Talk about manic intensity.
Cage the Elephant did a fiery
75-minute performance in Irvine on Wednesday night - and not just because flames
shot up from the stage during a few tunes.
The Nashville-based band, among the most successful at
alternative rock radio during the 2010s, is touring behind “Social Cues,” a strong, eclectic album featuring “Night Running,” a reggaefied collaboration with tour co-headliner
Beck. A handful of tracks contain orchestration arranged and conducted by David Campbell (Beck's father).
Matt Shultz has a reputation for being a riveting, unpredictable front
man akin to Iggy Pop. This writer’s first experience witnessing Cage the
Elephant confirmed it.
His brother Brad emerged onstage first, blasting the guitar riff
to “Cry Baby” (off 2015’s Grammy-winning, Dan Auerbach-produced “Tell Me I’m
Pretty”) to launch the 20-song set. Then Matt appeared, face
obscured, and briefly did some interpretive moves (he recently studied the
Japanese dance technique Butoh). Brad waded into the crowd and smiled
broadly.
Young fans who packed FivePoint Amphitheatre immediately
sang along loudly. Many parents were spotted enjoying the show right along with
their kids, possibly due to some Sixties-leaning, classic rock touchstones on
“Pretty” and other releases.
The hyperkinetic “Broken Boy,” an early highlight among a
half dozen memorable “Cues” songs played, saw Matt prance around and hold the
mike stand high in the air. As the evening progressed, he would methodically peel away
layers of clothing and wraps. The singer rarely stood still for more than a
minute, often working both sides of the stage, pogoing, crawling around and
making several forays into the audience.
For “Telescope,” Matt held a
flashlight with what looked like a chicken leg duct taped to it, available for
casual bites between lyrics. Now there's something you don't see often. All five musicians were in fine form, especially during the
dramatic “Too Late to Say Goodbye,” an exhilarating “Mess Around,” acoustic
guitar-based “Trouble” (everyone in the venue seemed to join the falsetto
howl), “Social Cues” (with a late ‘70s Bowie-esque sonic sheen) and swampy 2008
multi-platinum single “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked.”
During the frantic closer “Teeth,” Matt had some parting words
of wisdom for fans, reminding them that “everyone has value” and “don’t give up
on life.”
There was a noticeable exodus of people, albeit minor,
before Beck took the stage (maybe they had an early workday or weren’t into
‘90s alternative music) to conclude the five-hour concert with a somewhat
erratic 60-minute set.
Opening with his first big hit “Loser,” Beck quickly dashed
through the verses. Nearly everyone was on their feet and dancing around for
the fun R&B-tinged “Up All Night.” With top-notch musicians like guitarist
Jason Falkner and keyboardist Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (successful
artists/producers in their own right) among the band, well-known numbers like
“The New Pollution,” “Devil’s Haircut” and “E-Pro” sounded powerful as ever.
The billowy “Wow” (from the last album “Colors”) and sprightly “Girl” were also
delightful.
Then things started to go off the rails a bit. Beck forgot
the lyrics to “Debra” and the sparse, stately ballad “Lost Cause” (both
routinely on past setlists). An attempt to call an audible fell flat.
Yet latest
single “Saw Lightning,” a bluesy folk song inspired by Mississippi John Hurt
containing some wicked slide guitar, helped lift the pace. So did the dancey
helium pop of “Dreams.” The typical set closing medley of “Where It’s At” and
various cover snippets (three holdovers from last fall’s tour) was all over the
place.
Finally, Matt Shultz joined Beck for a ragged “Night
Running” (debuted live the night before and unrehearsed) and a “Where It’s At”
reprise.
Earlier, indie rock stalwart Spoon delivered an excellent
set comprised of many selections from the upcoming career compilation “Everything Hits
at Once.” Despite recording for more than 20 years, the Austin-reared band
probably had thousands of people doing a Google search for it last spring after
a video of 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg playing 2003
single “The Way We Get By” on piano went viral. In Irvine, it was a rollicking
standout.
Right from the start, Spoon proved enrapturing with some skittering
programming and wiry guitars on “Knock Knock Knock.” The shuffling new single
“No Bullets Spent” was equally impressive. Singer/guitarist Britt Daniel often
held his electric guitar aloft as his bandmates locked into a hypnotic groove
(“I Turn My Camera On”) or spacey sounds (“Hot Thoughts,” “Don’t You Evah”).
Kudos to multi-instrumentalist Gerardo Larios for pounding the piano backwards
during a mariachi-influenced “The Underdog.”
LA rock band Starcrawler did a mildly interesting 25-minute
set that bore elements of punk, glam and heavy metal. Guitarist Henri Cash was
good, notably on a cover of The Ramones’ “Pet Sematary” from the 2019 film
soundtrack. Yet the truly disturbing antics of waifish singer Arrow de Wilde -
mock choking herself, spitting “blood” (not sure if it was real) – rendered
most of it as forgettable shock rock.
Next: 6 p.m. Saturday, July 20, North Island Credit Union
Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, $22.50-$145.50, www.livenation.com
Also: The Mercury Insurance Concert Series continues with The
Used, Thrice, Circa Survive, July 20; Shinedown, July 21; Rascal Flatts, Aug. 1;
Third Eye Blind, Jimmy Eat World, Aug. 3; Elvis Costello and the Imposters, Blondie,
Aug. 4; Chris Young, Aug. 10; Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aug. 23; Alice in Chains, Korn, Aug. 30; Nelly, TLC, Aug. 31.
All photos by Sam Gangwer/courtesy SCNG
A version of my review originally appeared at ocregister.com
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