Cage the Elephant, Of Monsters and Men Celebrate Festivus

A little more than three months ago, Cage the Elephant performed at PNC Music Pavilion with Beck. On Monday night, the band returned to Charlotte to perform for a sold-out crowd as part of the 106.5 The End’s three-night Festivus concert series. One of the best front men in rock today, singer Matt Shultz rocked and rolled his way through the band’s 21-song set — basically the same set as they played this summer. However, Shultz’s live energy and stage presence make every show unique and well worth staying up late on a Monday night for.

All photos by Jeff Hahne. Click to scroll. 

[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”135″ display=”basic_slideshow”]Cage the Elephant setlist
Broken Boy
Cry Baby
Spiderhead
Too Late to Say Goodbye
Cold Cold Cold
Ready to Let Go
Social Cues
Tokyo Smoke
Mess Around
Trouble
Skin and Bones
Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked
It’s Just Forever
Telescope
House of Glass
Come a Little Closer
Shake Me Down
Cigarette Daydreams
Teeth
Goodbye
Love’s the Only Way

Night Two

Just over four years ago, Of Monsters and Men made their Charlotte debut at the Uptown Amphitheatre. For the second night of Festivus, the Icelandic indie folk-pop outfit made their Queen City return at the Fillmore. It’s rare to see bands that typically command larger crowds in a smaller venue, bringing a more intimate and charged atmosphere to the performances. Of Monsters and Men’s sing-along choruses and soaring harmonies make their songs ideal for arenas and powerful in a smaller venue. There was plenty of dancing and crowd choruses throughout the night. A merry Festivus, indeed!

The night started with a raucous pop-rock set from Nashville’s The Foxies, featuring Charlotte native Julia Lauren Bullock. Bullock, who appeared on The X Factor and previously played in a band called Lyra Shines, then the Local Traumatic, moved out of Charlotte five years ago. The charismatic frontwoman has developed a fantastic stage presence to go along with her Gwen Stefani-esque tone of voice. Catch them the next time they’re in town.

All photos by Jeff Hahne. Click to scroll. 

[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”137″ display=”basic_slideshow”]Of Monsters and Men setlist
Alligator
Empire
King & Lionheart
Sleepwalker
Wild Roses
Under a Dome
Human
RoRoRo
Wars
Crystals
Lakehouse
Little Talks
Six Weeks

Encore
Waiting for the Snow
Dirty Paws