COVID-19 was bad for a lot of reasons, obviously, but one my greatest devastations of the year 2020 was canceling my Cage the Elephant concert due to the global pandemic.Â
My twin sister was the original Cage the Elephant fan between the two of us. But her taste for alternative music eventually bled into my own music preferences, and since then, Cage has been a regular staple in our car rides and on our playlists. So, when we first discovered it was touring and would be stopping in Buffalo, buying tickets for the June 2020 concert was a no-brainer. Of course, we had zero clue as to what the rest of the year would bring.
Suddenly, it was March 13th, and school was closing. Then the whole world was completely shutting down in a whirlwind of cancellations and mandates to stay home, and POOF, just like that, my dream vanished right before my eyes.Â
As one of my all-time favorite bands, the concert was supposed to be a literal bucket-list item. Like, I could have died a happy woman if it meant I at least got to experience the concert before I went. I mean, the very idea of hearing “Cigarette Daydreams” live could make me sprout wings from my back and ascend into the skies. Needless to say, when the global shutdown did in fact cancel summer events, it was a complete and utter tragedy for me.Â
Now, over four years later, Cage the Elephant is finally coming back to Buffalo and wait, it gets better, because Bakar AND Young the Giant are the openers, the latter being another of my favorite artists. So, to get into the spirit of what is likely my last “summer” concert, here’s my top picks from my top band:
The Sad, the Nostalgic:
Trouble
Cigarette Daydreams
Shake Me Down
Outcast Anthems:
Broken Boy
Mess Around
Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked
Night Running
Classics:
Social Cues
Black Madonna
Ready To Let Go
The War is Over
Feel Good Beats:
Halo
Whole Wide World
Take It Or Leave It
Dark Rock:
Neon Pill
Too Late to Say Goodbye
Cold Cold Cold
If anything gets in between me and this concert, I will riot. And if you don’t see me around campus this Monday, call the local Buffalo hospitals, as I’ll probably need to be treated for a broken heart when the concert eventually must come to a close. See you Saturday, Cage!