On tour: Cage the Elephant w/ Young the Giant | 09.12.24, Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre (with throwback photo gallery!)

w/ Bakar and Willow Avalon | 6:30pm | 14141 Riverport Dr, Maryland Heights | All ages | from $48.65

Cage the Elephant has always been, in a word, electric, bringing lightning-level energy from their snarling first hit single “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” through to their fully charged set at what ended up being the final Loufest back in 2017. Along the way, the Kentucky-born sextet has released six albums, including back-to-back Best Rock Album winners at the Grammys, 2015’s Dan Auerbach-produced Tell Me I’m Pretty and 2019’s Social Cues. After a lengthy break, Cage the Elephant returned earlier this year with Neon Pill, an album with a whole different kind of electricity: buzzing synthesizers that light songs like the title track with its namesake neon, while the uptempo songs like “Metaverse” have a Strokes-y groove that still supports the album’s late night vibe.

Special guest Young the Giant may not be hyping a new release, but they have plenty to celebrate on this tour: the 10^th anniversary of their classic sophomore album Mind Over Matter. The album’s big hit singles exemplify why Young the Giant are the platonic ideal mainstream rock band of the last decade: “It’s Time” features powerful drums and crushing guitars, the title track features a slower tempo and shimmery synths paired with a stadium-ready chorus built to wave your lighter to, and both songs are finished off by singer Sameer Gadhia’s powerful vibrato. The band commemorated Mind Over Matter’s anniversary with a new deluxe edition which adds three demos and the new song “Metropolis” to the track listing. After their trek with Cage the Elephant wraps up at the end of September, Young the Giant will be taking over the Troubadour in Los Angeles for a pair of October dates, playing their debut front-to-back on the first night before doing the same for Mind Over Matter on the second. Fortunately, the band isn’t just resting on their decade-old laurels—recent setlists cover all five of their studio albums, including 2022’s American Bollywood and its hit single “The Walk Home,” a song as catchy and anthemic as anything they’ve ever done.

As a special bonus, The Arts STL’s own Holly Kite captured Young the Giant’s last stop in town at Saint Louis Music Park on Jue 24, 2023, but we haven’t published them until now. Enjoy the photo gallery below, which also includes openers Milky Chance and Talk. | Jason Green