Live Nation Presents: Beck and Cage The Elephant w/ Spoon and Sunflower Bean

Beck and Cage the Elephant will perform at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Thursday, August 22 at 6 p.m. with Spoon and Sunflower Bean! Doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets range from $29.50 to $200.50 and can be purchased here: https://www1.ticketmaster.com/beck-and-cage-the-elephant-the-columbia-maryland-08-22-2019/event/1500564A9D281BCA!

“Initially pegged as the voice of a generation when “Loser” turned into a smash crossover success, Beck wound up crystallizing much of the postmodern ruckus inherent in the ’90s alternative explosion, but in unexpected ways. Based in the underground anti-folk and noise rock worlds, Beck encompassed all manner of modern music, drawing in hip-hop, blues, trash rock, pop, soul, lounge music — pretty much any found sound or vinyl dug up from a dusty crate — blurring boundaries and encapsulating how ’90s hipsters looked toward the future by foraging through the past. In another time, Beck might have stayed in the province of the underground, but he surfaced just as alternative rock turned mainstream, with his 1994 debut Mellow Gold launching “Loser,” a hit that crossed over with the velocity of a novelty — a notion Beck quickly punctured with a succession of indie LPs delivered in the wake of Mellow Gold, including the lo-fi folk of One Foot in the Grave, delivered on the K imprint. But the album that truly cemented Beck‘s place in the pantheon was 1996’s Odelay, a co-production with the Dust Brothers that touched upon all of his obsessions, providing a cultural keystone for the decade while telegraphing all his future moves, from the soul prankster of Midnite Vultures to the melancholy troubadour of Sea Change.”

“Although chart success in England was an unlikely first step to fame for a band from Bowling Green, Kentucky, mainstream rock band Cage the Elephant achieved just that. Formed by Matt Shultz, Brad Shultz, Jared Champion, Lincoln Parish, and Daniel Tichenor, the group earned a contract with the Relentless label and released the “Free Love” single late in 2007. A support slot for the Pigeon Detectives beckoned in early 2008, and follow-up single “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” reached the Top 40 in June. The group’s self-titled debut followed soon after, becoming a respectable commercial and critical success. Two years later they returned with the single “Shake Me Down,” while early 2011 saw the release of their second album, Thank You Happy Birthday. In early 2012, the band released the live CD and DVD Live from the Vic in Chicago, which captured performances from their sold-out two-night run at the famous Chicago venue. Returning to the studio, the band recorded its third album, Melophobia. Released in October 2013, the album saw the group collaborating with Alison Mosshart (the Kills, the Dead Weather) and featured the modern rock radio hit “Come a Little Closer.” During the Melophobia era, Cage the Elephant parted ways with their founding guitarist, Lincoln Parish, who went on to focus on producing for other artists in Nashville. In late 2015, the band released its fourth album, Tell Me I’m Pretty, which was produced by the Black Keys‘ Dan Auerbach. The ensemble embarked on both nationwide and European tours in promotion of the record throughout 2016 to rapturous success. Cage the Elephant continued performing throughout early 2017 with a series of intimate, stripped-down, unplugged shows around the States that spanned their entire back catalog. The performances were captured and chronicled in their second live release, Unpeeled, which arrived in the early summer of 2017. The band returned in 2019 with Social Cues, which was heavily influenced by Matt Shultz‘s divorce. Exploring dark emotions, the album included the single “Ready to Let Go,” and “Night Running” featuring Beck.” – Chris True, AllMusic