Cage the Elephant Set Fire to the Stage at Shaky Knees 2025

Ten out of ten. Zero notes. Cage the Elephant delivered an absolutely insane performance. Lively. Wild. And positively electric. Brad Shultz came out first, strumming like a man possessed, building tension with deep rock rhythms as if daring Matt to appear. It worked. Matt sprinted out, leapt into the air like he was suspended there by heaven, and crashed into “Broken Boy.” 

From there the night just kept accelerating. “Spiderhead” lit the crowd up, flames shooting around Matt as he raised his mic stand like a conductor. Brad couldn’t be contained, he climbed down from the stage into the crowd, finishing an entire song surrounded by fans who welcomed him as if he were an old friend. At one point Brad teased the opening of “Sweet Home Alabama” before pivoting back to their own catalog, laughing with the crowd.

Cage the Elephant have always been 110% energy. I don’t think they’re capable of less. Matt even shared a story about breaking his foot the last time they played Shaky Knees and still finishing the set. This time nothing went wrong, thank god. They just kept feeding off the crowd’s energy and giving it back in waves.

Standing deep in the crowd, the high point for me was “Come a Little Closer.” Where the lyrics mirrored the evening. Tens of thousands of voices rose together, singing back every word as the band slowed the pace and took in the view. It was surreal, like being inside a single massive heartbeat. As the song ended, Matt stepped back from the mic, smiling in disbelief, letting us carry it.

Cage the Elephant is still rising, they’re not at their peak yet.

Review by: David Saxum; Photo by Pooneh Ghaneh/Shaky Knees

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