CONCERT REVIEW: Cage The Elephant

Cage The Elephant
Jimmy Kimmel Live Outdoor Mini Concert
December 9, 2013
Hollywood, CA

By: Nevra Azerkan

Cage The Elephant has been one of those bands that people know, but yet are still a well-kept secret. Tracks like “Aberdeen” and “Shake Me Down” have become some of my favorites. I had yet to catch these guys live, so when they were set to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live, I was totally there.

I didn’t really know what to expect with these guys since I have never looked into their concert videos. The band exuded energy the moment they began playing, but it was the crazy stage antics from lead singer, Matt Shultz that stole the show. He was like a mixture of Mick Jagger and the frontman for The Vines, Craig Nicholls. He was all over the stage, in the crowd and even jumping on his fellow band mate’s back. No one had a clue what he would do next and all we could do was watch and find out. If his intent was to get the crowd riled up, it worked.

They played a 5-song set, two of which aired on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Aside from one track, their set list contained songs from their newest album, Melophobia that was released this past October. The full set list included: “Come A Little Closer”, “Shake Me Down”, “Spiderhead”, “Teeth”, and “Take It Or Leave It”.

For a mini-concert this was a fantastic show. Everyone got to hear 5 songs, for free, from an awesome band. You can’t beat that. Plus, Matt even came out after the show to greet fans, sign autographs and take pictures. Cage The Elephant is definitely on the list of today’s most underrated bands and those who get to attend their live show should consider themselves lucky to be in the know.