SLC Twilight • Big Thief • Kiki Cavazos • September 22, 2025 • Library Square
Reviewed and Photographed by Sam Howard
Grab some tissues, and brace for the emotions to come from the last show of the 2025 Salt Lake Twilight Concert Series, Big Thief. Performing at Library Square to a sold-out crowd, this was about to be the most anticipated show of the entire concert series. Leading up to doors opening, there was a line of people waiting to get in that stretched almost two whole blocks around Library Square, with some of the first people in line arriving at the venue as early as 10 AM that morning. With doors opening at 5 PM and a three-act lineup including Little Moon and Kiki Cavazos, it felt like we were in for a long night of beautiful and emotional live music.
Little Moon
Starting off the night, about an hour after doors opened, was Utah’s very own, Little Moon. Little Moon is a project of singer-songwriter Emma Hardyman. Her music is the pure embodiment of love, and having seen her perform before, I was very excited to see that she joined the lineup on this show. Taking the stage, Little Moon would greet the crowd, saying that it was “good to be home.” You could feel the nerves coming off the stage, which created such a unique and special feeling of humanity as she started to sing.
With only a five-song setlist, Little Moon began to sing. The sounds from the stage were beautiful, and as her voice came through, it created such an emotional atmosphere to start the night. Each note that came from her voice could cause just about anyone to ascend emotionally. After she played her first two songs, Little Moon announced that she is working on a brand new album and that she would be recording it live at her show at Kingsbury Hall in November, right here in Utah.
With this announcement, she told the crowd that she had not made this announcement on any social media, but that the tickets were live on her Instagram to purchase. She would then go into playing a new song from this upcoming album titled “Spiral Knight.” As the song ended, less than five minutes later, someone from the crowd would break the news to the stage that the Library Square crowd had sold out her Kingsbury Hall album recording show before she even made the announcement.
Little Moon is one of the most uniquely beautiful artists to come from the local Utah scene. Her performance at Library Square has been one of my favorites from her so far, and I can’t wait to see her at her well-deserved, sold-out Kingsbury Hall album recording show in November.
Kiki Cavazos
Next to take the stage is a brand new artist from Montana, Kiki Cavazos. With her debut album, Early Mountain Songs, only coming out in May of 2024, Kiki Cavazos is adding to the acoustic indie-folk scene with her very nostalgic sounds. Coming out to the massive crowd, Kiki took the stage with her guitar and was accompanied by John James, who played the pedal steel guitar. Kiki had a bit of a longer set of eleven songs, and it consisted mostly of new and unreleased songs. As she played through the night, it was nothing but pure happiness coming from both the stage and the crowd. The sound that Kiki produced is music that just makes folks happy to be alive.
Since Kiki Cavazos is a newer artist, it is not a surprise that for most, this show was the first introduction to her music, and even though the crowd may not have known the words to the songs, it was beautiful to see arms swaying in the air to each song being played. This was the type of performance that makes you want to spend time in nature, and is perfect for the Fall season vibes that Utah is getting ready to produce in the mountains.
Having never heard the music of Kiki Cavazos prior to the show, I can say that her performance is one of the purest and raw displays of musical art that I have seen. I would love to see her tour here again in Utah at venues like Kilby Court, or even play a set at the Kilby Block Party.
Big Thief
Finally, it was time for Big Thief to take the stage. The venue was full with a crowd that stretched from the stage that was set up just past 500 South all the way to the fence set up at 400 South in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City. Excitement is an understatement when it comes to describing the anticipation that the crowd had for Big Thief to take the stage. Once they got on stage, a roar erupted from the fans. The way the band was set up was perfect for each member to be seen.
Starting off their set with their song “Change,” the emotions hit immediately. The vocal talent from Adriene Lenker alone is enough to make anyone cry. The music coming from the stage created such a warm and comforting presence to the show, and it was so amazing to experience. The third song is where Big Thief played their song “Vampire Empire,” which got the crowd singing so loud that even the band stopped playing to hear the voices from the sold-out crowd in Salt Lake.
After the first few songs, Adriene would address the crowd, saying, “It’s an honor to be here with you in Salt Lake City. This is our biggest headline show yet.” Being a part of the crowd that was Big Thief’s biggest headlining show was so special, and it was exciting that it took place in Utah.
With a sixteen-song setlist, with a two-song encore, Big Thief played on, with most of the songs coming from their newly released album, “Double Infinity,” which was released just a couple of weeks before their show here at Library Square. Though they played a lot of new songs, that didn’t seem to be a problem with the fans, as most of everyone at the show still sang every single word back to the stage. They even played a song from Adriene Lenker’s solo project called “Terminal Paradise,” which was a very nice surprise.
As we neared the end of the set, Big Thief would thank the crowd for coming out, and announced that their last song they would be playing is a new and unreleased song called “Beautiful World.” Leaving the stage after the song was played, the crowd was stubborn for an encore, and after demands from the fans, Big Thief took the stage to play two more songs, “Paul” and ending the night with “Masterpiece.” The night was complete, and it was time to go home, but it left everyone wanting more Big Thief.
This being my first time seeing Big Thief live, it was an absolute dream. I would love to see them come back to tour Utah. It would be amazing to see them play a 10-year anniversary tour of their debut album, “Masterpiece,” next year, but until then, the love for the new album will be shown by each and every fan of Big Thief.
