Caamp • Whitney • July 24, 2025 • Granary Live
Reviewed and Photographed by Sam Howard
Summertime in Utah brings on the opening of a lot of outdoor venues and concert series that we don’t normally get to attend during the colder seasons. Granary Live, being one of the newest venues in Utah, has booked some exciting bands to perform at their 7,500 capacity venue, with Caamp being one of them. With the show being completely sold out, it was sure to be a very exciting night.
Whitney
Opening the show, we had a band from Chicago, IL called Whitney. With a unique granola sound, Whitney brought a refreshing breeze to the stage as they came out playing. Once the music started, I immediately noticed that the lead vocals were coming from the drummer, which made their set fun to listen to. Giving us a wave of chill mountain sounds, Whitney was getting the crowd dancing. Though it was a very hot day for a show, the clear blue skies and the music being played changed the vibe from overheated to happy and mellow.
Getting to about halfway through their set, Whitney began to play some of their newer songs, which will appear on their upcoming album, Small Talk, in November later this year, with their song “Dandelion” being a single already out. They also played unreleased songs from the album, which was very exciting to hear live before they released them. The band was getting to the end of their set, eventually closing with their most streamed song, “No Woman.” As they left the stage, it was clear they left a great taste in the mouth of Utah. I would love to see them back here on tour to play places like Sandy Amphitheater, Red Butte Garden, or even Deer Valley during another summertime tour.
Granary
Having now gotten to see a performance on the Granary stage, there were some things that were clear with the crowd. There were complaints coming from the crowd about the layout of the venue, as there was hardly any shade, as well as the venue floor being purely made up of artificial turf and some asphalt on the sides. Additionally, there were giant banners on either side of the stage that blocked the view of the stage for people who were positioned on the sides of the venue. There seemed to be issues all around regarding Granary, and once Caamp took the stage, issues seemed to continue.
Caamp
Taking the stage, Caamp was greeted with the excited roar of the crowd. As they were ready to play on stage, there were a solid few seconds where they were just waiting for the venue playlist to stop so they could get into their set. Starting off their set, they opened with their song “Millions” from their new album, “Copper Changes Color.” It was a rush of excitement and mountain sounds, and the show was beginning. Taylor Meier, lead singer, would greet the crowd with a “Happy Pie and Beer Day” to the crowd, which was a fun tradition here in Utah, as it was also Pioneer Day.
Throughout the first three songs, the mood on the stage added a very angsty undertone to the performance. Taylor would throw his guitar on the ground in between songs. At first, this seemed like it was part of the performance, as if it were some part of the singer’s character on stage, but it would soon be made known that the singer and the band were genuinely upset with the venue.
“ We’ve had a hot day… you’re bringing smiles to our face.” Taylor would go on to say, “Crowds like you deserve better venues than this. They should burn this place to the fucking ground.” Referring to Granary Live.
Despite their issues with the crew at the venue and the venue itself, Caamp put on one hell of a show. They were country, they were rock and roll, they were everything that night. If nobody said anything during the concert, I would never have known there were issues at all because the way Caamp sounded on stage was a complete dream. Song after song, the crowd was singing every word back to the band. There were couples slow dancing in the crowd, there were good vibes all around coming from the crowd, and great music coming from the stage.
With a strong setlist, Caamp would also go on to cover songs like “Live Forever” by Oasis, “Walking on a Dream” by Empire of the Sun, and “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath, a tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne. Toward the end of their set, they surprised the crowd by bringing out Utah’s own KJ Ward from the band The Backseat Lovers to play a cover of “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac. Closing out their set, Taylor would ask the crowd, “Does it snow here in Utah?” A segue he would use to go into their song “Snowshoes.” It was a very emotional end to their set before they went on to play their encore.
Their encore consisted of two songs, “All the Debts I Owe” and “Officer of Love.” With a 22-song setlist, the show finally came to an end. During this tour, they have had a different setlist for each city they play, and the Utah setlist did not disappoint. With songs such as “Vagabond,” “26,” and “Snowshoes” all being played. As the band was sent off to applause and cheers from the crowd, it was clear that despite all the issues that night, the crowd and the music were still strong and beautiful.
It seemed to be enough for Caamp to want to come back to play other venues, as they stated during their performance. The previous time they had played in Utah was at Deer Valley. Venues such as Red Butte Garden, Sandy Amphitheater, or even Utah First Credit Union Amphitheater would be great places for this Ohio band to perform.