When Beck, Cage the Elephant and Austin hometown heroes Spoon announced they’d be touring together this summer, we knew the Night Running Tour stop here would be a hot ticket. And we don’t mean the Texas heat, although it was a typically warm July evening when they came through on Friday the 26th. The bill covers most of the popular rock genres beginning with legendary local, indie rock veterans Spoon, followed by a manic, entertaining arena rock set by Matt Shultz and Cage, and finally capped off with a positively psychedelic dance-party performance by Beck that had fans up and shaking their booties the bulk of the performance at Austin360 Amphitheater’s nearly 15,000 seat venue located at the Circuit of the Americas raceway.
When Britt Daniel (guitar, vocals), Jim Eno (drums), Alex Fischel (guitar, keys), Gerardo Larios (guitar, keys) and newest member, Ben Trokan, who replaced the longtime bassist Rob Pope, took the stage in the early evening, they appeared sharp, focused and ready to perform for the families and hometown audience. This one was going to be special even if it was broad daylight out and there were not one but two headliners yet to hit the stage. It felt weird until Spoon made it all ok by launching into “Got Nuffin” from the eponymous EP that dropped ten years ago.
Ten more songs followed, including brand-new composition, “No Bullets Spent.” Spoon are riding a wave of momentum that began with hiring Larios weeks before heading out on what would turn out to be a two-year world tour in support of the Hot Thoughts record. The band has never been tighter, unleashing extremely pointed performances around the globe. “Inside Out” from that album made an appearance in the set list about midway through the 11-song set. The hit-filled show ended with the insistent, “Do You,” then completed with circuit with Spoon classic cut, “Rent I Pay.”
One thing you can count on from Cage the Elephant and their tireless leader Matt Shultz is boundless, manic energy of the variety that is not easy quelled. Shultz really doesn’t know how to chill out, instead, preferring to cavort across the stage in a bizarre, millennial beekeeper costume that consisted of layers the singer shed during the 90-minute pyrotechnic spectacle that left nothing on the table. If you know Cage then you’re aware the brothers Shultz (Brad plays guitar) are nothing if not energetic, deliberately goading their audience to dare them to do something outlandish.
Matt Shultz is usually ready to comply, donning a gardener’s hat, red filmy mask and long-sleeve pinkish men’s dress shirt over purple trousers. Yet another plastic red mask was secured into place over all those layers. It looked as though Shultz had volunteered for self-waterboarding while working a show. In reality, he was donning the costume to transform into The Beekeeper who’d venture out into the audience fairly often to interact with fans.
Anthemic “Too Late to Say Goodbye” made an early appearance in the setlist. The popular track was well-received by the Austin crowd. It was clear many fans came specifically for this performance. Cage the Elephant has come far since their garage rocker days where the brothers looked like punks play-fighting on stage. Meanwhile, Matt would be crowd-surfing, yelling into his microphone while fans swarmed around him.
Popular track, “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” made a mid-set appearance after Matt Shultz teased it, asking, “Anybody know this song?”, prompting enthusiastic responses from the crowd who lustily sang the chorus along with the band.
The flamboyant front man who elicits visions of Jagger in his heyday led his band through hits, “Mess Around,” “Cigarette Daydreams” and Shake Me Down.” The familiarity of these songs on people who “don’t’ normally listen to Cage” is startling. It’s a reminder of how prolific Cage the Elephant has become.
Shultz seized the opportunity to streak (and that’s what it looked like in the body suit the singer had stripped down to) down the middle of aisle of seats to the soundboard station in the center of the venue. There he climbed up a video camera platform then onto the corrugated metal roof, getting closer to the fans on the vast lawn.
We hinted what happened next, mentioning how many fans came purely because Cage is their bag, but just as many fans arrived at the venue for Beck as left after that explosive set. It felt like a shift change at a giant factory.
Beck spent zero time getting around to it, choosing to stock the evening’s set list with high-energy hit after hit. Kicking off with “Loser” the seminal single that launched Beck’s career into the stratosphere, the wiry and dapper performer look positively staid next to Matt Shultz’s steampunk beekeeper evens as fans lost it, thrilled to finally see him on stage.
Bright, elaborate images projected onto the screen behind Beck beginning with a giant evil eye image that morphed into brightly-colored animated visuals that lent a fantastic bent to the production.
As one fan mentioned, “now that, that’s [the song] out of the way, we can get down to the business of Beck”, intimating what the veteran hitmaker must have been thinking when he made his set list. And boy was it a dozy, banger after Beck banger.
He teased the crowd following that opening number, asking if they’d want to stay up all night with him before, indeed, diving into “Up All Night.” Several tracks from his most popular album, Odelay, weere included during the show, notably, “The New Pollution”, “Devil’s Haircut” and suitable set closer and danceable hit “Where it’s At.”
The gifted singer came back to the stage with his band and guest Matt Schultz to perform the Cage song, “Night Running.” That dance-friendly song is the reason for this odd pairing of Cage and Beck as the latter produced the song.
Photos by Brandon Sandler
