For the past decade alternative rock has been defined through groundbreaking bands who go past the limits of a traditional rock sound, and Cage The Elephant has been leading the pack ever since they formed in their hometown of Bowling Green, Kentucky in 2006. It is nearly impossible to claim a love for the alternative scene without a Cage song coming out of your mouth, and after the release of their latest album Social Cues April 19, the group has been giving their best performances to date.  

As part of their 2019 American tour, the elephant boys made a stop in one of the most renowned cities for the indie/alternative music scenes. Dec. 11 at the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom on Chicago’s cozy North Side, the band headlined the 101.1 WKQX stage for the first night of a five-day holiday celebration, The Nights We Stole Christmas, filled with cheer and fake snow. Along with Cage, the San Diego-born project of Tom DeLonge, Angels and Airwaves, gave the audience the performance they craved after 10 years of not touring––including me. 

Like Cage, Angels and Airwaves had made major steps in creating their own form of rock with frontman DeLonge filling the emptiness they feel whenever they see or hear Blink-182, which he left behind in 2015. For any rock connoisseur, there is no better line-up than this power mashup.  

 The last time I saw Angels and Airwaves was in 2009, on the same stage they brought their energy back to in Chicago. The memory of that performance was engraved in my brain as one the best live shows I have seen in my life, up until seeing them 10 years later. With new music released like their single “Rebel Girl,” the band has made a comeback that cannot go unnoticed. While many know DeLonge from Blink-182, and he even made a few remarks about his work with the band on stage, it can go unargued that he is truly in his element with this space-rock group.  

As his typical quirky self, DeLonge gave the crowd what they have been longing for in the years of their absence––plenty of overly pronounced nouns and sly dance moves with a variety of epiphones. As a longtime absolute crazed fan, there was not one moment of the performance where my smile left my face.  

Somehow though, after a heartthrob performance from Angels and Airwaves, Cage was able to captivate the eager crowd even more, despite a late entrance on stage. For anyone that knows Cage, the complex and high energy artistic concepts that go into their live shows is not of any surprise, but nearing 13 years as a group, they truly put on their best performance.   

Frontman and lead vocalist Matt Shultz is a character that one cannot simply take their eyes off of. A brown floppy hat, two-layered mask, a loosened tie, baby blue raincoat atop an opened white button up, high-waisted baby blue flared jeans and sparkly socks to coincide with slip-on sparkly pointed shoes. From head-to-toe, Schultz was a strutting piece of artwork. And that was just one of his many outfit changes.  

At first it was hard to even focus on the main part of the show, the music. But in all honesty, that was not even a bad thing. After coming to the realization of the band’s pristine performance abilities, the beloved jagged drum beats, ringing synth-tunes, electrifying guitar riffs and the bellowing echoes of Schultz vocal chords, there was no need for an introduction.  

The band mixed up the setlist with a number of oldies and new releases off “Social Cues,” and the crowd seemed to know every single verse to each one. Cage was born to set foot on stage and deliver, creating an experience that not one person in the room could ever forget. If you attended not as a Cage fan, it is a matter of fact that you left as one.  

From head-banging jams like “Spiderhead” to an absolutely serene acoustic/acapella version of “Cigarette Daydreams,” Cage stole the hearts of all rock lovers. And with Cage, it is not just their music that gets you hooked, it is their connection and interaction with the crowd and makes you feel like you are up on stage performing with them.   

Schultz’ parading on stage and perfectly timed jabs of movements flowed all too well with the rhythm of the music and along with his outfit changes, Schultz created an artistic almost movie-like show––with the same dreamy and “animalistic” movements that Joaquin Phoenix honed in on for his role of Arthur in “The Joker.” It was not the rhythm that he captured, it was the emotion he was able to display through those movements, which went hand-in-hand with the lyrics he sang out. His crowd-surfing was also the most relaxed I have seen from any artist.  

A Cage The Elephant live show can be discussed endlessly for what it gives to audience members, but if there was one way I could describe it, it would be artistically and cinematically riveting. And in the double-digits of their time as a collective group, there is no doubt in my mind that the alternative blues-rock boys will be ending the road anytime soon.  

Grab tickets to the next available show near you and you will not be disappointed. You can check out Angels and Airwaves and Cage the Elephant on Spotify, and go ahead and recreate the lineup of a lifetime.  

Angels and Airwaves | Cage The Elephant