The energy Cage the Elephant brought to the Kia Forum on July 7th was electric. It’s hard to believe the band took a five-year break. The band returned in May with their sixth album titled Neon Pill - an album that takes us on the journey of the tumultuous life of frontman Matt Shultz. Fans have been waiting a long time to see Cage the Elephant on stage and they did not disappoint.
Their showmanship and music are still exhilarating as if they’ve never taken a break. The band opened up the show with the rowdy track “Broken Boy.” It was a fiery opening as the stage lit up with flamethrower effects throughout the song's chorus. Frontman Matt Shultz is still a charismatic force onstage with never-ending energy. He was grooving and jumping along to every song. His brother and rhythm guitarist Brad Shultz is also a force on stage, often heading towards the pit and pumping the fans up. One of the most exciting rock bands to see live.
Keeping things interesting their openers were from an eclectic array of genres. Up-and-coming country artist Willow Avalon hit the stage first with a 7 song set including tracks “Stranger” and “Homewrecker.” English singer Bakar experimental indie rock style was a big hit with the crowd, as he had the entire venue singing along to his 2019 mega-hit "Hell n Back." It was a homecoming show for Young The Giant as they hail from Irvine, CA. Their twelve-song set included all their bombastic hits including “Cough Syrup,” “Mind Over Matter” and “My Body.” The band even squeezed a new track into the set list “God As Witness.”
The night of course belonged to Cage the Elephant. Their 21-song setlist featured an impressive list of alluring anthems. From the fast-paced and rambunctious sounds of “Spiderhead” and “Mess Around." To the witty sing-along tracks of “Spiderhead,” “Social Cues” and “Ain't No Rest for the Wicked.” And of course the melancholic sad sounds “Too Late to Say Goodbye,” "Trouble" and "Cigarette Daydreams”. Since this tour is in support of Neon Pill, they of course trickled in tracks from the album including "Good Time," "Neon Pill" and "Rainbow."
The band’s array of fun tunes had the entire sold-out venue singing along all night long.
For more on Cage the Elephant, visit cagetheelephant.com
