Upcoming Cage the Elephant dates
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
Who Cage the Elephant is and what a ticket buys
Cage the Elephant is an alternative rock band formed in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 2006 by brothers Matt Shultz (lead vocals) and Brad Shultz (guitar and keyboards) with Daniel Tichenor (bass) and Jared Champion (drums). A ticket buys a loud, physical rock show built on garage rock, punk blues and psychedelic influences, led by one of the most restless frontmen in modern rock. The live band since 2017 adds Nick Bockrath on lead guitar and Matthan Minster on keyboards and guitar.
The band has won the Grammy for Best Rock Album twice, for Tell Me I'm Pretty (2017 ceremony) and Social Cues (2020 ceremony). On radio it is a fixture of alternative rock: as of 2024 it had 14 number-one singles on Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart (the US alternative radio chart), tying Green Day and Linkin Park for the second-most in the chart's history.
The records behind the setlist
Cage the Elephant has released six studio albums, and a typical headline set pulls from all of them.
- Cage the Elephant (2008): the platinum debut, with "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" and "Back Against the Wall," the band's first Alternative Airplay number one.
- Thank You, Happy Birthday (2011): a punk-leaning record that debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 and produced "Shake Me Down," which held the top of the Alternative Airplay chart for six weeks.
- Melophobia (2013): darker and more psychedelic, with "Come a Little Closer" and "Cigarette Daydreams," which passed 1 billion Spotify streams by late 2024.
- Tell Me I'm Pretty (2015): produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, with a 1960s sound and the singles "Trouble" and "Mess Around."
- Social Cues (2019): a record shaped by Matt Shultz's divorce, with "Ready to Let Go" and "Skin and Bones."
- Neon Pill (2024): released May 17, 2024, with three Alternative Airplay number ones: "Neon Pill," "Metaverse" and "Rainbow."
Neon Pill followed a hard stretch: in 2022 Matt Shultz went through a severe mental health crisis that he has attributed to an adverse reaction to prescribed medication, and he has since spoken publicly about his recovery.
What the live show is like
The band's reputation rests on energy. Matt Shultz moves constantly, works the front of the stage and plays to the front rows, and the floor in front of him tends to behave like a rock club crowd even in large rooms: jumping, singing along and, at many shows, crowd surfing. The sound is guitar-heavy and loud.
The band has also shown a quieter side. The 2017 Live and Unpeeled acoustic tour (11 shows) reworked 18 songs from its catalog plus three covers with string arrangements, a reminder that the songwriting holds up without volume. Expect the hits from every era at a standard electric headline show, with "Cigarette Daydreams" and "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" among the most widely known.
Tours and major support slots, dated
The tours below are documented in the sources for this page. The live listings on this page show actual upcoming dates.
- Early headline tours (2010 to 2015): a 2010 headline tour (23 shows), the Thank You, Happy Birthday Tour in 2012 (48 shows), the Melophobia Tour in 2013 and 2014 (49 shows) and the Tell Me I'm Pretty Tour in 2015 (34 shows).
- Support for arena acts: Foo Fighters in fall 2011, Muse in fall 2013 and The Black Keys on the Turn Blue tour in 2014.
- Night Running Tour (2019): a 31-show co-headlining tour with Beck.
- Neon Pill Tour (2024 to 2025): 65 shows and more than 440,000 tickets sold, the band's highest-grossing tour to date. Young the Giant and Bakar supported in the US; Sunflower Bean supported in Europe.
- Oasis Live '25 (late August to early September 2025): support on the North American stadium leg of the Oasis reunion tour.
- Fall 2025: a North American headline run with hey, nothing in support.
Festival crowds know the band well: it has played Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Coachella and Glastonbury.
Where to sit for a Cage the Elephant show
Cage the Elephant headline shows are end-stage concerts (the stage at one end of the room). The layout varies by venue, so check the seating map on each event listing before you buy.
- General admission floor: the choice if you want the full experience. The area nearest the stage is the most physical part of the room, with pushing and crowd surfing common; stand farther back or toward the sides if you want to see the show without being in the middle of it.
- Lower-level side sections near the stage: the best reserved seats. You are raised above the floor crowd, close to the stage and angled to follow Matt Shultz as he moves.
- Lower-level seats facing the stage: farther away but square to the whole stage, and usually near the soundboard, where the mix is set.
- Upper level: the value tier. Front rows near center beat the high corners, which can feel distant from a show that depends on one performer's movement.
- Amphitheater lawns: fine for singing along with friends, but the view of the stage is small; this is a show that plays best close up.
Avoid sections at a sharp angle beside the stage unless the listing describes the view, since speaker stacks and lighting rigs can block part of the stage. At festivals, there are no reserved seats; arrive before the band's set and hold a spot if you want to be near the front.
How demand for Cage the Elephant tickets behaves
Demand for the band tends to peak around a new album cycle, when the hits on radio and the tour announcement arrive together.
- Presales come first. The band's site invites fans to sign up for news and presale codes, and promoter and venue presales usually run before the general on-sale. A large share of the best floor and lower-level tickets can be gone before the public sale opens.
- Floor tickets move fastest. Because the core audience wants to be on the floor, general admission sells first, and resale prices for the floor tend to hold up longer than for upper-level seats.
- Support slots are a different market. When the band opens for a bigger act, as it did for Oasis in 2025, the ticket is priced around the headliner's demand, and the band's set is shorter.
- Late resale can soften. Upper-level and side seats often ease in price in the last days before a show that has not sold out, while floor tickets for sold-out dates usually stay firm.
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Frequently asked questions
Where is Cage the Elephant from?
Cage the Elephant formed in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 2006. Brothers Matt and Brad Shultz founded the band with Daniel Tichenor and Jared Champion.
Has Cage the Elephant won a Grammy?
Yes, twice. The band won Best Rock Album for Tell Me I'm Pretty at the 2017 Grammys and for Social Cues at the 2020 Grammys.
Is a Cage the Elephant concert general admission?
Many headline shows sell a general admission floor plus reserved seats in the bowl, but it depends on the venue. Check the seating map on each event listing before you buy.
What are the best seats for a Cage the Elephant concert?
The general admission floor is best for fans who want energy and proximity. For a reserved seat, lower-level side sections near the stage give a close, raised view of Matt Shultz.
What was the Neon Pill Tour?
The Neon Pill Tour supported the band's 2024 album Neon Pill. It ran 65 shows in 2024 and 2025 and sold more than 440,000 tickets, the band's highest-grossing tour to date.