Live Music Review: Cage the Elephant Austin City Limits TV Taping
On Friday, September 27, Cage the Elephant made a triumphant return to Austin for a taping for the 45th season of Austin City Limits. This would mark the band’s second performance in Austin since late July, when they amazed in a stellar performance at Circuit of the Americas, co-headlining with Beck with support from Austin’s Spoon on their Summer tour. Anticipation flooded the room as producer Terry Lickona introduced the group as “one of the greatest live bands on the planet.” He’s not wrong.
With such high expectations, the Kentucky-born six-piece (they’re based in Nashville now) performed a 21-song set that did not disappoint. Lead vocalist Matt Shultz demanded the crowd’s attention from the moment he stepped foot on stage, which was set with coat racks of attire, boxes of hats, gloves and various other accessories. There was also an oversized jug of some clear consumable beverage. We’ll assume it was water.
Lying on a lawn chair, wearing bright-blue rubber gloves and yellow vintage oversized headphones to accent his attire, Cage erupted with the lead song from their latest album, Social Cues, “Broken Boy.” The song set an energetic, emotionally-tugging tone for the monumental evening.
“Spiders” and “Social Cues” appeared later in the first half of the performance, which accelerated into a frenzy when the band played hit, “Ain’t No Rest For the Wicked,” and it didn’t settle down again. Fans were on their feet, belting out vocals emphatically as the decade-old classic drew out their emphatic nostalgic sing-a-long.
Cage the Elephant has mastered the art of the live performance. The pace of the show progressed flawlessly as the crowd was drawn in, dazzled by the combination of Cage the Elephant’s music and Matt Schultz’s stage antics. At one point Schultz, slid down the aisle stairs amid the enamored audience, all while belting out passionate verses like a millennial Mick Jagger.
Matt’s brother Brad played guitar, as did guitarist Nick Bockrath, and even donned the pedal steel. Jared Champion played the drums; Daniel Tichenor strummed bass, while multi-instrumentalist Matthan Minster masterfully stroked keyboard and guitar. As great as they were, show goers could not take their attention off of Schultz. He grabbed fans, hugged folks, and interacted with his band mates throughout the show, which required their focus, and much respect.
Several costume changes later, and the crowd was still belting out lyrics in unison with Schultz. “Come a Little Closer,” followed by “Take Me Down,” and “Cigarette Daydreams,” served as the most memorable trifecta of the night.
The band capped off the taping with “Love’s the Only Way.” Schultz’ personal connection with the passionate, poignant number permeated throughout the venue.
There was no encore, but we’re not picky. Cage the Elephant put on a memorable performance, proving they’ve grown significantly as artists and performers, delving much deeper into their material since coming into their own with 2013’s Melophobia. A prolific front man, reminiscent of classic rockers of past generations, Schultz is headed to iconic entertainer status. The episode will air early next year on your local PBS station.
All photos by Scott Newton courtesy of KLRU
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