From the Vaults: Cage the Elephant

This is an article about a band on the verge of making it big. I first saw Cage the Elephant at Lollapalooza this past summer and gave them nothing but praise. Unfortunately, due to time constraints this article never got published. So here it is, my first encounter with a true force of nature. 

Nothing Can Cage the Elephant

By: Jordan Brandes

Lollapalooza 2009-Citi Stage 

Sunday Aug.9, 2009

My soul has just been moved. In a day full of outstanding acts Cage the Elephant’s stands out as the best of the festival. There are many who will disagree with me. I have no doubt about that. After all the sound was not the best and lead singer Matt Schultz moved around so much he was barely on stage. But that is all part of the thrill of the band.

Lead singer Matt Schultz can give Kurt Cobain a run for his money. Schultz came on stage looking as if he was about to pass out from the heat. I honestly thought they were going to have to carry him out in a stretcher by the end of the show. Even in that condition he still managed to play every single song as if his life depended on it.

I have not had a concert experience like that since Iggy Pop played the festival in 2007.  The entire stage was Schultz’s playground and he used every inch of it, above and below.

With each song Cage the Elephant amped the energy of the crowd. Many were expecting a set along the lines of their hit single “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” and what they got was an hour of intense, exhilarating punk rock.

If I sound like a giddy schoolgirl it is because after their concert on Sunday I became a huge fan. I admit, I liked their studio work before, but watching them tear into song after song with unadulterated passion was breathtaking.