I’m a napper. I love taking afternoon naps. Sometimes, I have to use the word “nap” loosely as these naps can range anywhere from one to three hours, depending on how my day job was that day and what time my show of the night was. I’ve honestly gotten super used to these naps as a way to kind of jolt me back to life after the humdrum of daily life before going to live my rockstar life. Unfortunately, a nap was not in the cards on Monday. Between a work call that went long and the early start time for the show, even finding time to scrounge up a small dinner felt like a task. Long story short, I was exhausted and just not in the game as I made my way to The Target Center on Monday night, but that all changed when I took my seat and the show started.
There was something so understated about the way Vlad Holiday took the stage on Monday night. He approached the microphone and, in a plain voice, just said, “Hello. I’m Vlad Holiday.” There was no excitement about this intro. I may even be so bold to say it lacked personality, but then he jumped into his set, and I realized just how understated that introduction was. Vlad Holiday is a multi-instrumentalist who currently claims Nashville as home but got there by way of Romania and NYC. Much like all of those places are very different, the sound of Vlad Holiday seems to take inspiration from a million different sources. Psych rock, fuzzy retro indie alt, slight hip-hop, and even nods to jazz influences were scattered throughout his quick opening set. Although it was calm (and maybe a bit too calm for a day when I didn’t have time for one of my signature mini-coma naps), there was a beauty behind Vlad’s set that had me captivated until the very end (which was a currently unreleased song that Vlad did with Kasey Musgraves due out very soon). Vlad will be stopping by The Turf Club in Saint Paul for a more intimate show on November 3rd. I hope to see you all there– his talent is more than worth the trip out to boring ol’ Saint Paul.
I was ridiculously excited to see the next act. Bakar came across my radar the same way he probably came across yours– with his hit single “Hell n Back.” It’s one of those songs that hit me and hit me hard. From the lyrics to the soulful style and emotive voice, I was hooked, and I fell into Bakar’s world. I, and haven’t looked back since then. Was his quick live performance going to live up to the hype? Absolutely. My favorite thing about Bakar’s quick set was the way he sang with his eyes closed. I know this is such a small thing, but I felt like I was watching him feel his words, not just sing them, and it added a sense of depth to an already deep-as-the-ocean set. Bakar may have been playing to a well-attended arena but something about his performance felt more personal, more intimate than a standard set in an arena like the Target Center, and it was truly just what I wanted. It wasn’t until the end, when Bakar closed out with “Hell n Back,” that he got the response from the audience that I thought he deserved, and even then, he had to stop and re-start the song after asking the audience to at least stand up and give him something to feed off energy-wise. I’m not sure why people weren’t more into Bakar’s set, but I can tell you that out of the four bands that played on Monday, his set hit my heartstrings the hardest.
I saw Young the Giant last summer when they stopped by Surly Festival Field in Minneapolis. Honestly, that show didn’t leave me super impressed. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the vibe of the band and felt that their performance was as genuine as it was beautiful, but it just didn’t stick with me. Maybe I was having an off night that night, or maybe the band was. Regardless, after seeing their performance on Monday night as direct support for Cage the Elephant, I just can not get enough of this band. The music of Young the Giant is most plainly indie pop, but the elements that this band weaves into their sound are unique and keep it fresh. One of those elements is a nod to the psychedelic days of the 60s and 70s, and I loved how that feeling seemed to be highlighted throughout their set on Monday.
Although Young the Giant absolutely sounded great, it was when vocalist Sameer Gadhia spoke about playing at the 7th Street Entry to just about one hundred people. He went on to explain how he and the band had to carry their own gear and barely even got a soundcheck. There was something so raw and emotional about this small talk with Sameer and I loved the way he used it as a way for the band to jump back into their discography and play some of their older hits. Sure, Young the Giant is playing major arenas these days but I feel like you can still feel that “everything to prove, nothing to lose” mentality radiate from this band. It didn’t matter if they were playing one of their well-known tracks or a b-side from one of their five full-length albums; they had the audience in the palm of their hand throughout their set, and for a good reason.
I was honestly a bit surprised to see Cage the Elephant’s name as the headliner on an arena tour. It’s not that I don’t think they’re worthy; I know they are. More that, I really don’t see their name around town as much as I used to. I feared that maybe they were in over their heads with this performance, but they had me sold within the first song. As the band played through “Broken Boy” as the opener of what would become a super lengthy and impressive set, there was copious amounts of pyro and a moment when the guitarist jumped from the stage into the photo pit and right into the crowd. To say that this band started off with a bang and instantly had me hooked would be an understatement.
Vocalist Matt Schultz recently did something to hit foot, leaving him in a boot and with a scooter to rest his leg on. This didn’t stop him from giving a hell of a performance. He rolled all over the stage and was bopping around as if nothing was wrong with him. Much like the performance from Young The Giant, this gave Cage the Elephant’s set this feeling of having everything to prove and nothing to lose. I loved that. I honestly got the same amount of grit and passion from their show on Monday night as I did back in 2015 when I saw them at the Myth Nightclub in Maplewood, MN. To get that from a band such as these guys that has clearly reached megastar status was more than enough for me to know I had made the right decision about what show to cover on Monday.
I’ve already absolutely talked your head off, and I’m sorry. Truly, this was just one of those shows that got me excited about live music. Sure, I wasn’t in the general admission section getting all sweaty like I typically do, but I felt that sweat in an odd way. I felt my throat getting scratchy from screaming even though I was sitting silently in my seat. It’s kind of weird, but all four acts of the night filled me with such a sense of life, and that typically only happens in club shows.
By the end of Cage the Elephant’s twenty-plus song set, I had completely forgotten about the nap I didn’t get to take. I was ready to take on the world in all of the best ways. With that in mind, I feel like it’s only right to leave you with my favorite lyrics from Cage the Elephant:
“Oh, there ain’t no rest for the wicked Money don’t grow on trees I got bills to pay I got mouths to feed There ain’t nothing in this world for free I know I can’t slow down I can’t hold back Though you know I wish I could Oh, no there ain’t no rest for the wicked Until we close our eyes for good”
