On Sunday, Oct. 26 Coral Skies Music Festival rolled into West Palm Beach for a fun-filled day of music, art, food and heat. Music lovers from all over the state and beyond flooded to the Cruzan Amphitheater to get a taste of what Coral Skies had to offer, and they were left satisfied.

From sultry band City and Colour to rock and roll heroes Cage the Elephant, Coral Skies provided for a rare and unique music experience. The Bite traveled down south to inhale mac and cheese grilled chess sandwiches and the best homemade popsicles this side of the Mississippi.

Cage the Elephant

In the mid 1960s, The Rolling Stones set out on a trailblazing path of success led by its fearless and iconic leader Mick Jagger. Today, we have Cage the Elephant.

“Everyone get on your feet, this is a Rock ‘n’ Roll show,” the lead guitarist shouted as he made his way to his mic when they took the stage at the festival. The crowd roared at this remark and everyone leaped to their feet. Every member of the band took their place and a quiet overlay was cast upon the crowd while they waited for the lead singer Matt Shultz. Similarly to Jagger, Shultz worked the stage better than any other act at the festival. He walked on with a strong confidence without coming off as arrogant. His gold button-down, skinny jeans and messy hair fit his image perfectly. His essence was inviting and warming to all music-lovers in attendance. All the while his high energy and passion for performance bled through his vocals and through the speakers.

The band’s performance was one of the best The Bite has ever witnessed, but what made it so exciting and liberating is unique of that from any normal good show. Shultz did not hold himself above his audience or any of his band members; he even stood on a box that was level to the pit and performed for a bit which helped communicate his message of unity. He was there to delve himself into his art and allow everyone in the amphitheater feel his passion brought on by his work.

Playing hits like “Aberdeen” and “Cigarette Daydreams,” Cage the Elephant corralled a scattered crowd into a unit of human beings listening to a modern day classic rock band. Their music is timeless and iconic. The same energy, passion and drive has proved time and time again to make bands immortal. Expect to hear about Cage the Elephant and their success soon, this band is one of the ages.

City and Colour

After a heated day of fast pace music, City and Colour was a cool drink of water to all fans in attendance. The performance was simple but effective. Dallas Green, the lead vocalist, came on stage with a simple hat and outfit and his brown acoustic guitar.

There are gigs where a viewer is supposed to stand up, dance and sing at the top of their lungs. Then, there are those gigs where the audience can sit down, enjoy and reflect on the music being played. City and Colour is just that. A band that can completely change an atmosphere has something special central to their values.

City and Colour holds a key aspect that makes them so remarkable and effective; contemplation. Their music doesn’t have much going on, with simple guitar chords and soft tamborine chimes, they really focus their lyrics and how to convey the message of a song to their listeners.

In “The Grand Optimist,” Green strung metaphors, similes, syntax and emotion in such a way that the message of the song was easily understood. City and Colour used a different approach to entertainment and that is what made them successful, essential and interesting to the audience. Talented and bold, City and Colour slowed things down a bit at the festival while still leaving the audience fully engaged.

Bleachers

The festival really began to heat up when Bleachers took the stage. Bleachers, which is a new project headed by Fun.’s Jack Antonoff, just recently hit it big when its debut single “I Wanna Get Better” topped the radio charts as this summer’s go-to dance jam. The band provided a breath of fresh air to an audience that was beginning to feel a little stuffy.

The jazzy saxophone paired with pure pop beats allowed for an 80’s-esque feel-good set that had the amphitheatre moving and grooving. The band also catered to new fans by covering The Cranberries’ “Dreams”. Bleachers’ first performance in the sunshine state left the crowd thirsting for more—which Antonoff promised the band would deliver in the near future. All in all, Bleachers’ set provided the festival with a much-needed pick-me-up, performing at the same level as some of the more well-known acts hitting the Sunset Stage later Sunday night.

Julian Casablancas + The Voidz

Julian Casablancas + The Voidz provided one of the most confusing performances of the festival. The crowd was left puzzled when Casablancas’ unmistakably audacious voice pumped through the speakers, but not in the way to which today’s rock fans are accustomed.

Casablancas, known primarily for his role as frontman to The Strokes, one of the biggest rock bands in America, has branched out with The Voidz as a “side project.” However, it’s almost disorienting to hear his unique voice in any other place than with The Strokes. Casablancas strutted onstage with the indifferent air archetypal of rockers—but not in a good way. Don’t get me wrong—the performance wasn’t bad. The musical performance, a mish-mash of 80s beats and synth sounds, was nothing short of experimental, which just wasn’t appropriate for the feel-good alternative vibe of the festival.

While the performance left the amphitheatre with a little to be desired, don’t write off Julian Casablancas just yet, because his cool-guy rock attitude is certainly here to stay.