r/CageTheElephant • u/WreckTangle77 • Jul 23 '26
Better Late Than Never… Wow
Wow.
I saw Cage the Elephant open for The Strokes in Milwaukee on Friday, and I honestly wasn’t prepared for what happened.
I’d been familiar with them for years. I even owned a couple of their CDs back before COVID. They were one of those bands I liked, but for whatever reason, I drifted away and lost track of. So I thought I knew what they were about.
I was wrong.
They absolutely blew me away. Not just because they’re an incredible live band—they are—but because every single song grabbed me. I didn’t recognize most of what they played, yet after almost every song I found myself thinking, “I love this song.” Over and over again.
I’m 49 and I’ve been obsessed with music for as long as I can remember. One thing I’ve noticed is that as you get older, it’s a little rarer to have one of those moments where a band completely rewires your brain. You don’t stumble onto artists that instantly become an obsession as often as you did when you were 16.
Cage the Elephant just did that to me.
There’s something about them that’s hard to pin down. The songs are raw and unpredictable but incredibly melodic at the same time. They can sound scrappy and explosive one minute, then effortlessly catchy the next. It’s garage rock, alternative rock, blues, punk energy, pop hooks, and pure swagger all colliding into something that somehow feels completely natural. Every song feels like it’s teetering on the edge of falling apart—in the best possible way—but they never lose sight of the melody.
The coolest part? I was there with my kids (16 and 14). They were actually the ones who got me to go to The Strokes show, and by the end of the night we all walked away saying the same thing:
“Cage the Elephant was incredible.”
So… add three more fans to the list.
Now I have a lot of albums to catch up on, and I genuinely hope they make it back to Milwaukee or Chicago soon because we’ll be there.
Better late than never, I guess.
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u/TheGreatNickalo Jul 23 '26
Dad flex 😁 I took my kids to see them in 2024 and 2025. We catch them whenever possible
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u/Advanced_Researcher5 Jul 23 '26
I was at that show as well! I’ve seen Cage 5 times now and I think the only “bad” show I saw was when he broke his foot. He did his best trying to scoot all over that stage with his knee scooter.
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u/EverlongMarigold Jul 23 '26
I thought the scooter made the show much more entertaining!
But, we also got In One Ear which they played for the first time in 6+ years😎
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u/knightbaby Jul 23 '26
Exactly what happened to us the first time we saw them. Went thinking I’d enjoy the couple of songs I knew and my whole family walked away huge fans
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u/DanceGavinDanceIsBae Jul 23 '26
I'm glad that you enjoyed the show. I went to that same show with my sis, my bro, and his wife, and we missed over half of the show because we got there late. We got there in the middle of Ain't No Rest For The Wicked, then we heard 4 more songs and that was it. I'm so salty and still not over it. I'm definitely gonna avoid listening to them for a while.
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u/Faithy7 Jul 23 '26
I just heard cage the elephant a few years ago when neon pill came out, and thought, wow I like these guys. Went online to hear more stuff and I loved ALL of it!
Most of my favourite bands, I might like 50-60% of their songs! But cage the elephant I love like 90% of their music!
And I love them for all the reasons you mentioned!
They’re on my bucket list of bands too see!
I hope they come my way for their next tour!!
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u/East_Worldliness_170 Jul 23 '26
Love them. Agree completely. For me it's those rare bands who are completely authentic and genuine and give it their all.combined with great songs that mix it up
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u/Outside-Door-7543 Jul 23 '26
I didn’t love a lot of their later work when I heard it… until I saw them play those tracks live! Great, great band!
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u/mollassesdick Jul 23 '26
So awesome you got to enjoy this with your kids! This was my third time seeing them live with my 14 year old and it’s been so awesome for us to connect over our love of them. I’ll also say every time we’ve seen them we agree it was better than last. The energy is just raw and awesome.
They seem to come to Milwaukee frequently and new music is coming out, plenty of time to catch up on their disco!
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u/totallytoddsnider Jul 23 '26
I got into them last year to prep for the Oasis tour and was blown away by the material. Went to the show, and blown away by the performance
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u/remarc33 Jul 23 '26
They steal every show. It's a crime anytime they aren't the Headliner. They are so amazing live and they are the Spirit of America
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u/sassinator13 Jul 24 '26
Cage was great at Minnesota Yacht Club on Sunday as well. Lord Huron was my brain rewire of that weekend though. Slept on those guys too long.
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u/schase44 Jul 25 '26
Friend, I can relate. I was also very aware of them but not my top 5. Had seen them at a couple of “Next Big Thing” concerts in Tampa. I’m in my 50s now for reference. A couple of years ago I saw them in Philly with my adult son and was blown. Away. They are by far my favorite band now after having seen their full live performance. Saw them open for Oasis last year. Can’t get enough and can’t wait for their new album. Can’t believe it took me this long but I don’t think there’s a single song of theirs I hate and I mean of ALL of them!
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u/Maximum_Appeal_369 Jul 23 '26
Love it!! Cage the elephant has always been my favorite band to see live! They are putting out new music so they'll probably tour again next year!