CAGE THE ELEPHANT AT L'OLYMPIA IN PARIS
After a canceled concert back in June 2019 due to their guitarist’s knee injury, Cage the Elephant was back in the French capital for their EU tour. They were planning to play at L’Olympia, one of the most beautiful venues in Paris. This EU tour is to promote their current album, Social Cues. They released their fifth record back in April 2019. Social Cues received the “Best Rock Album” Grammy Award this year! I have to admit that I was really waiting for this show for quite a long time, and it was bound to be a great one!
SWMRS opened for Cage the Elephant that night. The Californian punk rock band already played in Paris, as they opened for Muse at Le Stade de France, last July. However, their performance there was not that smooth. The size of the venue and the spectators that day were clearly not the best conditions to show off their stage skills. Tonight, was completely different. SWMRS were at ease on L’Olympia’s stage! They efficiently warmed up the crowd with their anthemic songs, and multiplying antics on stage and in the crowd. The joy they radiated was infectious, and there was a very warm and energetic feeling spread throughout the venue by the end of their set. This convinced me to go see them for their next headline show, without a doubt!
Cage the Elephant went up on stage with a bit of delay, but that did not weaken the enthusiasm of the public. With a setlist mainly chosen from their last and successful record, Social Cues but also Melophobia, they won over the crowd easily with the choice of the songs. In the same fashion as SWMRS, Matt Shultz ran, jumped, danced, and visited the spectators in the pit for more than 90 minutes. He arrived on stage with many clothing layers (and a hat), but quickly removed them to finish off bare chested, and sprawled on the ground of the stage. It is difficult to accurately describe a Cage The Elephant show. The public is sings along to (almost) every song with a rare intensity. Matt seems completely immersed into a unique trance, as does every other musician. It is a unique experience. The show ended with a completely chaotic and crazy performance of “Sabertooth Tiger”, in the most Cage the Elephant fashion.