Cage The Elephant Is Far From Chill
Photo by Alejandra Sol Casas
Fresh off their Austin City Limits performance the night before, Cage the Elephant rolled down I-35 to San Antonio for a high-voltage show at Boeing Tech Port on Saturday night.
The evening opened with Hey, Nothing, an alternative folk duo that brought a full backing band for the tour. The duo shared how surreal it was to be opening for Cage the Elephant, whom they’ve admired since childhood.
By the time Cage took the stage, the energy inside the venue had shifted to a fever pitch. A few scuffles broke out in the crowd before the lights dimmed. The Kentucky-born rockers wasted no time igniting the crowd, literally opening their set with pyrotechnics during their first song, “Broken Boy.”
What’s striking about Cage the Elephant is the contrast between their music and their live presence. On record, they’re a staple for long drives, television commercials, and brick-walled, steel-fixtured brunch restaurants. But on stage, they’re a completely different animal. Frontman Matt Shultz is kinetic energy. His constant movement, leaping, spinning, and dancing, transformed the show into a full-bodied spectacle. They’re the type of band that demands to be seen as much as heard. I was so entranced that the first five songs flew by before I even realized my time in the photo pit was up.
They tore through “Cold Cold Cold,” “Mess Around,” and “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked,” among other songs I’d heard countless times, but hadn’t connected back to them. After a relentless main set, the band returned for a softer encore, closing with “Cigarette Daydreams” and “Come a Little Closer.”
See photos from the show below:
