Bleachers • May 17, 2024 • The Great Saltair
Reviewed and Photographed by Alisha Gregson
Bleachers fans were blown away, (almost literally,) during the first show of their tour at The Great Saltair in Magna Utah. Although the night, unfortunately, had to end a little early due to dangerous winds, the show was still a lot of fun.
I have been wanting to see Bleachers, the New Jersey indie pop band after hearing how well they did in 2022 at Ogden Twilight. Utah Concert Review was there, but I personally didn’t get to go, so I was excited for the opportunity to see them.
When I arrived at The Great Saltair, I thought about how excited I was to be at an outdoor concert again. I had been looking forward to the summer concert season and was so happy that it was finally here. I thought about how nice the weather was, warm, but a little cloudy with a slight breeze, making it the perfect night to be outside enjoying some live music. But of course, this is Utah, and the weather changes quickly without caring at all about how much you want to hear the last few songs of a concert.
Samia
The talented singer-songwriter Samia from New York City started off the night with a short, but sweet set. After her 2023 tour opening for Noah Kahan, Samia has had plenty of experience performing for large crowds. She had an undeniable confidence on stage and was equal parts charismatic and quirky as she danced around with the members of her band.
Samia quickly captivated the crowd with outstanding vocals. Her voice was powerful and soothing, with a warmth that draws you in. While her vocal talent was immediately obvious, as I listened to her songs I was impressed with her songwriting skills as well. Her lyrics were vulnerable and dynamic, taking her listeners on an emotional journey. I really enjoyed her set, and look forward to seeing her again.
Bleachers
The sun began to set as fans excitedly waited for Bleachers to take the stage. As the anticipation grew, many in the crowd admired the view of the sunset over the Great Salt Lake. The gorgeous views really make Saltair a unique concert venue. The scheduled time for the band to start came and went. Fans started to chant and cheer as they waited. A few people held their homemade signs up ready to be noticed by the band.
Cheers erupted the moment Bleachers stepped onto the stage. Although a little later than expected, their fans didn’t seem to mind and were just excited for the show. Lead man, Jack Antonoff, brought with him an incredible and contagious energy. The band started their set with “I Am Right on Time,” which was both a fun song, and a little ironic. They followed with “Modern Girl,” and “Jesus Is Dead.” Bleachers did something fun I haven’t seen at another show yet. They recorded “Jesus Is Dead” live and then airdropped it to the audience at the end of show. This is definitely a trend I would love to see at more concerts.
Between songs, Jack Antonoff enjoyed connecting with the crowd. He asked if anyone had been to Kilby Block Party the week before. From the crowd’s response, it was obvious that many in the audience were there. At one point during the show, one fan’s poster captured the lead singers attention. Looking into the crowd Jack Antonoff said, “Is that a picture of Jesus with my face superimposed on it?”. When the picture was passed up to the stage to be signed, he joked that it was much worse than he thought. He had fun debating whether or not he should sign it, keep it, or destroy it. Ultimately, he signed it and passed it back to the fan, while encouraging him to consider destroying it.
Antonoff didn’t hold back from getting personal. He talked about hope and happiness. Jack even mentioned that he had been on the Saltairs stage before, years ago with a different band. He expressed that he thought he was happy at that time, but was really in a dark place. Jack Antonoff was previously drummer and guitarist for the band Fun.. An indie pop group best known for their hit songs “We Are Young,” “Carry On” and “Some Nights.” In 2015, after spending seven years together, the members of Fun. decided it was time to work on their own projects. Which lead Jack Antonoff to focus on Bleachers.
As they played through their set, fans danced and sang along to some of their favorite Bleachers songs like, “How Dare You Want More,” “Chinatown,” and “Rollercoaster.” With all their high-energy songs, there wasn’t a single dull moment. The crowd was just as captivated when Bleachers gave them a scaled-back acoustic version of “Dream Of Mickey Mantle.”
Jack Antonoff performed a solo, acoustic version of “45” that would have been perfect without the gust of wind that seemingly came from nowhere to cover the crowd in salt and sand. Bleachers then said that they would be performing their new song “Ordinary Heaven” for the first time ever. It was during this live debut that the winds really started to pick up. I wish I had been able to focus more on this song. But I found myself worrying about how the concert could continue. The winds were reaching dangerous levels as lightning occasionally lit up the sky. Then, just as I expected, from somewhere off-stage, the band was told it was time to evacuate.
I can’t imagine how disappointing it was to the band at that moment when they were told they had to end their first show of their tour early. Jack Antonoff wasn’t quite ready to accept it at first. He wanted to give the fans more, telling them they would at least finish by playing their next song, “Tiny Moves.” The crowd cheered, excited to hear one of the band’s most popular songs. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t happen. While it would have been awesome if they could have stayed on stage to play at least one more song, the safety of the band members and all those in the audience is far more important. Again from offstage, they were told it was time to end, and they would not be able to continue.
Jack Antonoff apologized to the crowd, and he genuinely felt bad that they were not able to finish their set. It is unfortunate that they did not get to have the ending they deserved, and I know it was disappointing for many in the crowd who didn’t get to hear some of the songs they had been waiting all night for. That’s just how it goes with outdoor concerts sometimes, and for the most part, everyone seemed to be very understanding.
Some of the crowd lingered, with hopes that the band would be able to return if the winds died down, while others waited to see if they could get their hands on a setlist. Within minutes Security made it clear that was not going to happen and they quickly got everyone inside. Inside the venue and out of the wind, everyone still seemed to be in high spirits. People lined up to buy merch and chatted about the show.
Someone From the Bleachers team was very nice and brought me a setlist to help with this review. I took a quick picture before handing it off to an excited Bleachers fan. I was curious to see what songs we missed out on. If it weren’t for the weather, Bleachers would have been able to finish the night with “Tiny Moves,” “Stop Making This Hurt,” “ I Wanna Get Better,” and “Don’t Take the Money.”
Obviously, the concert didn’t end how anybody wanted. But it was still an amazing night with an incredible performance by both Samia and Bleachers. It was exciting to be at the first stop on their tour. I am already looking forward to whenever they return.
