Cage the Elephant
photo by Michael O'Hagan
Cage the Elephant
photo by Michael O'Hagan
Cage the Elephant
photo by Michael O'Hagan
Cage the Elephant
photo by Michael O'Hagan
Cage the Elephant
photo by Michael O'Hagan
Cage the Elephant
photo by Michael O'Hagan
Matt Schultz
photo by Michael O'Hagan
Matt Schultz
photo by Michael O'Hagan
Matt Schultz
photo by Michael O'Hagan
Matt Schultz
photo by Michael O'Hagan
Cage the Elephant brought its acoustic tour “Live and Unpeeled” to the Ryman Auditorium on Sunday night for a sold out show.
Fans in attendance were certainly in for a great performance by the band, but left with absolutely no way of documenting their experience.
For this tour, Cage the Elephant implemented a strict no phones policy. At security, attendees were required to lock their phone in a Yondr bag for the entire show. This meant no texts, calls, pictures, or even checking the time for anyone not wearing a watch. No clear reason was given for why the band required such measures. Cage the Elephant’s performance was being recorded for an upcoming live album, which may be the cause. Locking phones away is popular protocol for many comedians’ performances and tours, but perhaps a new concept for music concerts.
Some fans were there celebrating their first trip to the historic Ryman Auditorium, some were there for their birthdays, but none had a to chance to take any pictures once inside the venue. Though this seemed to put a bit of a damper on things, the crowd played by the rules and gave their complete attention to the music.
The band played a slow tune with a backing string section and choir for their opener and then picked up the pace tremendously for their hit “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked.” Frontman Matt Shultz’s voice was impeccable and his dance moves were certainly entertaining and reminiscent of Mick Jagger’s famous style…as was his haircut, and clothing, and voice at times. For a band from Kentucky, Cage the Elephant has all the vibes of a classic ‘60s English rock band.
The band cut their set into two parts with about a 20-minute intermission. In addition to their own hits, they played several covers during the show including their own version of “Instant Crush” originally by Daft Punk and “Whole Wide World” by Reckless Eric.
As a gift for coming to the show, as if a top-notch performance wasn’t enough, Cage the Elephant also gave all fans in attendance a free download code for the live album that was being recorded during this tour, due to be released early this summer.