cold
- Ready to Let Go
- Neon Pill
- Social Cues
- Halo
- Mess Around
- Trouble
- Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked
- Skin and Bones
- Rainbow
- Telescope
- Tokyo Smoke
- House of Glass
Encore:
- Shake Me Down
- Cigarette Daydreams
- Come a Little Closer
Young the Giant is an American rock band originating from Irvine, California and was formed in 2004. Their current lineup consists of lead vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist/percussionist Sameer Gadhia, guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Eric Cannata, bassist/vocalist/keyboardist Payam Doostzadeh, and drummer/percussionist/vocalist Francois Comtois.
Sameer said:
“We’ve carved our own path, which is pretty amazing, we don’t fit into the structure of American pop music. We check ‘other’ on the box. I was in denial of that for a while. Hopefully, we can bring a little brown to the white world of indie-rock. This album is a litmus test for whether we can make that a reality. I believe music has the ability to bring people together without being pedantic or preaching.”
Continuing to live up to his band’s unique name, Gadhia says:
“We still believe in the power of being young, naive, innocent and optimistic. We always try to find the beauty in things.”
American Bollywood does just that, turning his family history and memories into a work of exquisite high art and popular appeal.
Setlist:
- Jungle Youth
- The Walk Home
- Cough Syrup
- God As Witness
- Waves
- Amerika
- Dollar Store
- It’s About Time
- Call Me Back
- Superposition
- Mind Over Matter
- Tightrope
- Silvertongue
- My Body
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