OAKLAND — The biggest name on the poster said Imagine Dragons, but Cage the Elephant played like it was the star Saturday at the second and final evening of Not So Silent Night at Oracle Arena in Oakland.
Las Vegas’ Imagine Dragons aimed for dominance as Saturday’s headliner despite having the pedigree of just one hit album to its name. Vocalist and percussionist Dan Reynolds worked hard to justify the billing, doing such theatrics as riding triumphant atop railings and monitors during “It’s Time” (right).
Although he complained of trouble with his voice, Reynolds stayed committed. For “On Top of the World,” he took his wireless microphone to the other side of the arena, darting through the crowd to give high-fives and mingle with fans during the performance.
Imagine Dragons’ set sagged a bit in the middle, especially during a holiday-themed medley, but closed well, finishing with hits “I Bet My Life,” “Demons” and a protracted, explosive “Radioactive.” During the lattermost’s waning moments, Reynolds knocked over a large drum at midstage and continued beating it even after it tipped on its side.
For as determined as Reynolds was to connect, he took a back seat to Matt Shultz from Kentucky’s Cage the Elephant. Shultz was a ball of energy, unpredictably whirling, dancing and jumping — and that’s just when he stayed on the stage. On multiple occasions, Shultz slipped to the rail to dive into the crowd, which held him standing at one point.
Shultz’s energy was infectious, but also genuine. As “Take it or Leave It” wound to its conclusion, he jumped into the air, using his mic stand for balance as he kicked out his legs. His intensity matched the band’s hard-charging rock to be the underdog of the night.
They proved a tough act to follow for England’s Interpol. In their suits and brandishing a workmanlike prowess, the group felt stiff and rigid after the loose-limbed, all-systems-go approach of Shultz and Cage the Elephant. “All the Rage Back Home” and “Slow Hands” drew a smattering of appreciation, but the difference in crowd response between CTE and Interpol was noticeable.
Cambridge’s Alt-J (left) returned to the Bay just eight weeks after its Treasure Island Music Festival performance playing a similar set. Kinks still appear in the material from this year’s This Is All Yours, but the road tested pieces from the quartet’s 2012 debut, An Awesome Wave, remain their set pieces. Cases in point: “Fitzpleasure” and its sinewy bassline arrived early, hitting all the right marks, but “Left Hand Free” continues to feel like the quartet hasn’t cracked its code yet live.
Spoon seemed to have its entire catalog cracked, playing a brisk but superb set early in the night. While they lacked the theatrics of some of the night’s other acts, Britt Daniel did hurl a stool toward the back of the stage in dramatic fashion during “Inside Out.” But Spoon’s set succeeded because the band did what it does best — deliver quality material with no nonsense.
Opening the night was Australian Vance Joy, who got the crowd crooning early with his smash hit “Riptide.”
Setlists
Imagine Dragons
1. Fallen
2. It’s Time
3. Tiptoe
4. Hear Me
5. Amsterdam
6. Last Christmas > Creep > Jingle Bells > Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer > The Lion Sleeps Tonight
7. Rocks
8. The River
9. On Top of the World
10. Who We Are
11. I Bet My Life
12. Demons
13. Radioactive
Alt-J
1. Hunger of the Pine
2. Fitzpleasure
3. Something Good
4. Left Hand Free
5. Dissolve Me
6. Matilda
7. Bloodflood Pt. 2
8. Tessellate
9. Every Other Freckle
10. The Gospel of John Hurt
11. Nara
12. Breezeblocks
Interpol
1. Say Hello to the Angels
2. Anywhere
3. Evil
4. Hands Away
5. Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down
6. NYC
7. Everything Is Wrong
8. Not Even Jail
9. All the Rage Back Home
10. Slow Hands
Cage the Elephant
1. Spiderhead
2. In One Ear
3. Aberdeen
4. Take it or Leave It
5. Cigarette Daydreams
6. Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked
7. Back Against the Wall
8. It’s Just Forever
9. Teeth
10. Come a Little Closer
11. Shake Me Down
Spoon
1. Rent I Pay
2. Don’t You Evah
3. Got Nuffin
4. I Turn My Camera On
5. Do You
6. Inside Out
7. The Way We Get By
8. The Underdog
Vance Joy
1. From Afar
2. Georgia
3. Wasted Time
4. Best That I Can
5. Riptide
6. Mess Is Mine
Vine of Imagine Dragons performing "Radioactive"
Vine of Alt-J performing "Left Hand Free"
Updated 12/15/14 11:10 a.m.
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