SEMA 2024 IS IN THE BOOKS AND SEMAFEST WAS AN AMAZING WAY TO WRAP IT UP!

November 8, 2024 – Tis the SEMA season! As they’ve done every year since 1977, the SEMA show came to the Las Vegas Convention Center, bringing a week full of the coolest motor vehicles you’ve ever laid your eyes on. In 2023 they decided to add a music festival to the show, and continued the tradition this year with one of the best lineups known to man. Cage The Elephant, Sublime, Fitz and the Tantrums, and Petey were set to take the stage and give Vegas yet another incredible night of live music

Petey is one of my favorite people in the world for a couple reasons – his comedy is phenomenal and his music absolutely bangs. From Royal Oak, Michigan, Petey began rising to fame during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, as he began sharing his comedy skits on social media platforms. His dry humor, cleverly crafted scripts, and comedic timing helped him amass millions of followers across Instagram and TikTok, which has created an incredible opportunity for him to share his music with a large audience. 

Petey’s sound to me is a modern Midwest alternative style, complimented wonderfully by his self-aware and intellectual lyricism. The live performance exceeded my expectations, as Petey shows of his gritty vocal range while the rest of the band was tight with their instrumentals and helped keep the stage presence alive. Their great setlist consisted of some of Petey’s biggest songs, including my two favorites, ‘Apple TV Remote’ and ‘Don’t Tell The Boys’. 

FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS

One of my favorite indie-alternative bands of the last decade! Multi-platinum artists Fitz and the Tantrums are no strangers to the festival stage, especially here in Vegas. This was my first time seeing them however, so I was stoked for this one. 

Right away I was blown away with the lighting design! Bright, soft colors lit up the stage and audience, combining perfectly with the bands sound to create a truly dreamy atmosphere. The band played an hour long set with songs from all over their discography of the last 14 years, including hits like ‘Out Of My League’ and ‘The Walker’. They even played a REALLY sweet cover of ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)’ that had everyone vibing. Fitz and the Tantrums ended on an energetic note, closing out their set with their hit ‘Handclap’. 

SUBLIME

Are you starting to see how stacked this lineup is? Sublime was next. THE Sublime. With the OG members Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh, featuring original singer Bradley Nowell’s son, Jakob Nowell. The rest of the audience was just as excited as I was, as the crowd was now packed in shoulder to shoulder, anxiously waiting for the band to take the stage. 

The guys were greeted with immense roars of excitement from the crowd as they walked out. Kicking it off with ‘Garden Grove,’ everyone was completely locked in. It’s widely known that Jakob’s voice sounds uncannily like his father’s, but it is even more prominent when you hear it live. This dude absolutely tore through this set and at times you almost forgot that he wasn’t an original member of the band. 

The hour and a half long set was a true testament to how strong the sublime fanbase is, and proved how well their music still holds up in a live performance today. Consisting of all the classics such as ‘Doin Time’ and ‘Wrong Way’, the first part of the set was off to a killer start. It only got better as they continued, closing out their set with ‘Waiting For My Ruca’ and ‘Santeria’. 

This was Sublime’s first time back in Vegas since 1996, and we certainly hope to see more of this OG crew right here on the strip in the future! 

CAGE THE ELEPHANT

These guys are one of my favorite bands of all time. Falling in love with their music back in 2010 (thanks again X107.5), Cage The Elephant’s music has been a huge part of my life and a big influence in my creative processes. This was my third time seeing them live, but my first chance getting to photograph them! 

One of thing I’ve always admired about Cage The Elephant is how much passion and dedication they show to their live performances. Their stage setup has always been (pretty much) the same, with these enormous circular spotlights that line the back of stage, and I was excited to see them still there for this one. I’ve also highly praised this band’s stage presence for years, putting them in my top three best live performers I’ve ever seen. This night was no different, as even with a broken foot and broken shoulder, vocalist Matt Shultz still gave it 150% of his energy and commanded the stage beautifully. Much like his brother Matt, rhythm guitarist Brad Shultz also brings a huge amount of energy to the stage, even spending a portion of a song in the first few rows of the audience. 

The band’s commanding stage presence was highlighted wonderfully by a very impressive lighting design. The giant spotlights that I mentioned earlier emanated  warm, soft lights while the stage lighting produced dreamy purples, blues, and reds. An atmosphere that truly fits their new album and tour titled ‘Neon Pill.’ I also gotta shoutout the sound technicians for this set! Everything was so crystal clear, it made this giant outdoor venue seem like a small, intimate club show. 

Cage The Elephant’s setlist was one for the ages, playing songs from each of their six albums. The kicked it off with some literal HEAT as the stage erupted with pyro for their first song ‘Broken Boy’. Loved the part in ‘Cry Baby’ when Brad came down and played in the crowd. Their set continued with ALL their bangers including my personal favorites ‘Cold Cold Cold’ and ‘Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked’. By the time they closed out with ‘Come A Little Closer,’ we were BEGGING for more. Absolutely can’t wait for these guys to come back to town. 

Sema Fest 2024 is going in my books as one of my favorite shows I’ve ever attended. We cannot wait to see what kind of lineup they bring us next year!

PHOTO CREDIT: Live photos by Addison Egelhoff for ZrockR Magazine – (c) 2024 – All Rights Reserved.