Cage the Elephant in Raleigh

The day of the show was eventful to say the least. With storms approaching, I was cautious about the night. When thunder and lightning (aka show killers) made their appearance in the distance, few were deterred. Despite many fans’ steadfast determination to remain in line and be one of the first in, the venue was adamant about encouraging a shelter in place/taking shelter in our cars. When the rain finally started, it gave no warning and simply down poured. Many people were still tailgating in the parking lot- which quickly lead to many people leaving an hour before the show was even set to start as they were soaked to the bone. After a false break in the rain, another line forming and disbanding as more rain came, we were at a 3 hour delay. At that marker, the venue let us know the worst had passed and that the show would still go on, just modified- Vlad Holiday and Bakar would not be play, but Young the Giant and Cage the Elephant would still go on. 

Despite how many people left, the venue was still packed. And from what I saw of the shirts people were wearing, many of them were there for Young the Giant. And I can’t blame them. I saw them on their headlining tour back in 2012 with Grouplove and Walk the Moon, I was excited to be able to not only see them again but also shoot them for the first time. I still remember how great they sounded in 2012 and I was amazed that sounded just as great live as they did back then. And I was in for an even bigger treat. Their vocalist, Sameer Gadhia, said that they weren’t planning on touring, but they decided to on the grounds that they pushed themselves to be uncomfortable and to make it something different than their recent tours. In order to do so, they were performing some of their early songs- which just so happen to be most of my favorites. 

With a solid mix of new and old songs, every song had the crowd cheering with excitement and singing along with them. If I hadn’t known better, I would have assumed they were headlining based on how excited everyone was. It was great to see them far more comfortable on stage and really owning it too. While I remember Gadhia’s voice being just as stunning and strong as it is now, the stage was only so big. I’ve seen a few bands in varied stage sizes and while some bands are comfortable spreading out, a lot don’t know what to do with all the space. It has been 12 long years, so yea, I get that, but it’s still a credit to them on how they’ve grown. They’ve really grown well; they’ve seemingly stayed true to themselves and what they wanted the band to be when they started. Their sound is consistent, strong, and just as amazing as younger me thought they did way back when. And even though I was watching them play Silvertongue on a TV after we were done taking pictures, it still gave me full body goosebumps. It’s a beautiful song on it’s own, but hearing them play it and just being so much more comfortable and skilled with their abilities than they likely were when they recorded it gave the song a new life that made it so much more stunning that I’ve ever heard it.

As much as I thought Young the Giant could have been headlining, when Cage the Elephant came on, I was promptly shown how wrong I was. That crowd may have loved Young the Giant but they were there for Cage the Elephant. I feel obligated to say that the night before the show, their vocalist, Matt Schultz, broke his foot. He told the crowd he may have “ate shit” but that he didn’t do it in an embarrassing way. So while he may be known for his leaps and bounds on stage, we got to see a different side of him last night. The scooter he used asa a mobility aid barely hindered him- he was still popping wheelies during the show, bouncing as he could, banging his head, and being the frontman he is, it was just a bit more restricted than it normally is. His injury didn’t hinder the performance at all. I was immediately blown away by them. While I enjoy listening to them and would agree in a heartbeat they’re a good band after 10+ years of listening to them, nothing could have prepared me for how amazing they sound live. 

While they sound like their recorded work, I would have to say that their recorded work sounds like a muted version, or a teaser, of their live performances. Seemingly, every song was purely meant to be performed live and it’s only as a byproduct of being so good live that they record their work. They’re simply a different band live. When we were told there was going to be pyro at the shows, I couldn’t figure out which songs or how the pyro would fit into the songs that I was familiar with. Every song you’re familiar with gets fresh breath breathed into while they’re performing and while you may know the words, but it’s a brand new song. They’re just that good.

It’s bittersweet, I was in front of the barricades almost jamming out as hard as their guitarist, Brad Shultz, who was one of the most expressive performers I’ve ever seen, and who even made a barricade trip on the first song. But when listening to them after the show, I immediately missed the energy from the live performances. That absolutely won’t stop me from reliving the show through their recorded work until I can see them, I just have another band on the list that I want to see every time I can. 

Overall, I was bummed I didn’t get to see Vlad Holiday and Bakar live, but seeing Young the Giant and Cage the Elephant was more amazing than I could have imagined. It blew all of my expectations out of the water and left me stunned. I have a lot of criteria I think of when I say that a show was one of my favorites. Some of it being if they’re able to match their recorded work, their stage energy, the crowd’s energy, their rapport on stage, even the venue- just a lot of little things that add up to if a show was good. Think about those spider web graphs where each straight line is a different trait. This was the first show I had been to where everything was essentially capped out. Not only did I get to hear a band I love live after 12 years, and to be stunned at how amazing they’ve gotten as live performers, but I’ve never been so shocked by a band’s live performances. I’ve heard of bands being better live, and sure, being live adds something to it, but Cage the Elephant’s work is just meant to be heard live. If you can, if you like them- even just one song of theirs- do yourself a favor and see them live.