Cage The Elephant, Young the Giant, Bakar, Willow Avalon

Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX

July 13, 2024

Review and Gallery by: Grace Forrester

As the tour finished its Texas run, indie-rock legends Cage The Elephant brought the house down at Dickies Arena last weekend. Formed in 2009, Cage The Elephant has had a long-standing career filled with hit after hit. Songs such as ‘Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked’, ‘Come a Little Closer’, and ‘Social Cues’ have broken into mainstream pop culture, helping the band wrack up many song certifications, #1 records, and multiple GRAMMYS. Having a fully-stacked opening lineup of Willow Avalon, BAKAR, and Young The Giant, the night was filled with jam-packed performances back-to-back.

Starting the night off strong was Willow Avalon, a self-claimed “southern belle raising hell”. Avalon embodies the true spirit of old-school country, but with a modern twist. Her set, filled with seven songs and interludes in between of an older woman reflecting on life and giving the audience some good ol’ southern wisdom, was a perfect encapsulation of Avalon’s personality and charm. Equal amounts of soft and sass, songs like ‘Gettin’ Rich, Goin’ Broke’, ‘Tequila or Whiskey‘’, and her soon-to-be released ‘Homewrecker’ are such a joy to listen to, and even better to experience live.

The next set of the night was Bakar, an England-native most known for their viral 2019 single ‘Hell N Back’. Opening with the song ‘All In’, Bakar was further upstage, covered in blue lights and smoke with a backlight behind him, giving off a beautiful moody vibe. He was not camera-shy however, standing on the stage amps and getting up close and personal during ‘1st Time’ and ‘Right Here, Right Now’. The response from the crowd was immediate, already roaring even though the night had really only just begun.

With origins dating even further back than Cage The Elephant, Young The Giant have become the face of the indie genre to many. Coming out full speed with their song ‘Jungle Youth’ at the beginning of their set proved that as the arena instantly lit up. Transitioning into the next few songs ‘The Walk Home’ and their hit ‘Cough Syrup’ was incredible to watch, the energy from the band and crowd felt nothing short of electrifying. Frontman Sameer Gadhia opened up candidly about this tour later on, using it as a time to play deeper cuts and older songs they normally don’t. Ending with ‘My Body’ from their self-titled debut album, the crowd was truly ready for the main event of the evening.

Cage The Elephant brought the literal heat as they stormed the stage with ‘Broken Boy’,  on-stage pyrotechnics and lasers flashing through the arena. Watching fans scream and reach out over the wide barricade to get as close to the action as possible, especially as guitarist Brad Shultz ran up right to them through the flames to join them. Their entire setlist was a perfect mix of new and old, playing newer releases like ‘Rainbow’ and tour namesake ‘Neon Pill’, along with classics like ‘Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked’, ‘Come a Little Closer’, ‘Cigarette Daydreams’, among many others throughout their various albums. Towards the end of the night while the arena brought their lights up during ‘Telescope’ and screamed their lungs out to the final song ‘Come a Little Closer’, it became clear why Cage The Elephant has captivated audiences for 15 years and counting, and why they will for many more to come.

Although the first leg of the tour has concluded, the second leg starts back up next month on August 2nd. Tickets for the remaining shows, along with select VIP upgrades can be found on their official website. You can also stream their new album Neon Pill on all major streaming services.