Following the release of their new record titled ‘Neon Pill,’ alt-rock band Cage the Elephant made their ninth tour stop on July 3 at the Santa Barbara Bowl to tear up the stage with an energy I’ve rarely witnessed in all of my years of concert-going.
After thirty minutes, the dimming of the lights, swelling of the entry music, and cheers from a crowd tense with anticipation signaled the beginning of the show. Opening with “Broken Boy,” frontmen and brothers Matt and Brad Shultz immediately stole the show with their infectious energy and ability to ignite the crowd within seconds. The opening was followed by “Cry Baby,” then “Spiderhead” where lead singer Matt Shultz’s stage presence ascended even further, as he ran around the stage headbanging and lunging himself into the air to strike a series of explosive toe touches. At one point, he cocked his neck back, hurled his own spit several feet into the air, then caught it back in his mouth again as it fell. 
Unlike how one would channel the ability to dance by picturing no one to be watching, Matt manically spiraled into episodes of dance as if everyone was watching and this was the last time he would have the chance to do so. There was no reservation of energy on his part, nor was there from his brother who was visibly belting the lyrics while he thrashed around, climbing atop the speakers lining the front of the stage, and engaging with fans in the front. The two brothers shared a whispered exchange followed by Brad taking center stage to throw his guitar high into the air as it crashed back down, exploding on impact. The fans matched the fire being thrown at them with ease as hair flew through the air, and heads whipped back and forth across the barricade.
With the new record being an embodiment of their entire musical journey up until this point, the emotional performance delivered on stage seemed to embody all of the personal experiences that had accumulated up until that night in Santa Barbara. Matt Shultz took a heartfelt moment to connect with the crowd outside of the music as he expressed how he felt “lucky to be alive” after enduring a haunting past 5 years. Knowing that the record was inspired by Matt’s three year period of psychosis–which was triggered by a medication he was prescribed– the passion in his performance and delivery of personal lyrics such as those in title track ‘Neon Pill’ were all the more emotional.
His gratitude emerging from the dark depths of those years with a newfound appreciation for life was clear as he urged the audience to reach out to loved ones to “tell them you love them” causing my teary eyed best friend and I to hold onto each other tightly throughout the next song. Cage the Elephant was central to the evolution of our taste in music and central to many memories we share from high school, so to be at this show together was a special moment. Emotions were high as the bowl lit up with thousands of flash lights for “Telescope,” a slow tempoed song that discusses the fragility of time and the importance of not wasting it.
The night ended with a three song encore performance starting with “Shake Me Down,” which led into “Cigarette Daydreams,” the crowd bursting with an overwhelming deliverance of the lyrics back to the band in unison. The show ended on a high note with their track “Come a Little Closer,” as the audience danced together for one last song. It was a privilege to be able to see this band live and to witness the work of a true rockstar like Matt Shultz unfold before my eyes. I hope to catch the band again at another one of their stops as they continue their tour throughout the summer, finishing it out in late September.
Article and Photos by Bailey Schroerlucke