The Cab Rises From The Dead In Sayreville
BY CHELSEA VAUGHAN
“It’s 2012 in this bitch so let’s fucking act accordingly” - Paradise Fears 2026
Many people have a specific niche band that they fell in love with over the years. For me, this was an alternative band known as The Cab. While most people know this band from their hit “Angel With A Shotgun”, I remember the exact moment that I listened to The Cab’s music for the first time. It was 2017, I was in my freshman year Geometry class shuffling through Spotify for new music recommendations (because I had the free version of Spotify where you only got ads and songs you’ve never heard of before). After hitting the shuffle button for what felt like forever, I heard the intro to “One of THOSE Nights” and it completely altered my brain chemistry. I went on a deep-dive of their music that day and completely fell in love; and then I noticed that it had been three years since they had posted anything. I checked on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Googled their band’s name 200 times. They had seemingly vanished off of the face of the earth.
Every now and then, I would Google their band again to see if I had missed anything. About 95% of the time, it was still the same: no posts, no activity, no new music, no nothing; I’d just sigh and go about my day.
Then, in 2024, when the When We Were Young festival started to announce their 2025 lineup, I looked through the list of bands and had to do a double take. What do you mean The Cab is on the lineup?? Are they back?? I couldn’t believe it, so I went to their social media page once more; and sure enough, one of my niche favorite bands was back and in business!
The Cab announced their “Back From The Dead” tour (as well as a new album entitled “Chasing Crowns”) in early 2026, just over 20 years since the band started playing together. They hit Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey, just this past Friday the 26th, just before a double-header in New York City. For those who have never been to Starland Ballroom, it is a fan-favorite venue for many reasons: every show that is played here just feels nostalgic, The staff is always wonderful (shoutout to the VFW across the street for the parking and for chatting about the show with those coming in!), the atmosphere is energetic, and I can’t forget about the IHOP shoutout (where every time IHOP is advertised on the screen, everybody cheers!)
Opening up the show was CARR, an alternative pop artist from California. The lead singer rocked a shirt that stated “Blink If You Want Me” whilst performing their biggest hits like “Alien Rat Boyfriend” & “Bang It Out.”
Next on the bill was Paradise Fears, an alt-rock band from South Dakota. I did not know prior to this show that Paradise Fears and The Cab had such a close bond, but I found out very quickly when the entire audience knew every word to all of their songs. In the best way possible, it felt like they were sibling-adjacent to The Cab, both sound-wise and energy-wise. They also declared that it was officially 2012 and that the audience needs to act like it!
Last but not least, The Cab took the stage with their lead single off their debut album, “Locked & Loaded.” From start to finish, the crowd was electric: I haven’t been to Starland Ballroom in a while, but the crowd never misses when it comes to energy. The band took turns going from older hits like “Temporary Bliss” to newer songs like “Back From The Dead.” They even performed a 90’s medley, covering NSYNC and Britney Spears, as well as a cover of Justin Bieber’s “Yukon” where the lead singer actually sounded more like Justin Bieber than Justin Bieber himself. There was such a large variety of people in the audience as well, ranging from teenagers to adults to a woman who was celebrating her 100th time seeing The Cab live (and also got a shoutout on stage for it!).
No concert from The Cab would be complete without hearing their most famous hit, “Angel With A Shotgun.” It’s so surreal getting to hear a song live after you’ve been obsessed with it for so many years; it’s as if 14-year-old me was living through present time to experience that beautiful hit of nostalgia. After the show, they appeared outside of the venue to chat with fans and take pictures. I had the honor of meeting the lead singer, Alexander DeLeon, as well as the bassist Joey Thunder, after the show; both were incredibly sweet and lovely to chat with after the show!
Overall, the show was perfect in every way, shape, and form; do not be surprised if you hear about The Cab again in the future.. They have a lot in store!
To keep in touch with The Cab’s US tour & new music, check out their Instagram!
