top of page
Writer's pictureGUEST CONTRIBUTOR

Gallery: Cage The Elephant, Young the Giant, Bakar, & Willow Avalon

Updated: Oct 22

Written & Photos by Brittany NO FOMO

There you are, standing outside on a perfectly clear summer night, under the amphitheater of the PNC Bank Arts Center, ready to see the highly anticipated performance by Cage the Elephant. After the new album release, 'Neon Pill', earlier this year, the band has been on an impressive tour, hitting all the big stages, including Bonnaroo Music Festival and about to be at Madison Square Garden, Sept 5th. But after Matt Schulz broke his foot just weeks ago, what’s going through your head is… “How is this performance going to compare to their usual high-energy antics?”


Have no fear. Schulz owned the stage, boldly scooting across the PNC floor. “This is the biggest stage we’ve played in awhile!” Matt claims proudly as he whizzes by to the other side of the stage. The crowd goes wild every time Schulz raises his mic in the air, offering new fun poses on his scooter each time his roll comes to a stop. We all oblige greatly to give them extra applause for all the brave moves, while the light show dazzled and the pyro emphasized our favorite song beats. 


Back to the beginning, the lineup was brilliant from start to finish. Willow Avalon brought her Georgia charm with a New Yorker twist to the stage with her trending song Yodelayheewho? Do not miss becoming an early fan of hers! Bakar followed suite with the crowd all singing along to the song that blew up on social Hell N Back. Then of course, the crowd didn’t take a seat during Young the Giant’s beautiful set as Sameer Gadhia captivated all with hit after hit like ‘Cough Syrup’, his voice hitting every note even better in person than on the records. Their set ended with hundreds of people on their feet, swaying their arms back and forth in unison. Looking around, it was a gorgeous sight to see. 


Cage the Elephant provided the real fire, pyro after pyro shooting up into the air to finish their encore, as the crowd held up their phone lights, filling PNC with spark all around. What a beautiful night! 


Willow Avalon


Bakar


Young The Giant


Cage The Elephant