Cage the Elephant Unleashes Wilding at Beaumont; Star M.I.A.

I have seen the future of rock n roll and it is frentetic…

Cage the Elephant at the Beaumont Club Saturday delivered far and away the most frenzied, far-fetched, fantasical, punked-out performance I’ve witnessed. A straight down the line, kickass show – no gimmicks, no glitter cannons – just the band with frontman Mathew Shultz on the verge of the most engaging on-stage meltdown imaginable.

At concert’s end Shulz lay collapsed on the Beaumont dance floor, the crowd of 400 or so gathered about him, leaving security personnel with little choice but to lift his limp form and transport it backstage. Or to a hospital maybe.

Make no mistake, Shultz delivered the goods. It was an incredible performance.

Wasted though he may have been – and totally appeared to be – the singer never missed a beat. No blown lyrics, no feeling that the crowd was somehow being shorted.

When I arrived, maybe two songs into Cage the Elephant’s set, the wiry singer’s T-shirt was already drenched in sweat. His constant frantic stage gyrations and crisp lyrical delivery called to mind a way speeded up, extremely young Mick Jagger.

No less than four times towards the end of Cage the Elephant’s set, Shultz threw himself wildly headfirst into the crowd. Corded microphone and all each and every time – almost like some sort of a lifeline.

There was no Caging of any Elephant on this wild, wild night at the Beaumont..

There was even an allowed-by-security, horny chick attack. No fewer than four women leapt on the stage, practically lap dancing while manhandling Shultz and other band members. Yet they continued to perform unabated.

One amazingly huge dude managed to climb up there as well, before disappearing towards the back of the stage. Presumably where he was escorted out by security.

Uh, no way.

Seconds later – almost out of nowhere – said huge dude rocketed back to the front of the stage, tossing his tonnage on helpless audience members.

It was crazy.

During the band’s encore, Shulz somehow managed to walk upright on the crowd’s hands while swinging perilously from overhead stage lighting. Fortunately for the Beaumont’s new six-figure sound and lighting system, he took a couple more steps into and onto the crowd before locking onto some low-hanging overhead beams.

Not missing a beat, Shulz then managed to monkey climb his way into hanging upside down from there by his legs, continuing to sing all the while.

The concert ended with an obviously whacked out Shulz diving once again into the crowd, where his seemingly