#9 - Center Stage

It wasn't long before I got the musical itch again....Saturday night provided Cage the Elephant at Center Stage with my favorite brownie Laura and her friend Sandra.

Ok, let's just begin with how awesome this venue is, and then I'll touch on its ridiculousness. This hot spot is NICE. Its set-up looks like a swanky modern hotel more than it does a musical venue. "Are you sure I'm not in the W hotel?" Kelly like. Parking is a bit rough - $10 to park walking distance which isn't too killer, but I'd like some free street parking after my $20 ticket, por favor.

Now let's discuss my reaction the second we actually got in the venue. Walk in - ok, this place is nice. Find our spot in the pit - still pretty good. Look to my left - braces. Look to my right - more braces. Um, did I not get the memo that Cage the Elephant is somehow huge for 14 year olds??? I always look forward to people watching, but hearing voices crack, acne and outrageous PDA from high schoolers is a whole other story. I'm only 25 years old, but I felt like I was 107 next to these guys. Now to the first opening band. They go by The Shackeltons and they offered up a unique experience to say the least. The lead singer made his debut with a branch from a Magnolia tree on stage. Yeah, just see the visual above The weirdest part was not the tree, but the fact that he never actually acknowledged its presence...or more importantly its purpose. I mean, a Magnolia Tree as a prop?! That's a stretch even for me. Maybe if his songs surrounded environmental causes I could be on board....but they were focused around the L word, I don't see the connection. I was confused, but it was entertaining so I went with it. I even ended up catching a piece in the crowd - see the youngins behind me. Sigh.

Ok enough about that. We made our way to the second row of seats to sit with the grown ups. Aka best decision of the night. The lead singer of The Shackeltons made his way next to us somehow, and we shared a few words about the next band Morning Teleportation . They're currently recording with Modest Mouse and they they rocked the house down....sans greenery, sorry Mark. He was a delightful young chap though, I decided to avoid the elephant in the room (no pun intended) and keep the "why the heck did you have a magnolia tree on stage" convo to a minimum. Cage the Elephant finally came on and they.were.amazing. I just love going to see bands who sound even better in concert then they do on their cd. It just doesn't get any better than that! The lead singer (Matt Shultz) made us aware that not only was this his first time performing in Atlanta, it was his first time EVER in Atlanta, and he was thinking of moving here. Um, yes please! Check out this blog and you will be SOLD my friend.

Matt continued to keep us on the edge of our seats with his own crowd surfing (along with his bass guitar player not too far behind) and Iggy Pop cover. The concert was amazing, the venue is amazing, the people were entertaining, and I left this place feeling old, but satisfied. Bucket list worthy? You betcha!