Concert Review: Cage The Elephant’s Energizing Return to Austin

Cage The Elephant electrified the Moody Center stage on Thursday, July 11, during their highly-anticipated “Neon Pill” tour.

Written by Claire Hookstra

Photos by Elina Carrasco

An eager and nostalgia-seeking crowd of all ages fell silent as an intense bass line ricocheted through the jam-packed Moody Center. Four riveting hours since doors had opened, the anticipation of screaming along to well-loved indie rock classics loomed throughout the arena.

After a five-year musical hiatus, Kentucky rock band Cage The Elephant released their sixth studio album, Neon Pill, in May 2024. The album is smooth and concise, contrasting their earlier works’ classic grunge rock noise. A pioneer of the 2000s indie-rock scene, Cage The Elephant has maintained a generation-expanding fanbase who were gathered in the Moody Center, ready to witness a hard-hitting performance. 

However, their long-awaited performance would have to wait a bit longer as three opening acts came before Cage The Elephant took the stage. At 6:25 p.m., a perfect Southern Belle graced the stage. Standing proudly behind a flower-covered microphone stand, Willow Avalon charmed the crowd of rock fans with country ballads such as “Homewrecker.” A polarizing mood change, R&B artist Bakar quickly followed at 7:10 p.m. Bakar ended the dreamy set with TikTok hit, “Hell N Back,” which caused Gen Zers to jump out of their seats and film his final song. 

Lights illuminated the arena to reveal a massive crowd that had arrived before Young The Giant took the stage. With an audience fit for a headliner, the band strolled onstage at precisely 8 p.m. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Mind Over Matter album, Young The Giant played hits from the past and present, including “Cough Syrup” and “My Body.”

Alas, three hours of entertainment later, the crowd grew antsy. After awkwardly waiting for the headline act to begin, the lights dimmed at 9:23 p.m. as a brooding red light cast shadows over the stage and audience.

Lead Singer Matt Shultz sprinted onto the stage, yelling, “I was born on the wrong side of the train tracks,” the in-your-face opening lines of “Broken Boy.” Real fire from the stage mimicked the crowds' elated eruption, creating a wall between the audience and the band. Immediately removing his suit jacket, Shultz danced sporadically as the song swiftly transitioned into “Cry Baby.” The passionate stage presence of Shultz and his bandmates presented a captivating chaos that prevented any fan from looking away. There was no time to breathe between the first three songs, and by the end of “Spiderhead,” Shultz finally addressed the audience by simply screaming, “Austin!” in his classic rock and roll vocal fry. 

The dramatic ballad “Too Late to Say Goodbye” followed as the crowd waved their arms back and forth to the steady beat. Quickly picking up the pace again, the angsty track “Good Time” showcased Shultz’s gnarly vocal range. Drummer Jared Champion put his heart and soul into every beat of the song, raising his arms high and dropping them with intense power. With heavy bass lines and solid drumlines, the song got the crowd headbanging to the beat.

At this moment, one thing was painfully clear: the energy produced by Cage The Elephant was impeccable. Despite the lack of stage design, there had not been a dull moment in the performance. Each band member's pure, fiery fervor, accompanied by the returning pyrotechnics, kept the audience and performance alive for the band’s hit “Cold, Cold, Cold.” With every scream of “Cold!” a contrasting burst of flames rose from the stage’s front. 

Shultz’s unique sense of performing had the audience tightly in his grasp. As the gritty instrumentals of “Ready to Let Go” blared through the speakers, the singer urged the crowd to wave their hands. The pit immediately obeyed while the rest of the arena quickly followed suit. Before a slew of newer songs, including “Neon Pill,” “Social Cues,” and “Halo,” Shultz addressed the audience again with a blunt “Austin!” before asking, “We’re in Austin, right?” The crowd, enamored by the room’s vitality, followed with an eruption of laughter. 

Both the audience’s and Shultz’s energy slowed as the band worked through its newer, more laid-back songs. After the slower-paced lull in the set, the addictive passion quickly reestablished in the arena with the renowned guitar riff of “Mess Around.” Before beginning the first verse, Shultz whipped out his wild dancing skills yet again while guitarist and brother of Matt Shultz, Brad Shultz, toyed with distinctive notes in a staged dance battle. 

A slower jam that reflects on the everyday struggle of facing adversity in life, “Trouble” resulted in a sea of concertgoers holding up their phone flashlights, illuminating the packed arena. When Shultz sang, “God don’t let me lose my mind,” the crowd steadily chanted it back. Again, an intense musical mood shift from sentimentality to outright anger followed alongside a performance of their first true hit single, “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked.” Shultz moved closer to the crowd and stared down phone cameras, rocking the world of die-hard fans at his barricade. 

Draped in a fitting rainbow light, Shultz sang with distinct, grungy vocals on “Rainbow” and the soft ballad “Telescope.” As the set neared an end, the crowd intensely clambered for an encore. When the final song, “House of Glass,” concluded, the guitarist remained onstage as his bandmates fled. A five-minute guitar solo followed as the audience counted the seconds until the full band returned. “Shake Me Down” boomed through the speakers, while Shultz and the drums thundered across the stage.

One may assume the viral beach-getaway montage song “Cigarette Daydreams” would be welcomed by a sea of phones. However, this was not the case. Fans throughout the venue danced, swayed, and even cried to the dreamscape created by the band’s most popular hit. The song showcased the true talents of bassist Daniel Tichenor, who yelled encouragingly into the crowd as the nostalgic chorus hit. Truly living in the moment, the energy pulsing through the Moody Center reached an all-time high as the band triumphantly completed the set with the rock anthem “Come a Little Closer.” 

The impeccable stage presence and energy of Cage The Elephant was second to none. For a band that held such an essential role in the upbringing of indie alternative rock, they lived up to their own standard throughout the concert. Fans poured their hearts and souls into singing along to every hit, single, and new track, as did the band members themselves. From the extraordinary passion of Matt Shultz to the unmatched talent of the instrumentalists, the concert was a truly dynamic performance. Overall, it was well worth the five-year wait to experience Cage The Elephant in its element and live onstage.