Cage the Elephant – Target Center – Minneapolis, MN – August 12th, 2024 

Cage the Elephant with Young the Giant, Bakar, and Vlad Holiday

Target Center – Minneapolis, MN – August 12th, 2024

Cage the Elephant’s Neon Pill tour cruised into Minneapolis with a stop at the Target Center, supported by Young the Giant, Bakar, and Vlad Holiday.

Shrouded in mysterious low light, Vlad Holiday started off the night with a moody and darkly haunting set. His presence felt very minimalist, with shadowed bass and drum backing, but his characteristic lo-fi sound had a classic tone and vintage feel, and gave the evening a great mellow vibe.

Bakar followed with a similar low-light minimal setup, but a faster and more upbeat energy. Hailing from England, his style is a fusion of indie, rock, rap and pop. His stage presence was reflected in his radiant smile and positive energy, and his voice mixes vibrant tones and fast phrasing for a captivating style.

Young the Giant opened their set with a blast of energy with “Jungle Youth” off of their 2016 album “Home of the Strange”. The Southern California based 5 piece was full of life, with lead singer Sameer Gadhia emotionally delivering the lyrics while he danced, at times emphatically and with a flair that matched his vibrant jacket. Their set spanned their 14-year discography and they closed their set coming full circle back to their roots, with “My Body” off of their debut self titled album.

Cage the Elephant closed the night with ferocious energy. Despite having broken his foot 10 days prior, lead singer Matt Schultz was dancing and all over the stage, with his scooter just adding to the showmanship of his performance.  Fittingly, they started off their set with “Broken Boy”, with a wave of pyrotechnics and lasers, and mid-song, guitarist Brad Schultz climbed down into the pit to perform up close and personal for the lucky attendees on the rail. They followed up that energy with “Cry Baby”, and while many would probably consider an injury like that to be a hindrance, Matt managed to maintain his characteristic wild stage presence and infectious energy.  Their set blasted through hits from their diverse discography, including their hit “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked”. They closed the night with an encore of crowd favorite “Cigarette Daydream” and then ending with “Come a Little Closer” to close a fantastic performance.

Review and photos by Kate Klaus