Nothing Can Cage the Elephant

Matt Shultz's broken leg didn’t stop Cage the Elephant from rocking out. 

The American rock band stopped in Montreal on August 26th for their Neon Pill tour, dedicated to their sixth studio album which was released in May of this year.

There was a diverse mix of opening acts. Starting the night with Willow Avalon self-described through her music and merch as a “Southern belle raising hell”. Her set brought me closer to becoming a country music fan. She sang many unreleased songs, like “Homewrecker”, which I’ll definitely download once released. 

Following her was Bakar, a 30-year-old artist from London, who plays experimental indie rock. He successfully captivated the audience alone on stage, ending his set with his hit “Hell N Back” released in 2019. 

Young the Giant was the third and final opening act. By the reaction from the audience, you could tell that this 20-year-old American rock band could have been a headlining act. During their one-hour set, they sang many hits, like “Cough Syrup” and “My body”, which left the crowd excited and energetic for Cage the Elephant. 

This headlining act rolled onto stage with immense swagger. Literally, the lead singer, Matt Shultz, rolled in on a knee scooter, styling a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a medical walking boot. This didn’t discourage him from jumping and dancing around to every song, starting the show with their song, “Broken Boy”, from their Social Cues album. The enthusiastic and electric energy of the band, while they performed songs from all their albums, fuelled the audience. I’ve noticed in large arenas there’s sometimes a disconnect between the musicians and the crowd due to the magnitude of the room. This was not the case for Cage the Elephant. Everyone from the nose bleeds to the floor seats of the Centre Bell arena were standing, dancing, and singing along. The band was very interactive with the audience constantly encouraging the audience to take a participative role in the concert, whether that be by clapping along to the beat or Brad Shultz, the guitarist, exchanging prescription glasses with someone in the first row. 

They had a brief intermission towards the end of the show that was preceded by all of the instruments going into overdrive. The six band members stood like statues, to finally break away with flames that were shot out from the front of the stage and Brad Shultz throwing his guitar. The arena echoed with the distortion of the instruments for a couple of minutes till the dramatic intermission ended with Matt Shultz rolling back in, in a ballet arabesque.

The night ended with the band performing their two biggest hits, “Cigarette Daydreams” and “Come A Little Closer”. This was a perfect end to the night as everyone in the arena was screaming about how time flew by, and it really did. The Neon Pill Tour could have been a music festival with the four iconic and diverse acts that will echo memorably in our minds, mimicking the ringing in our ears left from the roar of Cage the Elephants' adoring audience.

Beatrice is the host of The Waxing Gibbous, Thursdays 1:00-1:30 PM on CJLO 1690AM