Beck + Cage the Elephant Shared Stage at FivePoint Amphitheatre

It felt like the official kickoff to summer. The setting is the FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, California in sunny Orange County, July 17th. The outdoor theatre boasts of grassy areas with food trucks, games, bars, and plenty of photo opps just outside the actual stage area.
The concert in question? The Night Running tour - a double whammy of indie rock with co-headliners Beck and Cage the Elephant, and special guests Spoon with opening band Starcrawler.
Starcrawler and Spoon performed while the sun was still booming above the Irvine valley. Spirits remained high throughout dusk 'til the night fell. Cage the Elephant went on at 8PM sharp, and from the first guitar pluck, the packed out amphitheater was roaring in scream in admiration for the band's zany frontman, Matt Shultz.
His band got the beat to "Cry Baby" underway first before Shultz jumped into the scene in what looked like a beekeeping hat. He slowly stripped it off in the middle of his Mick Jagger esque dance moves. In fact, by the end of the set, Shultz was near naked because he had slowly stripped away every piece of clothing throughout the performance.

Embedded content is no longer available.


I don't think fans even stopped to breathe inbetween the screams and cheers. The band was loud and in your face, as was Shultz. Literally. He jumped, wiggled, and grooved his way into the audience on numerous occasions, giving fans plenty of selfie opportunities. His moves are a one part Iggy Pop, one part Jagger, and all parts Shultz.
The setlist boasted 20 songs and ran just over an hour. It included six cuts off their latest album Social Cues, six off Tell Me I'm Pretty, and six off Melophobia. They also included their 2008 hit off their debut album which put them on the musical map, "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked."
The set ended with "Teeth" and with some very inspirational words from Schultz, who managed to keep fans on their toes the entire set.
"Being on stage might make me seem like someone is larger than life. It's not true. You have just as much value as me."
Shultz was full of sentiments all night. He shed a tear at one point looking out at his adoring fans. And he offered up a place for everyone to share his space and create a communal vibe.
Check out the setlist here:
Cage the Elephant
Next up was Beck, who picked up right where Cage the Elephant left off. The hit-making legend entered the stage with his band of talented musicians and went into an energetic rendition of classic Beck cut "Loser." Toward the end of the song he gave fans a turn to sing the chorus, I'm sure we could be heard from miles away.
Beck's stage was equipped with psychedelic visuals that mimicked the theme of his latest album Colors. He played a couple songs off the new album but his 16 song setlist included mostly older licks - no complaints here!
He worked in quite a few songs off Guero through the set like "Que Onda Guero," "Black Tamborine," "Girl," and "E-Pro." Beck, like Shultz, was also extremely inclusive of the fans, constantly making sure everyone was having a good time and turning up the hype when needed.
"Que Onda Guero"
He slowed things down and got intimate by performing "Debra" and Sea Change cut "Lost Cause," where he hilariously forgot the words to both in the most endearing way
The encore brought the entire Night Running theme to full circle. Things started off with "Where It's At," and then the band dived into a series of short covers which was chosen by Beck's band members. They did "Miss You" by Rolling Stones, "Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads, and "Good Times" by Chicc.
Next, Beck found a friend lurking on the stage - none other than Shultz himself! If you're a fan of both then you probably know what came next - a short performance of their song "Night Running"! It was only the second time they performed the song together, reason being that they've hardly rehearsed it, according to Beck.
Beck
As the night ended with a reprise of "Where It's At," and confetti and balloons shot into the air, I walked away with a smile, knowing that music is still the core of community.
___
Check out exclusive live photos from the Tour's stop at The Gorge, Washington on July 13th, below!
Spoon - The Gorge - George, Washington - 7.13.2019
Cage the Elephant - The Gorge - George, Washington - 7.13.2019
Beck - The Gorge - George, Washington - 7.13.2019

Karma Police - Please Share:

Most played songs

Last updated: 29 Mar 2024, 10:30 Etc/UTC