The Twilight Series kicked off its first concert since Covid on Thursday evening with Big Boi, one half of the legendary hip-hop duo Outkast. The Gallivan Center began to fill up about an hour before sunset. Fans walked around checking out various booths, grabbing some food at some of the delicious local vendors, or grabbing a beer before the show.
STRFKR
Indy group STRFKR came on to a warm welcome of eager concert-goers excited for some live music. For many, this was the first taste of a concert in a long time and so the energy was almost visible! While not familiar with their music, STRFKR kept me captivated for their whole set! The first half was very calm and dream-like. Most of the band members switched between multiple instruments throughout the set, they were all very talented musicians.
The lead singer’s voice was extremely high and had a really unique feel to it. You couldn’t help but sway and feel the positive vibes to the beautiful songs. In the second half of their set, the speed of the music began to pick up and it got everyone jumping and dancing around. It wasn’t the type of opener I was expecting for Big Boi, but it got everyone in a positive mindset. STRFKR didn’t say much, but the lead singer mentioned that it was one of the band’s first shows back from covid so they were excited to perform again!
Big Boi
In the intermission, it began to rain but that didn’t do anything to the energy around the venue. It was warm outside so I think the rain was welcomed and very quickly the lawn became packed! It was the most people I think I’ve ever seen at the Gallivan Center. After an introduction worthy of a king, going over his many accomplishments within the music industry, Big Boi came out on stage and the crowd roared with excitement! After all, it’s not every day one of the highest-selling artists of all time is in your city.
Big Boi started his set off with some Outkast classics! He showcased his rap skill on “Rosa Parks” and showed that he hasn’t missed a beat after all these years. “So Fresh, So Clean” was my personal favorite. It was amazing to finally get to watch him do it live!
When “Ms. Jackson” came on, the entire audience sang every word of the chorus and were loving it as Big Boi went in on the verses! Big Boi did some of his bigger solo tracks such as “Shutterbug” and “Kill Jill” in the middle of the set. He debuted his new track “The Big Sleep is Over” which dropped at midnight that night!
The crowd loved the new song and it’s great to see him still putting out new music! Between his personal discography and all of the songs he’s made with Andre 3000 in Outkast, Big Boi performed so many classics it would be impossible to talk about all of them! His showmanship and just the swagger he carries on stage were unmatched. Throughout the whole show, I think everyone was just in awe that we were witnessing such musical greatness in front of us. Big Boi finished up the show with some hard hitters. “Roses”, “Hey Ya!”, and “I Like the Way You Move”, had the crowd going crazy! There wasn’t a single person in the Gallivan Center that night that felt like they didn’t get their money’s worth. Absolute brilliance! thanks for giving Salt Lake an amazing show Big Boi.
