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Full Rig Info: https://www.premierguitar.com/videos/rig-rundown/cage-the-elephant

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Cage the Elephant was formed nearly 20 years ago in Bowling Green by vocalist Matt Shultz, guitarists Brad Shultz and Lincoln Parish, drummer Jared Champion, and bassist Daniel Tichenor. That core lineup has only changed once, with Nick Bockrath replacing Parish onstage in 2013 and officially in 2017. CTE\u2019s earliest albums\u20142008\u2019s Cage the Elephant and 2011\u2019s Thank You, Happy Birthday\u2014captured their punk-rock pandemonium that turned venues into hurricanes. Cage\u2019s mayhem cloaked melodies, like a Trojan horse creating early-career earworms and sing-alongs out of hits \u201cIn One Ear,\u201d \u201cAin't No Rest for the Wicked,\u201d \u201cShake Me Down,\u201d and \u201cAberdeen.\u201d

2013\u2019s Melophobia brandished a trio of mellower, melodious singles: \u201cCome A Little Closer,\u201d \u201cTake It or Leave It,\u201d and \u201cCigarette Daydreams.\u201d Then, 2015\u2019s Tell Me I\u2019m Pretty saw the band enter Easy Eye Sound to work with Dan Auerbach, sending the band\u2019s sonics back to the \u201960s with an emphasis on direct, pointed performances and console-driven fuzz. Their last two albums, 2019\u2019s Social Cues and 2024\u2019s Neon Pill, partnered them with producer John Hill, who helped wrap their memorable hooks in a smokier, after-hours backdrop that incorporated \u201980s sheen with drum machines, shifting synth textures, and sleek production that pulses with flow and emotion.

The constant glue that holds these albums together (aside from the members' cohesive creativity) is the constant application\u2014in varied amounts\u2014of garage rock, psychedelia, and a little bit of danger. Even their softest, smoothest work portrays these gripping vibes. And while the velvet packaging of their songs have them sounding more Abbey Road than Albini\u2014earning the group back-to-back Grammys for Best Rock Album for Tell Me I\u2019m Pretty and Social Cues\u2014the Shultz brothers still bring their signature piss-and-vinegar performances to the stage, where the front row will likely play host to both throughout any given setlist.

Before the band\u2019s Bonnaroo set on Saturday June 15, Cage the Elephant invited PG\u2019s video team to their rehearsals inside East Nashville\u2019s Steel Mill space to cover the gear they\u2019d be touring with in support of their sixth album, Neon Pill. On guitar, lap steel, and pedal steel, Nick Bockrath starts off the Rundown going through his sizzling setup that includes custom guitars, a bountiful pedalboard, and a special instrument from a deceased friend and Nashville legend. Then, tech Mason Osman details how Brad Shultz transformed his rig to mimic his preferred recording setup that relies on studio tube preamps and compressors for a direct, broiling sound. Lastly, tech Bailey Griffith shows a simplified-but-tsunami-sounding bass setup that includes two Fender 4-strings and 300W tube heads that kick like a mule.

(Thumbnail photos by Neil Krug.)

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[Brought to you by D\u2019Addario: https://ddar.io/wykyk-rr]

0:00 - D'Addario Strings

0:15 - Nick Bockrath Intro

1:58 - Chris Kies Intro

2:17 - Neon Pill & Working with John Hill Again

6:00 - Nick Bockrath's Harper Guitars Marilyn

11:20 - Nick Bockrath's 1990s Gibson Les Paul Deluxe

15:23 -...