Cage The Elephant guitarist Brad Shultz shimmied his way to the top of the subwoofers in front of the stage and leaped into the photo pit where I stood following him intently through my viewfinder. He landed almost on top of me and only lightly brushed my leg. But it was enough to stop him in his tracks, take my arm to stabilize me and ask me if I was okay.  

Are you kidding? Of course I’m okay! That was the coolest thing that ever happened to me while photographing a show.  

Shultz hopped onto the barricade in front of screaming fans who held onto him by the legs, giving me front-row access to photos. Before descending to the stage again, Schultz stopped once more to make sure I was okay—the photographers around me patting my back and giving me the thumbs up. I guess that’s why we signed a waiver. 

Kentucky-born but London-based alternative band Cage The Elephant headlined Chicago’s Credit Union 1 Arena at the University of Illinois at Chicago on Wednesday, Aug. 14. Their appearance was in support of their sixth original studio album, Neon Pill. And to make the lineup even more appealing, Cage brought along Young the Giant—a band who could easily sell out a headline show.  

It was a strange venue for the two bands, who were also joined by openers Vlad Holiday and Bakar. It’s an arena, but it’s small. And despite the restrictive architecture, the fans feel spread far from the stage. But at any rate, cheers to covering my first arena show!  

Seats filled in once Young the Giant took the stage. The rock band from Irvine, California, wasn’t planning to tour this summer but couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play shows with Cage. The two bands grew up and released music alongside each other for years, and frontman Sameer Gadhia said it’s a tour that’s been a decade in the making.  

While celebrating the 10th anniversary of their second album, Mind Over Matter, Young the Giant are using this tour to step out of their comfort zone. They test new songs, play songs they haven’t played live often and ultimately find a new joy in performing.  

Stepping out in an outfit I need ASAP—a light pink button-up satin tank top adorned with floral accents, black dress pants held up with a belt, and petite black small-heeled loafers—Gadhia held his microphone in one hand while often messing with a small synth kit with the other hand.  

The band played a mixture of deep cuts and now-classics like Cough Syrup and My Body—a song that transports me back to being 16 with a fresh new license. On boring summer days, I’d hop in my mom’s car, turn on Q101 WKQX with My Body already playing. I’d crank the volume and roll out of the driveway with nowhere to go, windows down and the sun shining.  

Young the Giant bring so much energy to every aspect of their set. Gadhia flails his arms and belts his little heart out, while guitarist Eric Cannata quite literally runs up and down the perimeters of the stage. With a gorgeous light display of blue strobes and dancing yellow dots that float among them like stars, the band transitioned into Superposition with that sweet repetitive beat of la di da, la di da! 

In late July, the band released an anniversary edition of Mind Over Matter, which Gadhia noted wasn’t as well-received when it first came out in 2014—but now it’s considered some of the band’s best work to date.  

“We tried to do something different with our second album,” Gadhia said on stage. “And we never apologized for who we are.”  

While I’ve always considered the album a hit, it’s sweet to see they’re finally getting their flowers.  

Uncaged elephant 

Before Shultz graced me with his up close and personal presence, Cage The Elephant frontman Matt Shultz literally rolled out on stage on a scooter, his right foot propped up on the seat in a boot. He’s one for theatrics—often compared to Mick Jagger for his looks and energy—so I assumed it was part of the bit.  

The last time I saw Cage live in 2019 at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom, frontman Shultz played dress-up on stage, picking accessories and clothing from a box and putting them on just to remove them again. He danced like Joaquin Phoenix did as the Joker in the 2019 film, bony shoulders moving in an awkward, slow-moving hunch. Before that, at Lollapalooza in 2017, Shultz wore a red and black corset top as he climbed the pole next to the sound booth, far from the main stage.  

But after playing three songs while riding around enthusiastically on the scooter, he said, “If you couldn’t tell, I broke my foot.” Despite his limitations, Shultz used the scooter to his advantage, transitioning from sitting and rolling to propping his knee on the seat and standing on the other foot, grooving his upper body in gorgeous rhythm.  

The band embodies an alternative sound and attitude, with the ability to coo a slow melody like Cigarette Daydreams—the entire stadium singing along—and then perform an unbelievably fast-paced, in-your-face tune like Spiderhead. It’s impossible not to close your eyes and whip your head back and forth to the beat.  

Cage The Elephant is exciting. They’re not a band you go see live and end up feeling tired—they inject an energy that washes over you immediately. The band returned this year with Neon Pill, their first studio album since 2019. Last year, frontman Shultz was arrested on multiple counts of weapons possession but did not face jail time because of a plea deal.  

It seemed the band was taking some time off, but came back strong this May with singles Metaverse, Good Time and Out Loud. It’s not comparable to the success of their 2013 album Melophobia, but Neon Pill finds Cage The Elephant in a more polished alt-rock environment.

From new songs to old ones, the front-row fans knew every single word.  

During Sabertooth Tiger, the last song before their three-song encore, Brad Shultz smashed his guitar to bits on the stage, pieces flying in every direction.  

“He nearly broke you, and then he broke his guitar,” said my friend Abra Richardson, who was also photographing the show.  

Keep up with Cage The Elephant and Young the Giant tour schedule here.  

New to Cage? Start with the band’s song Mess Around off their 2015 album Tell Me I’m Pretty. Cage has so many hits that you already likely know, like Come a Little Closer, Back Against the Wall or Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked. But out of all the songs I love and jam out to, Mess Around is my favorite one to hear live.

Pay attention to the repetitive “Ahhhhh, oh no” that is consistent throughout the song. When Cage performs the song live, frontman Matt Shultz whips his head back and forth and gyrates his body in rapid rhythm. Mess Around is the kind of song that will get you up and moving. Plus it’s got a chorus that you’ll be able to pick up and sing on first listen.

Kendall Polidori is The Rockhound, Luckbox’s resident rock critic. Follow her reviews on Instagram and X @rockhoundlb, TikTok @rockhoundkp