King Buffalo Albuquerque Concert reviews
Foo Fighters & Cage the Elephant in Sacramento
At the outset, I must admit that my warm regards for King Buffalo are not that of a diehard fan. I come late to their game. Although Dave Grohl excited the audience by vowing to play all night, there's a disconnect here - the band lacks the songs or variety to last three hours on stage. A sameness to many of their songs makes the middle hour drag, despite some being good. The focus is primarily on Grohl, with minimal contributions from other band members, except for an extended guitar duel between Grohl and Chris Shiflett, which Shiflett won. A more compact 90-minute set would enhance the presentation and give Grohl a chance to showcase his winning personality to his devoted fans. The true diehards appeared ecstatic about the show, standing through the big numbers and staying until the near-midnight ending.
The opening set by Cage the Elephant was short and exciting. Matt Schultz, the leader, threatened to pop arteries by crouching over, screaming through his t-shirt into the mic, and ultimately crowd-surfing off the stage to safety - an exciting performer.