The Cab is “Back From the Dead” in Philadelphia
- Kara Maddox
- 7 hours ago
- 4 min read
Pop-rock band The Cab had a cult following in the early 2000s up until their disbandment in 2015. A decade later, however, The Cab made their grand return to the stage at festivals such as When We Were Young and announced new music. On April 24, their latest album Chasing Crowns was released, their first full-length album since 2012. To commemorate their long-awaited return, The Cab embarked on the “Back From the Dead” Tour, their first headliner tour in over a decade. The extensive tour began on May 22 in Dallas, TX and will conclude in Boston, MA on June 30, hitting many major cities along the way. On June 24, the band visited Philadelphia for the first time since 2013 at the historic Theater of Living Arts, and longtime fans gathered to celebrate their return at the nearly sold-out show.
Kicking off the night was alt-pop artist CARR. With catchy choruses and humorous lyrics, it didn’t take long for the crowd to get off their feet and dance along. CARR recently released her latest album CARRGIRRL on March 20, and played several songs from it such as the comedic “Alien Rat Boyfriend”. Halfway through the set, CARR mentioned that the show in Philly was her hometown show, and for her song “Loser”, a track about bad boyfriends, she dedicated it to her friend in the crowd’s loser ex “Cam”. CARR also thanked The Cab for bringing her on tour with them, saying that more male bands should bring female artists to open for them. To conclude her set, she played the catchy “Sick Bro”, and the crowd was dancing until the very end. Even if many people just discovered CARR that night, she definitely made many new fans.
The second and final opener was early 2010s alt-rock band Paradise Fears. Having been mostly inactive since 2016, this tour with The Cab was the band’s first major tour in a decade. Vocalist Samuel Miller mentioned that they toured with The Cab all those years ago and have since become best friends with them, and did not hesitate to take the opportunity to tour with them again more than 10 years later. The crowd was transported back to the 2010s with a set full of fan-favorites that spanned across the band’s whole discography. The band also played a secret cover song, which Samuel mentioned was dedicated to his wife and wanted no phones out to record it so the song could be a surprise. The band ended their set with their most popular song, “Battle Scars”, and the fans were singing and dancing along until the last note. With their 2010s nostalgia, Paradise Fears fully energized the crowd, preparing them for the headlining set.
Soon enough, the lights began to dim for the final time that night as the crowd cheered. As the fans waited in anticipation, The Cab finally walked onstage, excitement filling the venue. The band opened with the lead single from Chasing Crowns, “Locked and Loaded”, a catchy pop-infused track, and followed with fan-favorite “Temporary Bliss” from their 2012 album Symphony Soldier. Then they performed the new track “Back From The Dead”, with the band proudly announcing “Look who’s back from the dead”. With the entire crowd dancing and singing along to every lyric, The Cab’s return from the dead was a triumphant and very welcome one.
Seeing The Cab’s performance in Philadelphia, no outsider would be able to guess that this was their first headliner tour in over a decade. The band’s energy was contagious, getting the crowd to move along at any time, while also delivering catchy melodies and thrilling riffs. The fans were immersed in the set, being taken back to the early 2000s and 2010s as The Cab played older hits from 2008’s Whisper Wars and 2012’s Symphony Soldier, and even a track from their 2013 EP Lock Me Up, which they said they have never played a song live from before. The voices of the crowd nearly rivaled the band throughout the show; almost every fan in the crowd seemed to know every lyric to any song. The band also put together a 90s cover medley for all the millennial fans in the crowd, performing snippets of “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back”, “Baby One More Time”, and “It’s Gonna Be Me”. Halfway through the set, vocalist Alex DeLeon mentioned that the last time they headlined in Philadelphia was July 28, 2013. Nearly 13 years later, Philly fans made sure to show up and nearly sell out the venue.
Towards the end of the set, Alex mentioned that June is his favorite month because it’s Pride Month, and reminded the crowd that they are accepted and to love themselves no matter what. The band went into their 2012 track “Living Louder”, and brought out Paradise Fears vocalist Samuel Miller to sing with them. Afterwards, the band left the stage as the crowd started chanting “One more song!”. Soon enough, The Cab returned to the stage and said “How about a few more songs?”. For the encore, they performed their 2008 hit “One of THOSE Nights” and their 2012 track “Endlessly”. To top it all off, they then went into their biggest hit “Angel With a Shotgun”, and the voices of the crowd boomed throughout the venue as they sang along to every word. The Cab’s grand return to Philadelphia was a memorable one, and Philly will be welcoming them again with open arms.
