Cage the Elephant Bring Neon Pill Tour to Ascend Amphitheater with Young the Giant, Bakar, Willow Avalon, and Girl Tones Tonight, Sept. 1

Formed almost twenty years ago in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and Nashville transplants for more than a decade, eclectic rockers Cage the Elephant are undoubtedly one of the biggest grassroots musical success stories in modern rock. Anchored by brothers Matt (vocals) and Brad (guitar) Shultz, and rounded out by Jared Champion (drums), Daniel Tichenor (bass), Nick Bockrath (guitar), and Matthan Minster (keyboards), the longtime friends had all taken part in various other musical projects in the Bowling Green scene, and worked odd jobs until forming and deciding to funnel all of their focus into Cage. After briefly living in London, the band scored a record deal, and found near-instant success with their platinum selling breakout single “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked,” from their eponymous 2008 debut. With a swam of TV appearances, festival outings, and tours, the group began to settle into their own, trading the more blues, classic, and garage rock tendencies of their debut for a decidedly more punk and alternative direction with sophomore effort Thank You, Happy Birthday.

By 2013’s Grammy nominated Melophobia, Cage, squarely planted in Nashville, had not only cemented their status as one of the best, most energetic live bands on the planet, touring with the likes of Foo Fighters, Manchester Orchestra, Queens of the Stone Age, and Muse, but had also finally settled into a sound all their own, building upon what came before, while further pushing genre boundaries and incorporating elements of psychedelic rock, letting their expansive, confident artistry flourish. The band, by then certifiable rockstars and festival staples, worked with Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach on 2015’s Tell Me I’m Pretty, tracked largely live and analog and marking a more personal, nostalgic sound that calls back to their earliest influences. In the years around those mid-2010s releases, the group were particularly active in Nashville, treating fans to intimate shows at spots like Mercy Lounge, Grimey’s, and The Basement East, while also bringing larger tours to The Ryman and Ascend Amphitheater, and appearing at regional fests like Bonnaroo, Pilgrimage, and Forecastle.

Though they’ve appeared at some nearby fests and a secret pop show or two since, it’s somehow been almost seven years since Cage last played a proper headlining show in Nashville, which is hard to believe given how active they were in the local scene until that point. They’ve kept busy in years since though, releasing a Grammy winning, Nashville-recorded fifth album, Social Cues, in 2019, and embarking on a tour with Beck in support. The pandemic, of course, slowed things down a bit, as did some personal struggles (singer Matt Schultz was arrested at the start of 2023 on firearm charges in New York while experiencing psychosis, and subsequently received mental health treatment before regrouping with the band), but they rebounded stronger than ever this year with lauded new album Neon Pill, an introspective, lean, and retro influenced record which retains the classic Cage sound with a more mature refinement (it almost marks the first release since the Schultz brothers turned 40).

Versatile, authentic, and unparalleled, Cage the Elephant- whether blowing the roof off of big arenas or rocking out to a couple hundred fans- are one of the best live bands of their generation, and we urge you to witness that show in person any chance you get. You can do just that tonight, Sept. 1 when, on the heels of an inspired set at Bonnaroo, the group make a long-awaited return to Ascend Amphitheater, supported by an absolutely stacked bill which also features fellow long-running and famed alt rock outfit Young the Giant, British soulful and experimental indie and alt-r&b singer Bakar, alt country singer-songwriter Willow Avalon, and up and coming rockers Girl Tones, from CTE’s native Bowling Green. That’s a whole lot of great music for your buck, and, incredibly, tickets are still available here while they last! Don’t miss out.

Cage the Elephant, Young the Giant, Bakar, Willow Avalon, and Girl Tones will perform tonight, Sept. 1 at Ascend Amphitheater. The show is all ages, begins at 6 p.m. (doors at 5:30 p.m.), and tickets are available here.