Cage The Elephant @ Blossom (9/9/24)
Monday was one of the first evenings that felt like Fall in Ohio, and Blossom Music Center was jam packed with fans enjoying the cooler temperatures, and looking forward to hearing some rock music. The lineup for the evening was stellar, with three opening acts and Cage The Elephant as the headliner. We started out the night with Georgia native, Willow Avalon. With a delicate and emotive voice, she sang us tunes from her latest project "Homewrecker". The crowd was instantly enamored with both Willow's folksy songs and her big smile. This was my first experience with her music, but I was on Spotify downloading her album to revisit, before her set even ended.
Next out on the stage was English alternative artist Bakar. A lot of people are familiar with him through Tiktok, where his song "Hell N Back" is massively viral with over 2 million people using it for videos. His viral fame stood up as he captivated the audience with a plethora of his music. He ended his set with the viral tune "Hell N Back" and to a hearty round of applause.
Young the Giant was the next on the list of talented performers to grace Blossom's stage, and to say I was excited for their set would be an understatement. I caught them last year on their 2023 Summer tour, and that ended up being one of my favorite shows of the year. Lead singer Sameer Gadhia has a certain stage presence that makes you tune in, and in a way that feels like you're in a room with only you and the band. I also appreciate the cohesion that the band has. Their clothing, the lighting, and stage design all fit so purposefully with their music. They opened with "Jungle Youth", "The Walk Home", and "Cough Syrup", and later on played their song "Garands", which Sameer says they haven't played in 14 years. Throughout their set Sameer spoke to the crowd about how important it is to define yourself and stand behind the things you create. He talked about how their second album "Mind Over Matter" was initially criticized because it was so different from their first record, but now it is their most commercially successful, because they took the chance to make something different. They ended their set with huge hit "My Body", and the crowd was left feeling fulfilled, and ready for Cage The Elephant.
Matt Shultz rolled out onto the stage, literally, with a scooter for his broken foot from an injury last month. But being in a cast didn't stop him from giving the audience a performance of a lifetime. Opening with their song "Broken Boy", the stage was filled with fire, literally and figuratively. They continued through their discography, playing songs from throughout their 16 years as a band. The amount of energy that Matt, and the rest of the band, brought to the stage was so palpable. It was infection while in the photo pit, and remained so even when I went to my seat. While walking around the venue, I saw people in the furthest reaches of the lawn fully engulfed in Cage The Elephants performance and lazer show. About half way through their 23 song setlist, they played hits "Trouble" and "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked". In my seat by that time, everyone around me screamed along, and I took some cool videos on my phone of the crowd all singing in unison. Matt expressed gratitude throughout the show for the audience for sticking by him, especially for the last few years when he was really struggling. I respect Matt a lot for getting himself to a better place, and adapting when things change. I'm sure he wasn't counting on finishing out the tour with a broken foot, but he was able to give us a performance that made us forget about his injury. I think that's truly special. I hope I get the chance to photograph them again for years into the future.
Photos by Shelly Duncan
Willow Avalon
Bakar
Young the Giant
Cage the Elephant
