Gallery • 26 Photos

Bear Hands perform at Spring Fling at the Don Haskins Center.

Cue the long-haired hipsters in tight jeans and t-shirts. Add a layer of keyboards, bass guitars and some of the most unique vocalists in modern alt rock, and you’ve got this year’s Spring Fling.

The Wednesday night show at the Don Haskins Center started slow, but the energy progressed with each performance—ending with an explosive, ear-splitting set list provided by alt rock hit Cage the Elephant.

The crowd trickled in slowly, but seemed to grow larger along with the intensity of the performers: Bear Hands, Foals and Silversun Pickups, ending with Cage the Elephant.

Indie rock band Bear Hands, who recently released their third album “You’ll Pay For This,” kicked everything off. The band held their own and kept the crowd moving—albeit slowly—while standing in the shadow of the more popular artists on the line up.

British indie sensation Foals took the stage shortly after, and engaged the audience with crowd surfing, light displays that danced with the music and songs like “Spanish Sahara,” “Inhaler” and “Mountain At My Gates,” all off their 2015 album, “What Went Down.”

Silversun Pickups then came in screaming. They performed their newer hits “Nightlight” and “Circadian Rhythm,” off their latest album, “Better Nature.” But every person in the stadium stood at the same time to sing along with the classic Silversun Pickups’ “Lazy Eye,” and “Panic Switch,” the songs that put them on the map in 2006.

And finally, the band everyone was waiting for: Cage the Elephant. The band recently released “Tell Me I’m Pretty” in 2015, which didn’t fare as well as their previous album “Melophobia,” from 2013, but still oozes talent.

True to nature, Cage the Elephant delivered each of their songs with the passion and intensity you would expect. It’s as if every Cage the Elephant song was meant to be heard live, and all recorded versions, as good as they are, are still second to watching lead singer Matthew Schultz scream and dance on stage.

The band played the perfect set, a mixture of old and new: “Mess Around” and “Cry Baby” off “Tell Me I’m Pretty”; “Spiderhead,” “Come a Little Closer” and “Cigarette Daydreams,” off “Melophobia”; “Aberdeen” and “Shake Me Down,” off “Thank You, Happy Birthday”; and “In One Ear” and “Back Against The Wall” off their 2008 self titled debut album.

While other bands produce albums with maybe a few recognizable songs, the beauty of Cage the Elephant is that every song on all four of their albums is memorable. That was made clear when all fans in the audience sang along with every song the band performed.

After an encore performance and tossing their set lists for fans to keep as souvenirs, Cage the Elephant left the stage leaving everyone screaming for more.

Overall, Spring Fling did not disappoint. You could overhear every person leaving the Don Haskins Center talking about how great the night went. But the night’s success is owed to Cage the Elephant, who always put on a great show no matter what.

Jasmine Aguilera may be reached at [email protected].