In today's Live section, I profiled the no-frills rock group Cage the Elephant (read the piece here).
The five-piece from Kentucky is known more for their raucous live shows than their smoldering self-titled debut album.
To get a taste of what Cage the Elephant's sold-out show at the Recher Theatre will be like, I saw their sold-out show at the 9:30 Club last night. It was good -- but not great.
Honestly, after watching so many YouTube clips of lead singer Matt Shultz crowd diving and jumping off second-story balconies, I think I set my expectations too high ...
The first half of Cage the Elephant's set was a blend of slow-burning rock with a bit of punk and blues. Though lead guitarist Lincoln Parish cranked out some heavy riffs, the rest of the band could have been tighter.
Shultz, who crowd surfed, screamed and walked on the hands of audience members, was every bit the charismatic front man I'd expected, though it was hard to hear his talk-singing at times.
Live, singles such as "Back Against the Wall," "In One Ear" and "Ain't No Rest For the Wicked" were twice as scorching as the album versions. But the other album cuts were hit-or-miss. I wonder how tonight's show at the Recher will be.
(Photo by Danny Clinch)