Fans from Detroit and nearby areas rejoiced at the return of CAKE to Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill in Sterling Heights last week, and the alt. rock veterans delivered a strong night of their signature tunes, including their biggest hits and plenty of fan favorites. CAKE is a group who famously only tour, write, and record when they wish, and several years often elapse between their periods of activity. In this case, they are touring prior to the release of their long-awaited seventh LP, which is expected to arrive this fall. One new song, "Billionaire in Space," was performed as a preview. Singer John McCrea and company delighted fans with comical interludes between most songs, and the band seemed very comfortable and well-rehearsed throughout.
As many other groups have taken to doing over the past five to ten years, the concert was billed as "An Evening with CAKE," meaning no opening act and an intermission during the band's performance. Much like other notable alternative rockers, such as Maynard James Keenan and Jack White, CAKE requested no photos or video be taken during the performance although in a gentler, suggestive way. An announcement requesting attendees to avoid using their phones during the performance played prior to the band's intro tape, but they were not required to lock their phones in pouches (like some of White's recent tours) nor were they threatened with ejection from the show for having a phone out (like at Keenan's shows).
CAKE wisely feature more from their 1996 breakthrough album Fashion Nugget than any of their other releases, but they work hit singles and a few deep cuts from their other five albums as well. The band opened with "Frank Sinatra" and ran through zippy versions of "Stickshifts and Safetybelts" and the stuttering "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" during the first set, and they featured "Daria" and their biggest hit, "The Distance," during the second half of the concert. Crowd participation is encouraged during almost every song but is most audible during hits like "Sheep Go to Heaven," and "Never There" where the chanted backing vocals can be shared with the audience (as McCrea's unique delivery varies in pace and style through most of the lead vocals, making them harder to sing along with, even if you know most of the lyrics). While the stage itself was relatively undecorated, McCrea controlled a lighted, spinning mirror ball with a foot pedal throughout the concert, including it for at least a few moments during nearly every song.
McCrea is involved with a number of causes, of which is reforestation, and for several tours, he takes a moment during each show to give away a potted tree to the first fan who can shout out what kind of tree it is and who promises to plant it and send a picture. In Sterling Heights, the winner took home a cherry tree, an appropriate choice for Michigan, whose Traverse City is known as the cherry capital of the world. Following the intermission and tree giveaway, the band continued with notable selections from their debut LP, "Comanche," "Ruby Sees All," and "Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle" as well as 2001's Comfort Eagle, opening the second set with the twangy new wave of "Love You Madly" and treating fans to one of their biggest hits, "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" during the encore. While CAKE have included an original arrangement of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" for years, choosing to include it to open the encore was a bit more poignant following the recent death of original Sabbath vocalist, Ozzy Osbourne.
By time the concert concluded, the assembled fans were seemingly satisfied, but the show felt a little brief, overall, and could have benefitted from even one or two more songs, especially during the second set. In spite of that, the band's performance was consistently high quality throughout, and it's clear why CAKE's music and shows are so widely beloved.
Cake, Sterling Heights, MI (8/13/25):
Frank Sinatra
Sheep Go to Heaven
Wheels
Stickshifts and Safetybelts
Long Time
Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps (Osvaldo Farres)
Meanwhile, Rick James...
Billionaire in Space
Sick of You
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(intermission)
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Love You Madly
Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle
Comanche
Ruby Sees All
Daria
Never There
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War Pigs (Black Sabbath)
Short Skirt/Long Jacket
The Distance
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