This summer’s most uniting concert

Cage The Elephant’s Neon Pill Tour features talent old, new

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Gen Z is sure to unite for Kentucky-raised rock band, Cage The Elephant, when they bring their emotional, post-hiatus tour to Saratoga Performing Arts Center on Sunday, Aug. 18.

The six-piece band has been evolving their sound since their formation in 2006, and that innovation continues nearly two decades later. The success of their more standard alternative, self-titled debut didn’t stop them from experimenting with grunge on their sophomore release.

This album, “Thank You Happy Birthday,’ features cuts like “Sell Yourself” that build walls of guitar akin to those on Nirvana’s “Bleach,” with similar confrontational hooks and themes reminiscent of “In Utero” gems.

The 2010s saw the band strip back this distortion and rowdiness, honing in on their lyrics for what would become their most recognizable projects to date. “Melophobia” and “Tell Me I’m Pretty” house standouts like “Cigarette Daydreams” and “Trouble,” which unite Gen-Z and serve as some of the generation’s most agreed-upon classics.

Songs like “Spiderhead,” “Melophobia”’s opener, solidify the consistent depth the band reaches on its records, while balancing out the more palatable, TikTok-viral earworms people know and love, like “Come a Little Closer.” Lead singer Matt Shultz delivers an addictive hook—“Come a little closer, now you see”—that the internet has made anthemic for indieheads old and young.

Cage’s relevance and critical acclaim remain unwavering, with two Grammy wins for Best Rock Album for both 2017’s “Tell Me I’m Pretty” and their 2019 follow-up, “Social Cues”.

This year, “Neon Pill” reflected the band’s five-year hiatus with its feelings of uninterrupted clarity. The refreshment of the sounds and emotions on this record comes in conjunction with Shultz’s recovery after a psychotic episode. Lasting for three years, this challenge brought strength not only to his artistry but also to the band’s connection.

“It took the love of my brothers in the band…to get me through it,” Shultz told Paste Magazine.

The group takes its time harkening back to those moments of grunge that helped launch them to success, while simultaneously inspiring new sounds for the indie-sphere to cling to.

The SPAC show will be a prime event for Gen-Z to reunite with old friends. Hardcore fans can enjoy celebrating yet another successful release from the band, while more casual listeners can dance to the songs that soundtracked their high school years.

Where commercial and critical praise fuel this band’s legacy, so too does the consensus among younger folks that their popular songs are just plain good.

The accompanying talent for this tour only strengthens the appeal of spending the night at SPAC. Young the Giant, Bakar, and Willow Avalon will join the band in Saratoga.

Young the Giant, best known for their smash-hit “Cough Syrup,” is not dissimilar to their headliner, considering their unwavering mark on the 2010s indie-rock scene.

Bakar, the up-and-coming indie rocker, complements this duo of more established bands. SoundCloud uploads of King Krule remixes led the England native to garner quite an internet following. This instilled a confidence that led to his 2018 mixtape, “Badkid,” which earned him a deal with Black Butter Records. He has since released two projects under the label. 2023’s “Halo” features the earworm “Hell N Back,” which, like the internet, will drive Neon Pill audiences mad with its calm catchiness and refreshing take on the constantly crowded indie sound.

His cool experimentation is addictive, but unlike other new internet darlings, it transfers to the stage. Live appearances from The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to a set at Coachella 2023, along with smaller solo tours, display the kind of work ethic he possesses that pushes past the screen.

Talent old and new will come together on the SPAC stage under Cage the Elephant’s leadership this August. Old friends can reunite with the knowledge that they’ll hear the memory-holding bangers that first brought them together.

Andie Kirby is an intern at Spotlight Newspapers and is attending the University of Southern California.

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