almost monday • Adrian Lyles • January 24, 2025 • Soundwell SLC
Reviewed and Photographed by Amelia Weyerstall
almost monday brought incredible energy to their sold-out show, and the first night of their “Dive” tour, to Soundwell in downtown Salt Lake City. Fans of both bands didn’t disappoint and were so warm and welcoming to both almost monday and Adrian Lyles. The crowd’s energy shook the whole venue, they were definitely excited.
Adrian Lyles
Adrian Lyles started the show off with a bang! He came out onto the stage with the biggest smile and extremely high energy, which made the crowd go wild, they couldn’t get enough of his songs or infectious energy.
It’s not the first time that Lyles has been to SLC. In the Popular TV series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Lyles played the character Jet in seasons 3 and 4. Lyles mentioned how being back in SLC was really a full-circle moment for him. The audience was so supportive, and Lyles was met with thunderous applause.
He also said how it is truly incredible to have an audience who cares so much about his music and performance, and how he was trying hard not to cry as it was so amazing how so many people were there to support him (because he used to be a gig musician and would sit down and play piano for 3 hours in a studio without an audience). He also said this was his first tour and how it’s an incredible opportunity for him to grow as an artist.
This SLC crowd was lucky to be able to hear Lyles play some unreleased songs, a cover of Pink and White, by Frank Ocean, and for the very first time live, King of Everything, released the night before this performance. King of Everything was a huge hit with the crowd and everyone broke their flashlights out and swayed along.
Almost Monday
Before the doors opened, almost monday had a small and intimate meet and greet with the VIP fans and played a few acoustic versions from their setlist, kickstarting the evening’s energy before most of the crowd arrived. After the doors officially opened, fans flooded in trying to get the best spots to see the show.
From the lights to the guitar’s colorful paintjobs, and even the small diving board hanging off of the stage, every detail matched the band’s aesthetic. It’s no surprise that almost monday sold out a show in SLC, as they were one of the opening acts for AJR on their Maybe Man tour in 2024 and have over a million monthly listeners on Spotify. Their groovy beats are inspired by their hometown of San Diego and the California sunshine, bringing the hot feeling of summer to the cold winter of Utah.
almost monday took the energy flowing through the room to a whole new level. The lead singer Dawson Daugherty came out on stage dancing, kicking and punching the air, and jumping around, causing the whole stage to shake. Their performance was nothing less than incredible and they sounded even more amazing live than they did on the recordings of their albums. Even days after their show, I still have their songs stuck in my head.
After a few songs, Daugherty welcomed everyone to the first night of the “Dive” Tour and how special it was to the band because it was the first night of their tour, but also that right before coming on the stage to perform, they learned that their song “Can’t Slow Down” just hit number 1 on Billboard’s alternative music chart. Daugherty also said how the band will remember this night for the rest of their lives. This was met with thunderous applause from the audience, making the moment even more memorable.
The next few songs made the audience jump around, dance, and have their hands in the air. This crowd really made the night special. The energy was flowing the whole night.
Daugherty also shared how the band also just released the new deluxe version of the album “Dive” two days prior and decided to play for the first time ever live, “Holiday”. It may have only been released for a few days, but the crowd knew all the words to the song. Towards the end of the night, almost monday decided to play an unreleased song titled “Lost” and it was also the first time playing this song live. This SLC crowd really got to experience every bit of this tour and the whole experience that almost monday put together before the rest of the world, it was truly special.
At the end of the night, right before playing one of their most popular songs, “Sun Keeps on Shining” they had everyone in the crowd put their hands in the air and smile for a Polaroid picture, it was a super cute tradition for the band.
Daugherty ended the night by thanking the crowd and telling them how special it was to share this time with them as life moves so fast and we only have this moment. It was the perfect statement right before playing the hit song, “life goes by” a definite crowd favorite, and ended the night on a high note.
