Cage the Elephant: The Night Running Tour and SoundBite’s Top Five Tracks
Cage the Elephant is a Rock band from Bowling Green, Kentucky. The band formed in 2006 and began releasing music after being signed to Relentless Records. They soon released their debut, self titled album. The album includes the hits “Ain’t No Rest For the Wicked,” “Back Against the Wall,” and “In One Ear.” They followed the release by going on tour and performing at a few festivals.
The band released their second album, Thank You, Happy Birthday, in January of 2011. This album includes the songs “Shake Me Down,” “Around My Head,” and “Aberdeen.” It debuted at number one on the iTunes charts, and number two on the Billboard 200. Their third album, Melophobia, was released in October of 2013. The band decided to cut themselves off from as much recorded music as possible in hopes it would distinguish them from sounds that influenced them. This tactic paid off, and the record was praised as possibly their strongest one yet.
Their fourth studio album, Tell Me I’m Pretty, was released in December of 2015. The goal of this album was to be completely transparent. The band accomplished this with the emotional and honest lyrics featured in each of the tracks. The songs “Trouble,” and “Mess Around” were two of the singles off this album. “Trouble” peaked at number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and stayed on the charts for 51 weeks. “Mess Around” reached number one on multiple US and Canadian Billboard charts.
Their most recent album, Social Cues, was released in April of 2019. Lead singer, Matt Shultz said the album’s purpose is to prevent people from being obsessed with their social cues. After Tell Me I’m Pretty, the band experienced multiple losses, and Shultz went through a divorce. This majorly inspired the writing process of this album. The single “Ready to Let Go” shows Shultz emotions while realizing that his relationship with his wife was unsalvageable.
Before the release of this album, the band announced they would be embarking on a co-headlining tour with Beck. Beck is best known for his hit “Loser.” On Social Cues, the song “Night Running” features Beck, so the tour is called “The Night Running Tour.” This once in a lifetime tour also includes the band Spoon. Spoon is another great alternative group, who sing the songs “Transference,” and “I Turn My Camera On.” This lineup is three of the greatest alternative artists joining forces to give fans a night they will never forget.
To prepare for the upcoming tour, here are SoundBite’s Top Five Cage the Elephant tracks:
SHAKE ME DOWN
“Shake Me Down” is a single off the album Thank You, Happy Birthday. The song was number one on the US Billboard Alternative and Rock Songs charts and spent weeks on them. It is about reflecting on the past, and dealing with loneliness. Instead of just dwelling on these subjects, the lyrics offer an optimistic outlook on the future. One of the lines that is repeated is “Even on a cloudy day, I keep my eyes fixed on the sun.” Shultz is saying that things will get rough, but he will keep his head up.
2. CIGARETTE DAYDREAMS
“Cigarette Daydreams” was released as the third single from the album Melophobia. It ended up being the number one single off of the album. In contrast to most of the bands songs, this one is slower. It is a glimpse into one of Shultz’ past relationships. In an interview with MusicRadar.com, Shultz says this song was a standout to the band because it made them realize they did not have to write “Cage the Elephant” songs. They needed to write songs “regardless of what style of music they might be.”
3. TROUBLE
“Trouble” was released as a single from the album Tell Me I’m Pretty. It was co-written and produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. This was another one of the band’s chart toppers, and is still frequently receiving airplay. The song focuses on Shultz’ consistent struggle with troubles, and how he wants his love to stick with him throughout these conflicts.
4. AIN’T NO REST FOR THE WICKED
“Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” is a classic single off of the band’s first album, Cage the Elephant. This song was released as the third single from this album, and was used in many TV shows and movies. This song is about how the world revolves around money. The verses deal with two people doing whatever they can in order to make money. According to Genius, Shultz was inspired by a friend who dealt drugs. Shultz was curious as to why he chose to live that life, and he replied “there’s no rest for the wicked.”
5. TOKYO SMOKE
“Tokyo Smoke” is a song off the band’s most recent album, Social Cues. Fans were initially confused with the meaning of this song, because it does not have a standout message like many of their other songs. Many believe it is about people ignoring good advice and making bad decisions afterwards. The song is upbeat, yet the instrumentation is dark. Shultz believes this dark sound was highly influenced by the losses that the band faced in the previous years.
Overall, Cage the Elephant continues to be a groundbreaking alternative band. Their debut album, Cage the Elephant, was unlike any other at the time and paved the path for many upcoming musicians. The band’s live performances are surely incredible, and the band’s undeniable energy makes them one not to miss. The Night Running tour not only features Cage the Elephant, but also Beck and Spoon. To be a part of this incredible experience, find the date closest to you below!
AUG 11
Toronto, ON
Budweiser Stage
AUG 12
Saratoga Springs, NY
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
AUG 13
Darien Center, NY
Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
AUG 15
Mansfield, MA
Xfinity Center
AUG 16
Gilford, NH
Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
AUG 17
New York, NY
Forest Hills Stadium
AUG 20
Holmdel, NJ
PNC Bank Arts Center
AUG 21
Camden, NJ
BB&T Pavilion
AUG 22
Columbia, MD
Merriweather Post Pavilion
AUG 24
Raleigh, NC
Coastal Credit Union Music Park
AUG 25
Charlotte, NC
PNC Music Pavilion
AUG 27
Birmingham, AL
Oak Mountain Ampitheatre
AUG 29
Tampa, FL
Midflorida Credit Union Ampitheatre
AUG 30
West Palm Beach, FL
Coral Sky Ampitheatre
Writer, Drayton Peterson, credits the following resources:
Bosso, Joe. “Cage The Elephant's Matt & Brad Shultz Talk Melophobia Track-by-Track.” MusicRadar, MusicRadar, 25 Sept. 2013, www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/cage-the-elephants-matt-brad-shultz-talk-melophobia-track-by-track-584903.
Shapiro, Ari, and Gabe O'Connor. “Cage The Elephant Processes Grief With 'Social Cues'.” NPR, NPR, 26 Apr. 2019, www.npr.org/2019/04/26/717584228/cage-the-elephant-processes-grief-with-social-cues.
Cover Image Courtesy of Google Images
Coverage by Drayton Peterson
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