'Come A Little Closer' to the Cage The Elephant tour
By Kelsey Krizansky
By Kelsey Krizansky
You might know the band, Cage the Elephant, from one of their most popular songs, “Cigarette Daydreams,” but at their Neon Pill Tour, Matt Shultz, Brad Shultz, Daniel Tichenor, Nick Bockrath, Jared Champion, and Lincoln Parish all played numerous tracks that brought energy to the Blossom Music Center on September 9, 2024.
At their Neon Pill Tour, Cage the Elephant had an amazing and flowy setlist. The songs went well together, with an energetic and spirited start, spacing out some of their more popular and common songs. They played some of their most popular songs like “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked,” “Come a Little Closer,” “Cigarette Daydreams,” and “Trouble.” Their setlist consisted of 23 songs (more than I had seen at any other concert) which varied from bringing a surge of energy to the crowd to the entire crowd waving their phone flashlights to the slower songs.
Lead vocalist, Matt Shultz, was interactive with the audience and ensured that everyone had an amusing time. Shultz rolled onto the stage on a knee scooter with a medical boot and after his first couple of songs, he spoke about the ‘elephant in the room’ and indicated that he broke his foot. Although Shultz was on a knee scooter, he was still rolling around the stage with liveliness and passion. Ironically, the band started out with their song “Broken Boy” as Shultz came onto the stage.
(cleveland.com)
Cage the Elephant’s album, “Neon Pill,” was released on May 17, 2024, and they surprisingly only played 3 songs from that album. They performed songs from their other popular albums, like “Social Cues,” “Tell Me I'm Pretty,” and “Melophobia.”
The opening acts also entertained the crowd with artists Willow Avalon, Bakar, and Young the Giant. Bakar played his most popular songs, “Hell N’ Back” and “Small Town Girl,” which brought a happy and upbeat aspect to the stage. Young the Giant was my favorite opening band, as they played some of my most-liked songs by them like “Cough Syrup,” “Mind Over Matter,” and “My Body.” They were one of the few opening bands that brought most people on their feet and singing along as if they had bought tickets for a Young the Giant concert. Lead vocalist, Sameer Gadhia created a buzz that made for a great entrance for Cage the Elephant.
"Neon Pill" album cover
Some of the best parts of the concert were when Shultz was interactive with the crowd, letting us sing parts of the songs and making us get loud and energized. He also took time to thank us for supporting their band and made the audience feel appreciated. Another positive of the experience was that the band did not seem to be getting tired near the end of the concert, which happens to most artists. I think that they really tried to focus on keeping the audience entertained and not losing momentum while also having fun themselves.
Cage the Elephant was entertaining and deserving of a good review. I definitely recommend buying tickets to this concert before it’s “Too Late to Say Goodbye” to their tour!