It’s been twenty years since Cake formed in Sacramento, California, and fifteen years since Fashion Nugget became the antidote of irreverence to the grunge that dominated the airwaves in the early ’90s. Cake built the poppy bridge between radio-friendly singles like Pavement’s “Cut Your Hair” and the late-’90s pop rock that took itself too seriously.
They’re still creating the same horn-laden guitar riffs, releasing Showroom of Compassion in January of this year. While the band did not sell out three consecutive nights at the 9:30 Club on the buzz of this album alone, last night they struck a balance between the fresher sounds and the classics their die-hard fans have memorized for sing-a-long purposes. Playing for over two hours, Cake incorporated new material and conducted an impressive feat of emphatic audience participation in the second set with Compassion‘s first single, “Sick of You.” On the whole, the night was very much about the fans. Taking a break between sets, the band even gave away a white gold cherry tree — a recent tradition at Cake shows — to one lucky audience member.
And of course, there was the conversational tone McCrea took with the audience. “One of the worst things to happen at the end of the 20th century was the death of the 3/4 time signature,” railed McCrea before launching into “Mexico” from 1998’s Prolonging the Magic. “What happened to us that even in our leisure hour we could not enjoy the stately rhythm of the 3/4 time signature? That’s why there’s no hope for human beings anymore.”
Fans could appreciate, as they moved from the 3/4 sound of “Mexico” to their latest single, “Bound Away,” that these two songs — released 13 years apart — sounded so similar, but equally relevant. After their cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” the band finished with some of their biggest hits: “Italian Leather Sofa,” “Short Skirt, Long Jacket,” and “The Distance.” They were just as energetic as fans could hope. With two nights left to fill, Cake has an extensive catalog to pull from. Let’s just hope fans continue to get the star treatment.
