Dirty Heads w/ SOJA & Tribal Seeds June 29, 2022 Rio Tinto Stadium
Wednesday evening I had the chance to attend a Dirty Heads concert at Rio Tinto Stadium. There was a storm that was going on throughout much of Utah. Luckily it missed Sandy so it was a sunny, good vibes kind of day! I arrived at the very end of Tribal Seeds set. I could tell they set a fun tone for the crowd. People danced and swayed with their friends while others got a drink or food from one of the local food trucks. Not long after Tribal Seeds set, 2021 Reggae Album of the Year Grammy winners SOJA took the stage.
SOJA
Lead singer and guitarist Jacob Hemphill was wearing a Real Salt Lake jersey. He came on stage with a massive smile on his face. The energy SOJA performed with live really is unmatched compared to listening to a studio version of their music. This music was meant to be enjoyed in a concert setting for sure. The combination of the brass from the saxophone and trumpets, the soothing beat of the drum, and Jacob’s smooth voice created a really just relaxing atmosphere. It made me want to be swinging on a hammock near the ocean somewhere. As the sun was about to set SOJA thanked the crowd for the amazing energy and to get ready for the main act Dirty Heads!
Dirty Heads
Dirty Heads took the stage to the hard-hitting jam “Medusa”. The catchy chorus and the reggae style rap really set the mood off right and immediately got the crowd dancing. Bubble cannons blew all over the sky and the dance party was officially started. Their set included songs from pretty much every one of their many albums so there was a little bit of something for everyone. Some particular highlights from the first half of the set included “My Sweet Summer”, “Lay Me Down”, and “Smoke Rings”. One thing that impresses me about Dirty Heads every time I see them perform is how easily they transition their sound from chill reggae/rock beach music like “Lay Me Down” and the fast paced rapping they do on tracks like “Hipster”.
You can definitely tell that Dirty Heads have an absolute blast every time they perform in Utah. As they got towards the second half of their set and into their more popular songs the energy of the crowd was turned up to the max! On “Franco Eyed” I almost forgot this was a reggae concert because of how amazing the rapping was. On the chorus, the entire crowd was yelling at the sky singing “Ayyy”. It was a pretty cool moment.
Dirty Heads left the stage for the encore. They came back on to a three song encore of absolute smash hits. “Sloths Revenge” got everyone in their nostalgic feels, “Oxygen” was a sing-along jam. Dirty Heads finished off their set with their biggest song “Vacation”. Jared took in the crowd and said he wished that he could party with Salt Lake and keep playing music. He thanked the crowd and finished the show with a second time playing “Vacation”. Overall it was an amazing concert. My girlfriend and I were dancing the entire time.
