Author: admin

I have been wanting to see a show at The Commonwealth Room ever since it opened in May of this year.  When I saw that Midge Ure was going to be playing there I was excited to know that I’d be seeing one of my favorite artists play this new venue.  Of course, I thought I would have attended at least a couple shows at The Commonwealth Room by the time Midge arrived, but for one reason or another, Midge’s “Soundtrack of Your Life” tour with Paul Young would be my first venture in the venue brought to us by the folks from The State Room.  

I was totally impressed with The Commonwealth Room.  It’s laid out similarly to The State Room in downtown Salt Lake City, but I’d say it’s more long, where The State Room is wide.  The sound in there is great, and there isn’t a bad view of the stage in the house. When the show was over we were kind of rushed to leave by security.  That was a little disappointing because my understanding is Midge usually comes out to the merch table after the show. I felt like that was what most the people still hanging out were waiting for.  But they were friendly in their escorting us out of the venue. So that’s nice. It would have been nice to have met Midge after the show though. 

When I spoke with Midge a week ago, he mentioned that the flip of a coin would determine whether he or Paul would go on first.  The coin landed on Midge and he opened the night. There was no opening act so he went on right after 8 o’clock. I must admit, Midge was who I was there to see, so I was hoping he would get to close the show.  Nevertheless, there he was on stage first. The benefit of that coin flip was I wouldn’t have to wait to see him. Once he was out there, I was worried about who was on first or last, I was just excited to be seeing him again.

Midge Ure

Midge opened with one of my favorite Ultravox songs “Passing Strangers”.  It was immediately obvious that this wasn’t only a favorite of mine, but a favorite of the entire audience.  The truth is, this was a very pro Midge Ure crowd. It almost didn’t matter what he said or played, the audience was behind him.  He even jokingly chastised a fan who was on their phone in the front row. He asked “Are you checking your Facebook? Is it that boring?”.  He said it all with a smile on his face, and the audience laughed and cheered. He mentioned, “They don’t realize that it illuminates their face like the sun.”.  I think it really did annoy him, but he pulled it off in a humorous way so that it didn’t create an awkward moment and ruin the positive energy of the show. But here’s a tip folks, maybe if you’re in the front row of a concert, don’t check your social media accounts.  Artists don’t seem to mind having their pictures taken, or even being videoed. But it has to be difficult not to take it personally when someone is looking at their email, or Instagram when they’re working their hardest to entertain you on stage. So please keep that in mind.  

Ure played a condensed set due to the double headlining nature of this tour.  I thought he did a great job mixing in his solo hits like “Dear God” and “If I Was”, with Visage hits like “Fade to Grey”.  Of course, the majority of his hour on stage was spent performing Ultravox classics like “Hymn”, “All Stood Still”, and the audience favorite “Vienna”. The crowd sang along and applauded each one of these songs.  These singles were never huge hits in America. So I think those in attendance delighted in the opportunity to hear these songs live. It took them back to a time when they really had to mine these gems from record shops and college radio.  Midge sounded fantastic and he was a pleasure to hear.

Midge also mentioned how talented the musicians he had hired to play for him and Paul Young on this tour.  They come from the Berklee School of Music in Massachusetts. And he was absolutely right, they were fantastic.  Not only with Midge, but with Paul as well. The three-piece consisted of bass, drums, and keyboards. The songs they were playing were most certainly older than them, but they played them with the proper styling and purpose that you’d hope to hear from a band playing music from a specific era of music.  I was really impressed with each one of them.

Midge’s set seemed so short.  It ran for eleven songs and for only one hour which felt like twenty minutes.  When he walked off stage, I looked around and many of the people around me stated the same sentiment to their friends.  “That’s it?” The song suspiciously missing from his set was “Dancing With Tears In My Eyes”. I think this left fans disappointed. I’ve noticed on other setlists on this tour the song was performed.  Curious why he didn’t play it. But I think fans being disappointed is sort of a compliment. “Leave them wanting more!” they say. And the crowd most certainly wanted more Midge Ure.

Midge Ure Setlist
Passing Strangers
Dear God
If I Was
Become
New Europeans
Fade to Grey
I Remember (Death in the Afternoon)
Fragile
Vienna
All Stood Still
Hymn

Paul Young

Paul walked on to the stage with the same backing band as Midge, but he brought with him his lead guitarist, Jamie Moses.  The song “Some People” began. The crowd clapped along to the beat, and then cheered when Paul made his appearance onto the stage. I thought Paul looked great.  He seemed happy to be in a great mood, joking with the audience and at times I noticed him joking around with the band mid-song.  

I thought there were times where Paul sounded great.  His voice has aged but he generally knows just the right area in a song to place his voice so that it still sounds good.  I always respect the professionalism of an artist that can adjust their voice to a song when they can no longer sing it like they did when they were younger.  Singers like Bono or even Midge come to mind. They find a new way to interpret a song so that it has the same impact, we’re just taken there in a different way.  So it was with Paul. The soulful raspiness of his voice brought the house down many times.

I thoroughly enjoyed guitarist Jamie Moses.  For one, he’s extremely talented. His playing gave Paul’s set a real soulful and bluesy feel.  The way Jamie and Paul engaged with each other was fun.  Jaime really added to the music and blended perfectly with the three other guys in the band.  It was a great move for Paul to bring him on tour.

I would say the only unfortunate thing was that after Midge’s set, a good number of people left.  So I’d say the audience for Paul was only about half of what it was for the beginning of the night.  That didn’t seem to bother Young because he still sang his heart out, and danced as if the place was at capacity.  Another admirable quality of a true professional. And those who stayed were delivered a good time.

Paul Young spanned his career catalog to the enjoyment of the crowd.  Songs like “Love of the Common People” which was featured on the Sixteen Candles soundtrack, and “Get ‘em Up, Joe” were well liked.  He received especially strong ovations when he sang “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted” and of course, his biggest hit,  “Everytime You Go Away”.  On the latter song, the audience sang along, and as I looked around people were signing it to each other with smiles on our faces.

Those that stuck around for the entire night were treated to an encore that included both Paul Young and Midge Ure on the stage together.  They covered the Thin Lizzy song “Boys are Back in Town”. Which was particularly exciting because Midge actually spent time as a member of Thin Lizzy in the late 70’s and early 80’s.  It was the most rocking song of the night so it seemed to give the band and Jamie a chance to really go for it. It was fun. Jamie and Midge would go back and forth with guitar riffs. I think this was a real pleasant surprise to the audience and they loved it.  

This was a really fun night and a ride back to the 80’s.  I think the general sentiment from the attendees was “More Midge”.  It was who they were there to see. I think they were surprised how much they enjoyed Paul Young, but at least for Utah, I think they would have preferred Paul open, and Midge give them a full set.  

I did enjoy Paul Young. He hadn’t played Utah in over twenty years so it was great to have him back.   They seemed to enjoy touring together. And the fact that they played together in the encore was a solid indicator of that. You don’t always see that with bands. Many times an artist or band that has already played will head out on the road or go back to the hotel when they’re done.  So it was cool to see these guys actually perform together.  I do want a full set from Midge, but tonight was not that show.  I still enjoyed it very much. I guess he’ll just have to come see us again soon.  

How do I go about discussing the Smashing Pumpkins Shiny and Oh So Bright tour, featuring a reunited line up of Billy Corgan, James Iha, and Jimmy Chamberlin?  How do I begin to comb over the 32 song setlist with all but 4 or 5 songs being from their first five albums? I should probably just share the setlist and let you imagine what this evening was like.  Nevertheless, I shall make my attempts to review what was a lengthy, and epic night from one of the greatest alt-rock bands of all time. Is that how you would classify them? Alt-rock? Or nineties rock?  How about 90’s alt- rock? That feels like a solid compromise.

Continue reading “Smashing Pumpkins September 4, 2018 Vivint Arena”

Dierks Bentley brought his Mountain High Tour to USANA Amphitheater this past Wednesday with The Brothers Osborne and LANCO.  There was some shuffling of dates to make this show happen. I believe the concert was originally supposed to take place in July, then it was rescheduled for August 30, and finally, August 29 was the date they settled in on.  Dierks mentioned later in the show that he changed the date because the University of Utah was playing their football opener against Weber State on August 30th and didn’t want to conflict with that. I’m not sure if that was the real reason, or in jest, but the crowd sure loved it regardless.  

Continue reading “Dierks Bentley w/ Brothers Osborne August 29, 2018 USANA Amphitheater”

By: Tiffany Mull

I’m always fascinated by the crowd drawn to particular artists. There are definite patterns and traits, a continuity that falls in line with the artist’s style. Looking around the Stone Temple Pilots/Bush/The Cult/Bones audience, I see an abnormal amount of men in billed hats (the metal/biker kind, not sports). There is also an abnormal amount of facial hair. These aren’t hipster beards, though. These are I’ve-never-had-to-go-to-an-auto-mechanic-for-anything-in-my-life beards. There is a higher number of women in tank tops with big, Amy Winehouse hair (okay, maybe not quite that big) and heavy eye makeup than you would see on a normal day. Everyone looks like they lift.

Continue reading “Stone Temple Pilots, Bush, The Cult, Bones August 20, 2018 USANA Amphitheater”

By: Kevin Rolfe

We had to wait a long time for Erasure to return to Salt Lake City.  Ok, so it was about four years, but it felt like a really long time! Typically when Erasure comes out with a new album, their tour makes its way to The States fairly soon after their album is released.  The album World Be Gone came out in May of 2017, and instead of heading out on their own tour, Erasure accepted an invitation from Robbie Williams to be his support act on his summer stadium tour throughout Europe.  What a great opportunity to gain new fans that must have been. In watching several YouTube clips I found it so cool to see Erasure play in front of a new crowd that might not know all of their music. I saw them singing along to the songs they knew like “A Little Respect”, “Chains of Love”, or “Stop”, and applauding songs they weren’t familiar with, but really enjoyed.  However, this tour delayed them from setting out on their own headlining tour. I was happy for them that they were so well received though.

Continue reading “Erasure August 11, 2018 Kingsbury Hall Salt Lake City”

The Park City Institute is a non-profit organization, dedicated to bringing world-class performances and new ideas to the community have had an interesting turn of events leading up to this year’s St. Regis Big Stars Bright Nights Concert Series.  In December they were informed by Deer Valley Resort that they would no longer be hosting the series because they were going to be setting up a concert series of their own. This sent The Park City Institute on a months-long search to find a new home in time to host the great lineup of music they had scheduled.  

Initially, they landed on Quinn’s Junctions Sports Complex, but fate would eventually lead them to City Park in the heart of Park City.  While City Park may not be the most ideal place to host a concert series, once things get going, it was as good an outdoor venue as any.  Some of the setbacks are well, it’s in the middle of a park. So you can go take your kid to the playground, and catch a free concert because there is no more than a temporary fence that is easy to see past.  The same goes for the street and sidewalk. I noticed maybe a hundred people watching the show from outside the “venue”. So I guess the venue isn’t ideal for keeping people looking for a free show out. Otherwise, it does just fine.  The stage is big enough, the sound is good, and there really isn’t a bad seat in the house, I mean park. The show in the series I was fortunate enough to attend was Don Felder, former lead guitarist for The Eagles.

Be for Don Felder took the stage a couple of women from the Park City Institute made an announcement from the stage that the organization was in need of up to $500,000 in donations or the concert series may not continue.  Those in attendance seemed concerned because it was apparent that they enjoyed coming to the series. It’s a great organization, and the concert series lineup is always good. So if you have the means, please donate. You can find all the info here.  

The transition from that announcement to Don Felder taking the stage was an awkward one.  It was just quiet, with no one introducing Don, then a video came on giving him an introduction.  I’m not sure how to have made that transition smoother, but it definitely could have been. However, Don took the stage, opened with “Already Gone” and things were smooth from there. 

Don next played “Pride and Joy”, a song originally written and performed by iconic guitarist, Stevie Ray Vaughan.  Now to attempt to cover Stevie Ray Vaughan is one thing, but to do it really well is another. Now, I fully understand that SRV is one of a kind, and to his fans, no one will match him.  But I will say that Don Felder’s cover of “Pride and Joy” was great. It paid its respects to the original, and to Stevie, but it showed off the guitar playing chops that Don Felder truly has.  If was one of my favorite songs of the night.

When Don played “Peaceful Easy Feeling”, he told the audience “You look like a peaceful crowd.”  I’m sure he was referring to the fact that most of the people there were still sitting in their chairs or on their blankets.  This isn’t to say that they weren’t into the show. They really were. But they weren’t up and dancing like I’m sure most artists would prefer.  I think some of this has to do with the show starting so early. There was an opener that went on at 6, and Don took the stage by 7. It was light out for the entirety of the concert. I think when it’s light out people are more hesitant to get up and dance.  That is at least until the alcohol kicks in!

Don dedicated “Tequila Sunrise” to his former Eagles bandmate, the late Glenn Frey.  The audience cheered their approval. Glenn Frey passed away unexpectedly in 2016 at 67 due to complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis, and pneumonia.  It was a class move by Felder and another strong moment in the show.

With about four or five songs to go, Don invited everyone to get out of their seats, come to the front of the stage and party.  There’s about a fifteen-foot gap between the stage and the front row of chairs and it filled up really quick. It was clear that the invitation to “party” was well received.  I’m sure artists are hoping that the audience will just jump to their feet on their own, but sometimes it just takes an invitation to do so and the whole place gets up. I admire Don for throwing out the invite.  It felt like the concert really took off from there. With songs like “Life in the Fast Lane”, “Heartache Tonight”, and “Take it Easy”, it was obvious to see why people were so willing to get up and dance and sing along.  

Felder finished the night by walking on stage with his infamous white double neck guitar.  This is the very guitar that he wrote “Hotel California” on. So when we saw the guitar, we knew what was next.  The crowd cheered, sang along, and stood in awe as Don Felder played the instantly recognizable guitar solos of “Hotel California”.  

When the song finished, Don thanked the audience, acknowledged his band (Who were fantastic.  Seriously, so talented!), and walked off stage, never to return.  The crowd wanted more, and they cheered until it was obvious that the show was over. People have different feelings about the whole encore thing.  And I think Don would have done an encore, but when you’re playing in a venue that has a temporary stage in a park, sometimes there isn’t anywhere to go.  So walking off stage and back on for an encore might be more awkward than just staying there and playing straight through. I’m sure “Hotel California” is usually his encore, so I can’t imagine we missed anything other than the ceremonial walk off stage, walk back on stage.  

I had a great time at this show.  Don Felder is a really entertaining performer and an amazing guitarist.  It was a fun and beautiful night at City Park.

I spent another beautiful Friday evening up at Deer Valley with the Utah Symphony.  Seriously, if you haven’t experienced a show there, get up there before the summer ends!  The air is so cool, and the skies and mountains are beautiful. It’s an amazing setting for a concert.  For this performance, the symphony helped the audience battled it out over the 70’s and 80’s. Two decades of great music. The featured guests for this performance were vocalists, Capathia Jenkins and American Idol finalist and Tony Award Nominee Constantine Maroulis.  

The concert opened with the Utah Symphony performing “A Fifth of Beethoven”, which is a disco version of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony featured on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.  This was a really fun way to start off the 70’s portion of the evening.  Following the opening piece, Constantine took the stage and sang “Nights on Broadway” from the Bee Gees. We were in the thick of the 70’s with this song. We jumped from there to Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4”.  This is a song that Constantine has performed with the band Chicago. I thought he did a great job with this one. It’s a really good song, and it seemed to fit his vocal range perfectly.

Constantine then sang “Heaven on Their Minds” from the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar.  I thought he sounded great, and this is one of the best songs from that musical, but it seemed like a strange fit for this concert. Yes, it was from the 70’s, but I think the crowd was a little surprised to be hearing a song from a musical.  It was a great performance, but maybe just not a great fit for this concert. Maroulis finished his set with the Utah Symphony by singing Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. This song went over great with the crowd. Especially the operatic break in the middle of the song.  The crowd was singing out “He’s just a poor boy from a poor family!” and “Let me go!” at the top of their voices! Constantine moved into the audience to sing the rocking conclusion of the song. He seemed like he didn’t want to leave the stage, but it was time for Capathia Jenkins to sing her 70’s songs.  Maroulis was given a loud ovation as he exited the stage.

Capathia has a beautiful voice.  This was displayed immediately with her opening song “You’re the Best Thing” from The Style Council.  This was another strange song selection. There are so many songs from the 70’s that I think a little of the performance was lost to the crowd not being too familiar with this song.  I think people had different expectations in mind for this show. Judging by the way many were dressed up, I think they thought they’d be hearing some songs they were more familiar with.  That being said, the songs they did hear, and the performances they witnessed were most certainly admired.

Capathia the followed up with Gloria Gaynor’s anthem, “I Will Survive”.  I think this was the type of song that the audience had in mind. Which was indicated by how quickly people rose to their feet when this song began.  Capathia’s voice fits this song just right. She seemed to be enjoying herself, and the audience was having a blast.

The intermission came quickly.  I was surprised that it was already time to take a break.  The great thing about the intermissions at Deer Valley is it gives me time to get a sense of what the audience thinks of the show.  And while the general consensus was that the song selection was a little different than expected, the talent and performances were excellent.  

The second half of the show began with the Utah Symphony performing a medley from the 80’s album “Hooked on Classics”, which was a compilation album filled with great pieces of classical music arranged in an 80’s style.  Just like “A 5th of Beethoven” escorted us to the 70’s, this was an excellent gateway into the 80’s.

Conductor, Edwin Outwater shared with the audience that there had been a contest to give someone the opportunity to sing the lead vocals on the theme song to “Ghostbusters”.  He mentioned that pretty much no one entered so he was left to find a vocalist. He had a friend from San Francisco who flew out to attend the performance, and on the way to Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater, Edwin asked him if he wanted to sing the song.  I forget his first name, but I know he was referred to as Dr. Chang so that’s what we’ll call him. He’s a surgeon in the bay area. Dr. Chang walked up on stage with a lyric sheet in hand, and the Utah Symphony started the song. I know this situation just came together last minute, but it totally added to the excitement of the song.  There was curiosity as to how Dr. Chang would sound, if there would be mess-ups, or if it would all come together somehow. Well, the latter is what happened. There were a couple lyric flubs or coming in too early, but overall it was great. Dr. Chang sang the song well, and the audience cheered him on throughout the song. And of course, we all sang out “Ghostbusters!” when Dr. Chang held his microphone out to us.  

Constantine Maroulis returned to the stage and sang a “Roxanne”, by the Police followed by “Bring Him Home” from the musical Les Miserables.  This was another time where song selection seemed odd, but I have to say that Constantine performed “Bring Him Home” beautifully. I would have never thought of him to play the role of Jean Valjean in “Les Miserables”, but after hearing him sing this song, I can see it.  He finished his set with Guns n Roses’ “Sweet Child of Mine”. It’s not every day that you’re going to hear “Bring Him Home” and “Sweet Child of Mine” performed back to back in a concert. Especially by the same vocalist! It was a real pleasure to see Constantine perform.  

Capathia Jenkins returned to the stage to sing “What’s Love Got to Do With It” by Tina Turner, and “I’m so Excited” by The Pointer Sisters.  Much of the audience was on their feet and dancing. I hadn’t heard of Capathia before this concert, but she is a real talent. Which was on display when she sang “And I am Telling You” from the musical Dreamgirls.  I know I’m beating a dead horse, but I don’t know that anyone expected broadway songs to be a part of the evening’s song list, but it’s impossible to deny that the performances were great. And this number was no exception.  This song won Jennifer Hudson an Academy Award for this role/song, and Jennifer Holiday a Tony Award for originating the role. Capathia’s performance earned her a standing ovation. She was fantastic.

The concert ended with Capathia and Constantine singing Journey’s hit song “Don’t Stop Believin’”.  The audience was on their feet and in full voice for this one. Constantine sang this song when he was in the Broadway musical “Rock of Ages” so it was cool to see him perform the song again.  

I thought conductor Edwin Outwater was one of the major highlights of the concert.  He spoke to the audience often, introducing songs and conducting crowd poles on which thing was better in the 70’s or 80’s.  Poles like, 8 tracks, Cassette Tapes, Cd’s or Vinyl (Vinyl won). Or 70’s Chicago vs 80’s Chicago (80’s Chicago won). Or Pet Rock vs Cabbage Patch Kids (Cabbage Patch won). He was really funny and engaging with the audience.  The conductor doesn’t usually speak often, so I thought it was a fun addition to the show.

I’m a huge fan of the Utah Symphony. They’re versatile, talented, and always prepared.  If you get the chance, whether up at Deer Valley, or Abravanel Hall or anywhere else they perform, go see them.  You will not be disappointed.

Setlist 

A Fifth of Beethoven- Utah Symphony
Nights on Broadway- Constantine
25 or 6 to 4- Constantine
Heaven on Their Minds- Constantine
Bohemian Rhapsody- Constantine
You’re the Best Thing- Capathia
I Will Survive- Capathia

Intermission

Hooked On Classics- Utah Symphony
Ghostbusters- Dr. Chang
Roxanne-Constantine
Bring Him Home- Constantine
Sweet Child of Mine- Constantine
What’s Love Got to Do With It- Capathia
I’m So Excited- Capathia
And I am Telling You- Capathia
Don’t Stop Believin’- Capathia & Constantine

Isn’t it great when you buy tickets to a concert and you just know it’s going to be an awesome show?  But even though you are sure of it being good, you’re still blown away by just how great it was? Well, that happened on Wednesday night with Weezer.  Their show with The Pixies out west at USANA Amphitheater was probably in my top five of favorite shows in 2018 so far.

I’ve been listening to The Pixies since I was in high school.  Which was a long time ago. Just a few years after the one room schoolhouse days.  I had never had the opportunity to see The Pixies until tonight. I really enjoyed their set.  They didn’t interact much with the audience, but they played for over 70 minutes. I heard several fans mentioning how happy they were that The Pixies played such a long set for an opening band.  It is always fun for me to see teenagers and college age fans of a group that was big way before their time, or even before they were born really. There was a group of teens in front of me singing every word to every song of The Pixies.  I loved it.

While I enjoyed finally getting to see them, I hope I get the chance to see them perform as the headliners next time.  It’s nice to see typically headlining bands in that slot.  They were a perfect support band for Weezer though. I felt like their styles worked really well together.  When The Pixies walked off stage, I felt like I was in the right headspace to see Weezer. Sometimes an opener will leave the stage and I’ll have to readjust my mind to prepare for the next band. Which was the case last time Weezer was here with Panic! At the Disco.  They were too different to be touring together in my mind. Not this time.

The Amphitheater lights went off, the crowd stood right up, and the intro to Happy Days began, which in turn introduces Weezer like it did in their iconic video “Buddy Holly”.  Sure enough, as the stage lights went up, they went right into that very song. Wow, “Buddy Holly” as their opener?! What a way to start! USANA Amphitheater went nuts! They were instantly alive as if Weezer had been on for an hour.  In their last stop in Utah, “Buddy Holly” was their closer. It was cool to see them flip it to the beginning. Besides, Weezer has so many great songs that they could afford to play such a big hit right off the bat.

Weezer didn’t slow down from there.  They sang about 8 hits in a row. Seriously, check out the setlist!  I remember after each new song would start I would look over to the people I was with and we’d look at each other blown away at how much we loved each new song and how many great songs were played in a row.  

Midway through the set, frontman Rivers Cuomo walked out to the middle of the Amphitheater where what looked like a rowboat was waiting for him.  He put on a captain’s hat, and a captain’s jacket and the boat began to move (On wheel’s of course.  There’s not a moat in the middle of USANA Amphitheater guys.) through the crowd to the center of USANA Amphitheater. The boat stopped and Rivers pulled out an acoustic guitar and sang “Island in the Sun”.  He followed that with an acoustic cover of the 80’s hit “Take On Me”, by A-ha. The boat moved to the other side of the venue and Rivers jumped off and returned to the stage. I thought it was a clever way to get closer to the fans in the back.

The main set ended with Weezer’s current single, their cover of Toto’s “Africa”.  I really enjoy their cover of this song.  It stays true to the original while giving the song just a touch of the awesome Weezer sound.  There’s a point in the song where there is an instrumental break, and in the original, I believe a pan flute is featured, (or something along those lines) but in Weezer’s version, they use a synthesizer with what I can only describe as a very “Weezer’y” sound.  The crowd cheered their approval the moment they hear it.  

The night ended with a favorite of mine and well, pretty much everyone who likes the Blue album, “Say it Ain’t So”.  They could have gone on for another half hour or so and no one would have complained. The audience was so into this show.

Seeing Weezer in concert is so interesting to me because they don’t say much to the crowd, they’re not running around the stage too much.  Besides Rivers Cuomo going on the boat, they pretty much just stand there and sing. I’ve written reviews in the past where I complain about a band not talking to the audience enough, or moving around enough, but with Weezer, it just doesn’t matter.  Their songs and the way they are played live are enough for everyone in attendance. I can’t imagine the place being any more electric or engaged if they had been running around and talking to us all night. They have their way of performing, and they do it very well.  Can’t wait to see them again!

 
Setlist

Happy Days Intro
Buddy Holly
Beverly Hills
Pork and Beans
Undone-The Sweater Song
Hash Pipe
Perfect Situation
My Name Is Jonas
El Scorcho
In the Garage
(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To
Happy Together
Keep Fishin’
Island In The Sun
Take On Me
Burndt Jamb
The Good Life
Feels Like Summer
Africa

Encore
You Gave Your Love to Me Softly
Say It Ain’t So

I had the opportunity to attend this year’s LOVELOUD Festival at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.   The purpose of LOVELOUD is to have dialogue within our communities about loving one another unconditionally and ultimately achieve acceptance and support for the LGBTQ youth in Utah and throughout the country.  Teen suicide for LGBTQ youth is at a scary high rate here in Utah. The general message of the festival was to help those in that community to understand their worth, and that they belong. The other intent is to help the predominant culture here in Utah, which is quite conservative and centered around The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or Mormons, and the LGBTQ community to join together in understanding, and inclusion.  

What started as an extremely hot day, evolved into a beautiful evening.  The speeches and the music combined to help with the message of LOVELOUD, which was founded last year by Dan Reynolds, lead singer of LOVELOUD’s headlining band Imagine Dragons.  The goal of the day was to raise over one million dollars within the hours of the festival to help LGBTQ communities such as Encircle, The Tegan and Sara Foundation, and the Trevor Project.  

Some of the speakers were Alfonso Ribeiro of “Fresh Prince” fame, NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young, and Barb Young Encircle Co-Chair, Drew Scott Co-Host of Property Brothers, and Gus Kenworthy Olympic Freeskier Silver Medalist just to name a few.  They all shared varying messages of assurance to the LGBTQ community in attendance that they were loved, they were accepted, and that there was nothing wrong with them. All of the speakers seemed well received and had the best of intentions to support the cause.  

No matter what the message, no matter what the cause, a good festival doesn’t work unless you have good music.  LOVELOUD did a good job of putting together a solid lineup of bands and musical artists. My concern for the festival, and I’m fully aware that this might just be an “Old man alert”, is its a little long.  And by a little, I mean it’s three hours too long. It’s hard to sit in a sweltering stadium for almost nine hours. There were some really good bands that started the festival too. But they were playing to a 90% empty stadium.  Vagabon, A.W., Parson James, and Vincent should be playing in front of a bigger crowd. And some of the speakers had some great things to say, but people were waiting for it to cool down to show up. And they were waiting for the bigger acts.  

My two cents would be to start the festival at 6 o’clock.  The temperature starts to go down, and people are aware that there is only so much time in the day, so they’d head right to the festival instead of waiting until 6 or 7 anyway.  I would recommend setting up a side stage like other festivals do, and putting the bands that performed at 3 on that stage with a bigger name like maybe Tyler Glenn headlining that stage.  They’ll have plenty of fans to attend that concert and if the side stage ends a couple hours before the main stage, everyone can join together to watch the two or three big acts on the lineup.  I think it makes for a more efficient and impactful evening. Now in writing this, I know that the LOVELOUD Festival was streamed live by AT&T throughout the world in order to raise that million dollars.  So I’m sure having a longer festival helped that cause. My job is to discuss the live concert experience, and being there in person felt long. So again, my two cents.

I thought the last four acts of the concert were excellent.  Grace Vanderwaal of America’s Got Talent fame, was a true champion throughout her performance.  The strap on her ukelele broke, and she was stung by a bee for the first time ever. She persisted through the show as if nothing ever happened.  I was really impressed. She has such a unique and captivating voice. To be honest, I wasn’t too familiar with her before this.  I mean, I like a zillion others saw her amazing AGT audition.  I just hadn’t followed up since and I was glad to see that she’s developed into a true artist.  I really enjoyed her set.  I was made aware of a boy to the right of me, who couldn’t have been older than 10.  He was singing every single word to every single song to her set. It was one of the coolest things I saw the whole day. It took me back to some of the bands I liked at that age, and how I knew all the words to all their songs. I would have loved to have seen them live then.  I’m sure Grace’s set made his life!

I think out of everyone I saw on Saturday, Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park was the most impressive.  First of all, I couldn’t escape the sadness I felt seeing him up there without Chester Bennington.  It’s been just over a year since Chester committed suicide, and while Mike put on a great set, the pain of Chester’s loss could be felt from him and the Linkin Park fans in attendance.  Mike paid great tribute to Chester, and honored him by asking the crowd to sing his parts on the hit song “In the End”. I thought his solo songs were really good, and I enjoyed how he moved from his synth and guitar playing along with tracks.  I was happy to see him soldiering on to help inspire others despite the tragic loss of his bandmate.  The crowd loved him, and he seemed to be buoyed by their response.

I’ve been critical in the past of EDM shows and DJ’s performing “live” and never really got why people were so into seeing DJ’s in person.  It looks like they’re pushing a button and then pretending to do stuff for the rest of the time. That may actually be the case, I have no idea, but after seeing Zedd perform I have changed my mind about EDM shows.  The energy he produced with his music, and the way the crowd reacted to it was something you just have to experience in person if you haven’t yet. It was like he flipped a switch and the crowd was at full energy. I looked around the now almost full stadium and it looked as if every single person was dancing.  I loved it! I myself may have thrown out a couple moves. So if you see some amazing new dance moves at the next EDM show, they came from me. You heard it here first folks.

After Zedd left the stage there was some great build up to Imagine Dragons taking the stage.  There was a video clip showing a variety of celebrities encouraging the LGBTQ youth. Then there was a touching moment where we watched a video of a transgender boy’s story followed by that same boy walking on stage with people from Encircle to sing “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman.  It was a special moment for the crowd, and clearly something that boy will never forget.

Steve and Barb Young took the stage to introduce Tim Cook, CEO of Apple who in turn introduced Imagine Dragons.  Tim mentioned how impressed he was with the festival, and for the work, Dan Reynolds was doing for the LGBTQ youth.  The crowd roared their approval and as he yelled “Imagine Dragons!” the spotlight shut off, the fog machines went off, and it was showtime!  

At this time the stadium was as full as it was going to be.  If I were to guess that 40,000 would be considered a sellout, there were just over 35,000 in attendance.  That’s pretty great! Yes, they were there to see one of the hottest bands in music today, but it was clear that they were also there to celebrate the message of LOVELOUD.  The band opened with megahit “Radioactive”. Those in attendance were given wristbands that light up. But they didn’t just light up, they change colors, they flash in synch with all the other wristbands, they matched the beat of the songs, and they added an amazing element to the show.  There was a moment when Dan Reynolds pulled a sequin rainbow flag onto the stage and the entire stadium was glowing with multicolored lights. It was beautiful.

Dan spoke for a few minutes after the first song, mentioning that he loved the things he learned growing up in a Mormon family.  He mentioned that he has no anger towards religion or anybody. That he just wants inclusion for all. That was met with great applause from the huge crowd.  I felt like that was the first time that everyone in attendance felt included. Dan was emotional at various times throughout the show, whether he was overwhelmed by the moment, or whether it was the stories he’d share of teens committing suicide, or his conservative LDS mother being in attendance, it was clear that the evening was a significant one for him.  He mentioned that this was the happiest he’d been in a long time.  He also stopped the show at one point to announce that they reached their goal of raising over one million dollars in one day.  What an amazing accomplishment.  

The band ripped through a two hour set playing all their hits, shooting of what seemed like an endless supply of confetti, releasing enormous beach balls into the crowd, and performing better than I have ever seen them before.  Imagine Dragons are a favorite here in Utah going all the way back to their early days playing at Velour, or playing an album release at Gray Whale. We have loved them for years. So this was a sort of homecoming show for them, and us, and it was special.  

I was a little confused by what Dan Reynolds was wearing.  He came on stage shirtless with cut off sweats or sweat shorts maybe.  Now, Dan looks great. He’s probably in the best shape of his life. I mean the guy is ripped!  He looks like a pro wrestler. It just seemed that giving the speeches he gave and the important message he wanted to convey, he maybe could have thrown on some jeans?  I mean, I saw him walking around, and he spoke on stage earlier in jeans and a LOVELOUD shirt. So he actually changed into the sweat shorts. I only bring this up because I noticed people around me discussing how he looked, and what he was wearing during his most heartfelt speeches.  I think it was hard for them to take him seriously. I don’t care what he wears, I just noticed too many people discussing it not to mention it.

The show ended with “Believer”, and it seemed as if the band and the crowd alike had exerted all of their energy.  Imagine Dragons were the perfect headliners for this festival. Dan Reynolds is such an impactful frontman that I think sometimes it’s easy to underappreciate the rest of the band.  But they’re phenomenal. The sound they produce and the energy they give is amazing.

My main critique of the Festival is this.  The purpose of this festival is for inclusion, acceptance, and understanding that we all belong.  I understand this is geared toward the LGBTQ youth here in Utah. As it should be. No suicides should be happening because people feel alone and unaccepted for who they are.  But I didn’t feel a lot of inclusion for the Mormons in the audience who support the Festival. I spoke to a Mormon couple and asked them how they were liking the festival and they said, “We love the music, we love what’s being said, but we feel like unwelcome guests.”  I asked them why, and they mentioned that “While we don’t feel like people are hating on Mormons, and we get why there might be some animosity, We’re here. We want to help bridge the divide. But we feel like the inclusiveness that is being spoken of does not include us.”  I could see what they were saying. I heard a lot of “I’m not mad at the Mormon church anymore, or I used to hate Utah and the culture but now I’ve forgiven and moved on.” And that’s great, but what about the Mormons in attendance that are trying to be a part of the solution this festival is trying to reach?  They were rarely mentioned, and to my knowledge never one recognized or appreciated. Like I said, Dan Reynolds was the only one to even say anything positive towards Mormons all night. I guess I just thought that the purpose of the festival was to bring cultures and communities together to understand one another, accept one another, and keep each other alive.  I felt like aspects of that were lost.

That being said, it made me feel good to look out into the audience and see people who normally might not normally feel included, or might not be able to express themselves the way they’d like to have the freedom to do so.  It’s a powerful thing to see over 35,000 people there to support a cause in a place where you might not expect so many to be in favor of. Things aren’t always as they seem. Even here in Utah.