UCR, Author at Utah Concert Review

May 16, 2022

mxmtoon

mxmtoon w/ Chloe Moriondo• May 11, 2022• The Complex

Reviewed and photographed by Tomo Crestani

On Wednesday, May 11th, The Complex was able to host Maia, known professionally as mxmtoon. With her “Rising Tour” in full motion, Maia was able to sell out the Salt Lake City venue and draw a very decent crowd. Gaining a lot of her fanbase from YouTube, she was able to also share some of the spotlight with upcoming artist Chloe Moriondo. Chloe also has gained traction in the music industry through YouTube. It is really interesting to see such strong fanbases coming from posting covers and low-budget videos on the internet.

May 12, 2022

Lights

Lights w/ tiLLie• April 30, 2022• Soundwell

Reviewed and Photographed by Mallorie Lerman

The nightlife in Salt Lake can be as busy and versatile with its events and shows. As tilLLe (Not pictured due to technical issues!) took the stage Saturday night she had a strong presence and playful vibe. Accompanied by a heavy bass line, tILLIe opened with her song “Peachie”. Swinging to the beat and grabbing the mic singing “hi, hello, it’s your favorite enemy”. I loved the vibe of Soundwell during her performance. Everyone from the bar to the stage swayed along to the beat.

May 12, 2022

OMD returns to Salt Lake City

OMD brings 40th Anniversary Souvenir Greatest Hits Tour to the Union May 16, 2022

The synthpop icons are celebrating 40 years of the band with the shows, which have been pushed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

May 11, 2022

Jesus Christ Superstar

Jesus Christ Superstar 50th Anniversary Tour* May 10, 2022• Eccles Theater

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

When Jesus Christ Superstar came on the scene fifty years ago, I can’t imagine anyone, composer and lyricist included, would have foreseen this Rock Opera being revived for five decades. Initially, a concept album composed by Andrew Lloyd Weber with lyrics by Tim Rice. Both at the very earliest of stages in what would become legendary careers. The album was made because there was initially very little interest in producing a stage version of the musical. The 1971 album hit #1on the Billboard charts. That sparked some interest and the first production of Jesus Christ Superstar to place in London and eventually the U.S.

May 9, 2022

Ryan Hurd

Ryan Hurd•May 4, 2022•The Depot

Reviewed and Photographed by Tomo Crestani

Pelago Tour

Although Ryan Hurd has had a successful career writing for Country Music’s biggest stars, he also enjoys writing for himself. With his visit to The Depot in Salt Lake City, Ryan became one show closer to closing out his “Pelago Tour”. Bringing along rising country star Morgan Wade, there was plenty of exciting music to be heard.

May 8, 2022

Dennis Quaid

Dennis Quaid• May 5, 2022• Egyptian Theater

Reviewed and Photographed by Alisha Gregson

On May 5th, movie star Dennis Quaid arrived in Park City to show off his musical talent to a theater full of adoring fans. When I was first asked to cover his concert I had to read the name a couple of times to make sure I wasn’t mistaken. I had no idea that the same Dennis Quaid I have grown up watching on the big screen also performed live music. It would be easy to go on and on about how talented of an actor Quaid is, but since this is a review of his concert I will leave his many well-loved movies for another day.

May 6, 2022

The English Beat

The English Beat w/ The Mad Professor• April 29, 2022• The Commonwealth Room

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

There are times when I’ll see a concert on the calendar and know without any doubt that it’ll be a good time. That’s exactly how it was when I saw The English Beat on the schedule. I grew up with The Englis Beat, or The Beat, as they’re known in England being played on early MTV and on my brother’s record player. The songs are so familiar and always take me back to that young time in my life. As I’ve aged, (boy have I aged!) I’ve been able to appreciate the music more and more. They were one of the major bands of the ska music revival in England and a huge player in the New Wave, Post Punk generation.

The English Beat has a dedicated fan base here in Utah. They’ve played everywhere from Red Butte Gardens to the Complex to Soda Row in Daybreak. Their shows are always well attended and the crowd is always a lively bunch.

May 5, 2022

Jerry Cantrell

Jerry Cantrell• April 28, 2022• The Depot

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

Alice in Chains lead guitarist, co-lead singer, and principal songwriter, Jerry Cantrell brought his “Brighten Tour” to The Depot in Salt Lake City. Cantrell is one of the best guitarists around, and I had never seen him live, solo or with Alice in Chains. So I was definitely looking forward to this concert. Utah is fortunate to be getting a double dose of Jerry Cantrell this year as Alice in Chains will be stopping by USANA Amphitheatre in late August.

May 1, 2022

Freddie Gibbs

Freddie Gibbs w/ Redveil & MIKE• April 27, 2022• The Complex

Reviewed and Photographed by Tomo Crestani

With an exciting new album in the works, legendary rapper Freddie Gibbs visited The Complex in Salt Lake City. Having sold out weeks before the show, there were many people outside the box office who had been scammed with fake tickets. The venue handled it very well in helping those fans find a way to attend the show or get their money back. That was basically the only negative thing I saw happen at the show. (Which is obviously not the artist’s or venue’s fault.) Although not featured in the previous 2 shows, Freddie brought along a second opener for this show. The two openers featured in Salt Lake were Redveil and MIKE. Having had the opportunity to listen to all three artists before the show, I was excited to see how they performed each song.

April 30, 2022

Teddy Swims

Teddy Swims w/ Stephen• Day April 12, 2022• The Complex

Reviewed and Photographed by Vanessa Holt

When I first had been offered the opportunity to attend and photograph Teddy Swims at his Utah stop on his Tough Love tour I was excited for multiple reasons. One was the fact that this entire tour run was close to being completely sold out at every date. Salt Lake didn’t disappoint and had completely sold out the show. Another reason is that I was excited to see Teddy Swims perform for the first time ever. I’ve known of Teddy Swims for quite some time and the one thing I’ve always kept in mind was the energy that Teddy Swims has carried with him as a person would only mean that he’d put on an amazing performance.