An Evening with CAKE in Charlotte

Going The Distance at Skyla Credit Union Ampitheatre

Since the band’s inception, alternative rockers Cake have done things their own way. Combining funky rhythms and crunchy riffs, layers of melodies, and often sarcastic lyrics, Cake quickly established a rabid fanbase. In 1996, they released their second studio album Fashion Nugget which included the hit single “The Distance” and since they have won over the hearts of al-rock fans around the world. This summer the band is out on tour playing to packed audiences around the country and last night brought the show to Charlotte at Skyla Credit Union Ampitheatre.

Since this was an “evening with” performance, there was no opening act much to the dismay of Cake fans who arrived about mid-way through their first set. It was even something lead vocalist John McCrea joked about later in the evening. Shortly before the performance began, an announcement was made over the venue PA system warning fans that cellphone photos and videos were not permitted for this show and that those who failed to comply may be escorted out before music began to play.

It was almost showtime! The stage setup was pretty sparse as far as rock shows go with just the instruments and a few road cases gracing the stage. There was a curtain at the rear of the stage and a disco ball hanging up high above. The crowd cheered as Cake made their way onto the stage. Before the music began, McCrea held up a white teeshirt that had I Heart Democracy on the front, holding it up to even louder cheers before rolling it up and tossing it out to the audience.

The band kicked into gear and started off with “Frank Sinatra” from the Fashion Nugget album and we were officially underway. The band has been varying the setlist for the tour and for the most part, each stop was getting the same songs, but in a different order.

It has been a long, long time since I saw Cake live and I will say that the band sounded better than ever. McCrea’s deadpan vocals were on point and lead guitarist Xan McCurdy was letting it rip. The rhythm section was held down by bassist Daniel McCallum and drummer Todd Roper as they kept things grooving. The musical highlight of the evening for me came from Vince DiFiore who was amazing on the trumpet and keyboard as well as bringing out the melodica and a variety of small, percussion instruments.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a Cake show without McCrea pulling out the vibraslap which he used throughout the night and at one point was moving all over the stage slapping it, and leaning down to the fans up front.

Two bubble machines were situated on each side of the stage and during what seemed like random moments, although I’m sure it was carefully planned out, streams of bubbles rose up over the stage and audience. Combined with the lighting effects of the disco ball, it created a rather ethereal atmosphere that seemed very Cakelike to me.

McCrea explained a little about how the evening would progress and informed us that there would be two sets of music with a short intermission in between. Before heading out for the break, the band kicked into “Sick of You” as McCrea split the audience into two halves. One half was going to be the laidback side singing the “I, I, I want to fly away” and the other half being the angry side who would shout “I’m so sick of you, so sick of me, I don’t want to be with you.” As we came together in perfect harmony, it was the perfect way to end the first half of the evening.

At the mid-way point of the show, the skies were looking a bit nasty as the city of Charlotte was waiting for the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby to bring in torrential amounts of rain and wind, but luckily for fans, we were able to go The Distance and finish out the show with nothing but a stray sprinkle here or there.

The second half of the show began with John explaining why there was a tree onstage and the tradition of Cake giving away trees. He even went on to tell us that we could go online and look up which cities had tree giveaways over the years and follow along with the stories. This, of course, led to an excited member of the audience named Lisa, being the winner of the tree by following his instructions exactly. First, she stayed quiet as did those around here and once he asked the question “What kind of tree is this?” she silently held up her hands, waving them around. I’m pretty sure the red shirt she had on, made her a bit more visible to John. Lisa answered that it was a fig tree and she was brought up on stage. She then made a solemn promise to make a home for the tree and to take care of it. McCrea joked that if we saw her at the grocery store or the coffee shop, we should stalk her and ask her about the tree. Again, a very Cakelike moment for sure.

After the tree giveaway, it was time once again for Cake to bring the funky grooves. Towards the end, we got to hear all the biggest hits as they closed out with “Never There.” The band did grace us with a three-song encore of “Short Skirt/Long Jacket,” the ultra-cool version of Gloria Gaynor’s hit “I Will Survive” before capping things off with “The Distance” for those who braved the impending weather and made it through to the end.

An Evening with Cake was all I imagined it to be and more. The tour continues through the end of September. If you’re heading out to catch a show, remember to get there early so you don’t miss one minute of Cake.

See the Full Gallery of the Evening Here!

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