Cage The Elephant: Neon Pill

For years, I’ve been telling everyone that will listen that Cage The Elephant is one of the best live bands. As much as I love listening to their music through my headphones, absolutely nothing compares to the hypnosis of seeing them live on stage. So, when I heard I’d be able to cover their “Neon Pill” tour at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, I was practically jumping out of my seat. I hadn’t seen the band since 2019, when they toured with Beck to promote their album Social Cues, so I was anxious to see if they’d live up to my memories.

This tour is a major moment in Cage The Elephant’s career as they make their return to tour on the heels of a heavy announcement about frontman Matt Shultz’s mental health journey. The band is back in full force and it’s clear that they’re feeling empowered to show the world that Cage The Elephant is here to stay, no matter what hits them. To cement this tour in history, Cage The Elephant threw in a twist I’ve never seen before on a rock tour: a mobility scooter performance. Shultz broke his foot, but instead of letting it stop him, he rocked a boot and scooter on stage. The physical injury took zero toll on his stage presence. Shultz was just as dynamic and electric as ever, bantering with the crowd about his injury. Between songs, he’d prompt the crowd to clap and cheer when he stood up, sat down, or leaned back.

Even with the broken foot, Shultz performed with the full force of a frontman with full comfort on stage. I’ve always been a huge fan of Cage The Elephant’s sound. I’d spin the Melophobia record whenever I wanted to feel like a movie main character (usually when I needed inspiration to clean my room). This nostalgic and gritty sound translates beautifully to live music, with every member of the band delivering just as well as they do on the recording. And the main character feeling? Even stronger in an venue. It’s that electric energy and stage presence that makes the band so memorable. Shultz and the rest of the group convince crowds to get up and dance. You may be sitting in the back row, but you’ll feel like a member of the band. Their confidence is contagious.

Cage The Elephant’s setlist created a mini “Eras Tour” of their own with a blend of the classics, the new hits, and the deep cuts. I was 16 at my first Cage The Elephant show. Now, 8 years later, I saw the venue full of a new era of teenage Cage The Elephant fans and veteran fans alike. It doesn’t matter if you came to the show knowing none of the new album, only the lead singles, or a single song from TikTok. Cage The Elephant’s set seamlessly brings you through their discography. The opening run of tracks, “Broken Boy,” “Cry Baby,” and “Spiderhead,” threw the crowd right into it. No warm up, just pure rock energy. Screaming vocals and scalding pyrotechnics. The band flowed through songs, creating a wave of energy levels keeping the crowd on their feet. “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked,” the band’s most notable song, popped up in the middle of the set. The crowd erupted, singing along loud enough for anyone driving past on the nearby highway to hear. With this new burst of spirit, Cage The Elephant led the crowd through songs from each of their albums. Just before the encore, the band treated the audience to a song new to the setlist, and one of my personal favorites. “In One Ear” demands your attention; it’s a song about doing what you believe in and ignoring the noise of critics so that you can thrive.

Cage The Elephant will continue to dominate the alternative-rock scene. Their “Neon Pill” tour shows that they are still a force to be reckoned with and one of the best bands to see live. Covering this show left me feeling so euphoric that I’ve been browsing tickets to their remaining tour dates the whole time I’ve been writing this article. If you haven’t had the chance to catch Cage The Elephant on this tour, I’d recommend you do the same.