Cage The Elephant & 22-20's @ Wasted Space

I like to see bands that friends say are great. I love it when these bands blow you away, which is the case of Cage The Elephant.

The Hills invited me to see this band at Wasted Space, a great little (400 people) venue inside the Hard Rock Hotel, which, except for the wanky VIP section is a fantastic venue to see bands.

We walked in at 10pm to a near full house, already, with England's 22-20s just starting their set. They had a good sound and kept the audience's attention, which is no easy task in Las Vegas. I knew nothing of their music but liked what I saw, especially the song Shake, Shiver & Moan.

22-20's cleared their gear off and in no time the stage was set for Cage The Elephant. Again all I knew of them was from the 2 listens to the Live At Grimeys EP that I bought that morning (man it was good to be in a record store again - thanks Zia Records). But what I heard, I liked. Little was I to know.

To a relatively mild applause from a now packed room, maybe from a lack of recognition, the band strolled on and prepped to go. From the very first note, Cage The Elephant were on fire. HOLY SHIT! All 5 band members have such an enthusiasm for their music, and it shows in their live performance. It is energy plus for the next hour. This vibe is best shown through vocalist Matthew Schultz. His energy, passion and movement makes him the greatest front man since Iggy Pop (in my opinion). He did not stop for a blistering hour. And while his interaction with crowd was minimal (except for his sad $1 loss in Vegas and a couple of stage dives), he had them in the palm of his hand. There was not a moment in the set that Cage The Elephant wasn't racing at 100 miles an hour. In the end Cage The Elephant finished to thunderous applause - heightened by Shultz's one last stage dive and stand in the crowd. Many a people had been converted by the most energetically charged band I've seen in the last few years (The Hold Steady & Gogol Bordello excepted). It is now time for me to find more of their music and pray that they return to Vegas soon - preferably before they get as huge as they deserve to be.

Thanks to Erik & Shelley. You take me to this after we dragged you to an ordinary Arctic Monkeys show and I draw my usual freak magnet crowd. I definitely owe you one.

The Crap Facts:

This is my 294th concert.

This is my 2nd concert at Wasted Space.

This is my 91st concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 91st concert in Nevada.

This is my 102nd concert in the USA.

The 22-20's are the 364th band I've seen.
Cage The Elephant are the 365th band I've seen