Concert review: Cage the Elephant at 9:30 Club
In today's Live section, I profiled the no-frills rock group Cage the Elephant (read the piece here).
The five-piece from Kentucky is known more for their raucous live shows than their smoldering self-titled debut album.
To get a taste of what Cage the Elephant's sold-out show at the Recher Theatre will be like, I saw their sold-out show at the 9:30 Club last night. It was good -- but not great.
Honestly, after watching so many YouTube clips of lead singer Matt Shultz crowd diving and jumping off second-story balconies, I think I set my expectations too high ...
The first half of Cage the Elephant's set was a blend of slow-burning rock with a bit of punk and blues. Though lead guitarist Lincoln Parish cranked out some heavy riffs, the rest of the band could have been tighter.
Shultz, who crowd surfed, screamed and walked on the hands of audience members, was every bit the charismatic front man I'd expected, though it was hard to hear his talk-singing at times.
Live, singles such as "Back Against the Wall," "In One Ear" and "Ain't No Rest For the Wicked" were twice as scorching as the album versions. But the other album cuts were hit-or-miss. I wonder how tonight's show at the Recher will be.
(Photo by Danny Clinch)
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
Comments
Going to see them tonight @ the retcher.
Hope they're great!
Posted by: Brianna | February 26, 2010 3:45 PM
You must have been at a different show Sam. This was one of the hottest and best shows I've seen in a long time, and the band was as tight as could be. Maybe your time in the VIP box sipping free cocktails distracted you.
Posted by: Jeff Marcus | March 3, 2010 6:52 PM
I thought this show was incredible! I was front row center and from where I was, the band rocked! I even got to run my fingers through Matt's hair and helped catch him on his stage diving antics. The energy that Cage the Elephant created that night at the 9:30 club is something I will not soon forget!
Posted by: Elizabeth | April 3, 2010 1:46 PM
saw the show in austin last week- the audio was TERRRRRIBLE until they played their hits. then everything sounded incredible. not an audio expert, but it sounded like they were lip syncing to a recording, while the drummer played his childish rhythm along with it.
still a great show- just wish the audio wouldnt have been ,,, up the rest of the time. hope either the venue or the sound crew fixes this
Posted by: austin, tx | May 9, 2010 10:04 PM