Cage the Elephant "Neon Pill" Tour at Dickies in Ft Worth

 July 13th, 2024

This was the second show of my dad's recent mission to share his favorite artists with me and my siblings. He has always greatly influenced my music taste, and looking/sounding cool when talking about music with my dad is one of those things I've been trying to subtly master since the age of 12. My mind is filled with early memories of him driving me to elementary and middle school in his Honda Civic, where I had my great introduction to classic rock, heavy metal, and sports radio at 8 a.m. My mom definitely has had her own fair share of influencing my favorite artists and getting me to some of my favorite concerts I've ever been to, which I've touched on before when talking about other shows I've been to on this blog. Both of my parents influence me a ton because we spend so much time together and we've always been so close, but I really do think the earliest urge I felt to experience live music for myself was driven by my dad's stories.

I have people ask me all the time what my parents think of me traveling for concerts or taking days off to dedicate to music, and a part of me will always be secretly satisfied when I get to brag and say my parents are the same way. They are both just as into it as I am. Many dates throughout their 32 years of marriage (and dates preceding the marriage) have been spent at concerts. Everyone's favorite part of learning this about my mom and dad tends to be that sometimes my parents will buy tickets to the same show so they can ride together, and then they will go their separate ways at the show itself. My mom needs a seat; she likes to sit in the back where she can enjoy the music in her own space. My dad has always been a pit person. He likes to be up where the people are, on the floor, as close to the stage and immersed in the crowd as he can get... and now you all know where I got it from. ;)

Cage the Elephant is one of those bands I've been listening to on my own for a decade. Which, of course, had some Neil Payne Honda Civic influence, but I credit the release of Melophobia in 2013 as being very formative for me on its own. I have been a pretty casual listener for as long as I can remember, and Cage the Elephant has been one of those bands my parents see together and come home to tell me about after their date night out. However, from the point of release of the first few singles for Neon Pill, I knew I wanted to crash date night so I could go to this show with them. My mom sent a screenshot in my family group chat asking for an explanation for the vague reminder my dad had set himself about purchasing tickets in the presale, and I jumped on that opportunity to express that I really, really wanted a ticket to go too. My dad bought enough for me, my mom, himself, and two extras for other siblings or friends who decided they wanted to go. Addi and our good friend Amy, an honorary Payne for many outings at this point, filled in the other two seats because Young the Giant was the biggest opener for the show.

I know a few Young the Giant songs because they fit in the self-made category of "songs Addi played in her slug bug in high school before I could drive," which any of the Payne girls will tell you is a very real, influential factor in each of our music tastes to this day. I still have a good amount of "Addi songs" on my daily playlist, so it was cool to see an Addi artist and a Dad artist on the same day with both of them in the stands with me.

The other openers were Willow Avalon and Bakar. We missed Willow's set because it was short, but I had the chance to see her open for Briston Maroney in March of this year. I think she is the cutest and the sweetest. I always love getting to see small artists grow through ample opportunities, and her and her band are some people I have loved following on social media since the Ultrapure tour. I was pleasantly surprised by Bakar as well. I did not know that I would recognize any of his songs going into it, but I found myself knowing 3 or 4 off of his setlist, which is always exciting as an audience member. I thought he sounded great, but I think he'd be amazing to see at his own headlining show with a band and/or production of some kind behind him.

Finally, to talk about the actual Cage the Elephant set! The setlist was very well thought out, covering so many bases from many of their albums over the years. I expected to hear a few more Neon Pill songs, but I was satisfied with any choices made for the setlist. I have seen videos of Cage the Elephant on stage before, and I've watched live streams of their festival performances in the past, but they still managed to surprise and impress me from my lower bowl seat in the arena. I am a general admission girl through and through, so I spent a good portion of the concert longing to be smooshed in the crowd down front. I told my parents this afterward, and my dad agreed we will have to make it happen next time. I have become a massive seat snob for concerts, simply because I know how much being in the standing room crowd enhances my experiences. However, I still easily had an incredible time in my seat (which is definitely saying something). This show revived my listening streak of older albums and songs from them, which I always enjoy post-concert, and I have been thinking a lot about the show even amidst the craziness of the following week.

It was nostalgic and fresh at the same time. I think it's easy to lose momentum when you've been doing the same thing for so long, but Cage the Elephant continue to impress their fans with each new release, set, and tour. I thought this was put together incredibly from a touring standpoint and I'd love to see them again in the future.

Thank you, Dad, for the ticket and the mission to take me to shows you know I'd like... and all the music love and conversations that came before and after that. I wouldn't be doing this without someone like you to show me how it's done. Can't wait for the next one with you... which I believe will finally be Catfish and the Bottlemen, so I really can't wait for the next one with you!!

- Drew