Even with a broken foot, Cage The Elephant storm Chicago for an evening of alt-rock

By Colette Custin

A stellar bill of indie rock landed in Chicago on Wednesday night as Cage the Elephant’s Neon Pills tour arrived with some outstanding opening acts.

U.K.-based Bakar delivered a set of his R&B-tinged pop tunes, including hit “Hell N Back,” the absence of vocalist Summer Walker gave the song a slightly different feel, though it was no less soulful and had the crowd moving early in the night.

Then it was time for San Diego’s Young the Giant, who continue to defy genre boundaries and expectations with each record, and their live shows are no exception. Combining elements of indie rock, pop, and electronica, all under the umbrella of vocalist Sameer Gadhia’s incredible range and emotional delivery on tunes like “Cough Syrup,” “Superposition,” and the stunning “The Walk Home” from American Bollywood. Celebrating the ten-year anniversary of second album Mind Over Matter, Young the Giant showcased their unique staying power through the sheer variety of their set and varied styles.

“As you can probably tell,” noted vocalist Matt Shultz, “I broke my fucking foot – but we fucking love Chicago!” With that, Kentucky-based alt-rockers Cage the Elephant tore through a set of tunes from all eras of the band’s more than fifteen-year history, and Shultz powered though the whole damn thing with a broken foot, commandeering a scooter without missing a single beat and owning the crowd from opener “Broken Boy.” While the band threw out only a few tracks from new album Neon Pill (their first in five years), they also delivered heavy on the hits like the shuffling “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” and a bevy of killer cuts from 2013’s Melophobia. Another genre-defying act that has built an identity around their unique blend of styles, Cage the Elephant proved yet again—in one of their favorite cities, no less—why they command an arena-sized crowd.

Cage the Elephant – Credit Union 1 Arena, Chicago, IL, 8/14/2024 (setlist)
Broken Boy
Crybaby
Spiderhead
Too Late to Say Goodbye
Good Time
Cold Cold Cold
Ready to Let Go
Social Cues
Neon Pill
Halo
Mess Around
Trouble
Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked
Skin and Bones
Rainbow
Telescope
Tokyo Smoke
House of Glass
Sabertooth Tiger
Shake Me Down
Cigarette Daydreams
Come A Little Closer