CAKE Brings A Robust 2-Part Performance at Michigan Lottery Ampitheatre
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The band CAKE graced the Michigan Lottery Ampitheatre stage on Wednesday, August 13 to bring their quippy lyricism, musical technicism, and vibraslap action to the masses.
CAKE has not come to our area since 2013, opting to visit what looks to be closer to Grand Rapids than Detroit, but their last date in the area was also at Freedom Hill — something that McCrae pointed out with saying the full title of the venue, “Michigan Lottery Ampitheatre at Freedom Hill,” and then noted that the “Freedom Hill” part really “ties it all together.”
This was a one-band show, in which CAKE played 2 sets with an intermission in between, along with a “do not photograph or record” message for the audience to keep them engaged with the music, rather than their screens.
Before getting on with the music, the band’s frontman, John McCrea, holds up a t-shirt that reads “I [Heart] Democracy,” before tossing it into the crowd to eager hands. The band, while we don’t want to assume, strikes us in the jam-band-style performance style, a la Ween or Dave Matthews Band, but with comedic yet intelligent song intentions.
Set 1 was kicked off with “Frank Sinatra,” followed by “Sheep Go To Heaven.” During “Sheep,” McCrae gets the crowd to rock a call and response of “Go To Hell’s,” which engages the fans into a more audible reciprocation.
3 and 4 were deeper cuts, “Wheels” and “Stickshifts and Safetybelts.” After song number 9, the band went into intermission, before reopening their set with some of their more mainstream tunes like “Love You Madly” and “Never There.”
Their encore, of course, was their biggest bangers and the casual fan-favorites. First, their cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” is perfect for a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne. It’s important to note that CAKE has been covering this song for many years, and it resides on their 2007 release of ‘B-Sides and Rarities.’
And, with no shock to anyone, “The Distance” and “Short Skirt / Long Jacket” end the event. In hand at many moments, the vibraslap makes an appearance in McCrae’s hand. And not to take away from anyone else’s instrumentation, including John’s guitar playing, somehow the vibraslap truly makes CAKE songs stand out even more, but also would create such a hole if it were missing.
While the musicianship tends to be the most important part of the performance, along with some quippy interludes from McCrae himself, we must also acknowledge the lighting designer for this show. They created a disco ball-light dancing effect at high points during the set, which helped to complete the vibe for some of our favorite, (respectfully described) deadpan delivered lyrics that are worth shouting, whether you’re at a concert or in a Fortnite game lobby (yes, “Short Skirt / Long Jacket” is one of my lobby songs, leave me alone).
Check where else you can catch CAKE on tour at cakemusic.com/tour, there’s only a few dates left in the U.S. right before September starts.