Cage the Elephant Brings Frenetic Energy to 713 Music Hall

Cage the Elephant frontman Matt Shultz might be the most energetic guy in rock today. Imagine a Labrador Retriever puppy with a Red Bull IV drip, and that’s about what you get when Shultz and crew take the stage.

This is a compliment; the dude is awesome, as was Cage the Elephant on Monday night before a sold-out crowd at 713 Music Hall. Decked out in sunglasses and with the cool to match, Shultz and crew emerged at 9 p.m. to fire and a roar from the crowd.

The next 90 minutes? Well, they never let up.

Shultz and his bandmates whipped through a tighter-than-hell 21-song set that ably mixed tracks from their newest release – last year’s Neon Pill – with a number of fan favorites from a catalog that’s far more extensive than some might recall.

Whether it was “Mess Around,” “Trouble” and “Cold Cold Cold” – from 2015’s stellar Tell Me I’m Pretty, to “Come a Little Closer” and “Cigarette Daydreams” from its predecessor (Melophobia), Cage matched the crowd’s frenetic energy throughout the duration of its set.

Fire shot from the stage, Shultz bopped around the most cocksure of confidence and fans in attendance were treated to one of the great – and, quite frankly, underrated – bands of its era. By the time the band wrapped up with “Come a Little Closer,” it had left no doubt.

A Cage the Elephant show is more than just a show; it’s an experience. 

So, How Was the Crowd?: Far more diverse, in terms of age, than one might expect. Quite a few folks well into their 60s, a number of young folks in their early 20s. And a number of parents with their kids. Oh, and it was packed.

Random Notebook Dump:713 is a phenomenal live music venue, both in terms of acoustics and aesthetic … Props to the bands for wrapping things up by 10:30 p.m.; it was a school night!

Setlist:
Broken Boy
Cry Baby
Spiderhead
Too Late to Say Goodbye
Good Time
Cold Cold Cold
Ready to Let Go
Neon Pill
Social Cues
Halo
Mess Around
Trouble
Ain’t No Rest (for the Wicked)
Skin & Bones
Telescope
House of Glass
Sabertooth Tiger
Back Against the Wall
Shake Me Down
Cigarette Daydreams
Come a Little Closer

This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.

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