Ramin Karimloo and The Broadgrass Band • January 24, 2025 • BYU Concert Hall
Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe
Photographed by Molly McCoy
I find it interesting the way we discover the artists we come to like. Back in the day, we’d hear a song on the radio, buy the album, and fall in love with a band by listening to them over and over. Sometimes, we’ll see a band or singer open a concert for someone we intend to see, and they end up becoming one of our favorites. More often today, we hear a song on TikTok or Instagram and go down the rabbit hole looking for more music than just the 30-second clip we heard. When it comes to becoming a fan of a star of musical theater it can be a little trickier. Most often we’ll hear a cast album and fall in love with a voice. From then on, pay attention to what they’ve done or will end up doing.
I know for me, I’ve seen an actor portray a role and I’ll become a fan after that. Many times more than the person who’s on the cast recording. It takes much more effort to become a fan of specific theater actors than it does any other genre. But theater fans do find them. And when they do, they are absolutely devoted to them. Such is the case with Ramin Karimloo. He made his Utah debut by selling out two nights at the Concert Hall in the Music Building on the campus of Brigham Young University.
I think most theater fans discovered Ramin Karimloo on PBS when they aired The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary Performance at the Royal Albert Hall. He was cast in the title role of the Phantom, and he was amazing in that production. I came across Karimloo in similar fashion one year prior to seeing him in “Phantom.” I saw him when he played Enjolras in Les Misérables in Concert: The 25th Anniversary, also on PBS. He was memorable in that role, and I remember wondering who he was and where I could hear more of him. Ramin has gone on to be cast in lead role after lead role both in the West End in London and on Broadway. He’s a Tony and Olivier Award nominee and has amassed a large following throughout the world. Which brings us to the campus of BYU and this amazing concert.
This was my first time seeing a concert in the new Concert Hall in the BYU Music Building. First of all, the building as a whole is impressive. The Concert Hall is beautiful. There’s not a bad seat in the house. The stage is essentially in the middle of the venue, with seats surrounding it. The acoustics are state-of-the-art. I’m excited to attend another concert there in the future.
Ramin Karimloo and The Broadgrass Band bring a unique spin on songs of musical theater. They blend these great songs written for the stage with a Bluegrass style. When I first heard of this concept, I was skeptical. But after seeing these songs performed this way, I’m in on Broadgrass.
Karimloo played songs from his solo work and from a variety of musicals. Some he has performed in and others that he has yet to be cast in or might not ever be performing in. One in particular was a surprising cover of “Feed The Birds” from Mary Poppins. I loved that he performed not one but two songs from one of my favorite musicals, Big River. “Muddy Water” and “Worlds Apart” fit perfectly into the Broadgrass style.
There was excitement in the audience when Ramin performed “Till I Hear You Sing Once More” from the musical Love Never Dies. If you are unfamiliar with this production, it’s the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. Karimloo brought new to his role as the Phantom. This was a quick indicator that this audience knew exactly who he was and what his career credentials were. It was amazing to see the versatility in his voice. He went from a singer of folk songs and bluegrass songs to showing his range as a Broadway-style powerhouse. It really blew me away.
I enjoyed the interaction between Ramin, his band, and the audience. Karimloo talked about this being his first time to Provo. He made jokes about the weather and the Y on the mountain. Wondering where the B and U were. He stirred up some rivalry talk when he asked about the University of Utah and if any alums were in attendance. It was all pretty friendly but it made me laugh to see how passionate everyone was about their school.
Karimloo was joined by three incredibly talented musicians. Emily Johnson-Erday was making her debut with The Broadgrass Band. She spent most of her time playing banjo. She’s incredibly talented and a perfect addition to the band. Alan Markley, an Idaho native, was well-received by this audience. It was exciting to see his parents in the audience. He spent most of his time on piano and seemed to be the band director. His talent was very evident throughout the entire show. Sergio Ortega was great on guitar and mandolin. He won over the crowd by shouting out, “Let’s Go Cougars” which the audience followed with the obligatory “clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.” He had great banter both with the audience and with Ramin. Each one of these musicians has amazing credentials and are highly acclaimed outside of the band.
There were so many highlights in this show. It’s difficult to choose one. So I’ll mention a few. And I’m choosing them based on the reaction of the audience. Throughout the first half of the show, I noticed how good Emily Johnson-Erday’s voice was. I was hoping she’d do a duet with Ramin. Good news, they did. But I never expected them to perform the song they did. In a normal concert setting, a familiar song will begin, and the audience will cheer. But with a show like this, it’s so different. People get excited, but due to the style of the show, they don’t really cheer in a typical way.
Performances like this are much more formal. Typically a song is performed and they applaud after. So when Ramin and Emily began “A Little Fall of Rain” from Les Miserables, there was an audible gasp followed with a buzz throughout the concert hall. Everyone tried so hard to keep quiet but it was clear how excited everyone was. It was a beautiful duet, and the applause following was enormous.
Ramin Karimloo returned for his encore and performed “Music of The Night” from The Phantom of The Opera. This time the audience could not hold back, and the moment he began the song, people could not hold back from cheering. They quieted quickly so that they could hear this performance. This was one of those moments where I thought, “I can’t believe I’m hearing this guy sing this song!” It’s like hearing Bernadette Peters singing “Being Alive”, Brian Stokes Mitchell singing “The Impossible Dream” or Pattie LuPone singing “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina”. It was a moment. A very special and impactful moment. Karmiloo knows his voice so well and finds these special spaces to take his audience to a place that we don’t expect to go.
The final highlight of the show was Karimloo’s unexpected closer. He performed “You’ll Be Back”. The hilarious song by King George in the smash musical Hamilton. I never would have thought about this song being played in this concert. But it was a perfect closer. The crowd appropriately sang along. It was such a fun way to close out a perfect night of music. I was beyond impressed with this performance, and it far exceeded my already high expectations. Ramin Karimloo and The Broadgrass Band were impressive with their performance in Provo, Utah. I hope they return soon. If so, I think they can expect another run of sell out concerts.