Photo Credit: Matt Gordon | Magic Space Entertainment
Little Big Town Night 1 Eccles Theater
Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe
It’s hard to believe, but Little Big Town finally played Salt Lake City on “The Nightfall Tour”. The show had to be rescheduled at least twice. Covid-19 and the pandemic caused a lot of shows to be postponed and ultimately canceled. But Little Big Town never canceled. They tried to keep the initial date, then tried to keep the next one, and finally, they were able to play two nights at Eccles Theater in downtown Salt Lake City. People who held on to their tickets finally got the payoff months later. We had the opportunity to attend night one and it was obvious that both the band and the audience were happy to be together.
This is a tour that fans have waited well over a year for.,New Found Glory’s headlining, “Pop Punk’s Still Not Dead” tour, and within that year it’s been one crazy ride! From rescheduling the entire tour due to COVID to Simple Plan dropping from the lineup and finding the replacement of Less Than Jake, it’s safe to say things have not gone quite as planned. However, the struggles don’t stop there. It was one eventful night in Salt Lake City.
The Twilight Concert Series in Salt Lake City is coming to an end, and one of the last bands on the lineup for this year was Utah’s very own Neon Trees. I was super excited to cover the show because it would be my first Twilight show of the year, especially after not having a Twilight concert series last year because of Covid. And if I’m being honest I think Twilight concert series shows are some of my favorite shows to cover. The summer vibe, the beautiful Gallivan Center, with the city around you as the sun is setting and you’re vibing to your favorite music. It’s an overall great time!
It was a hot night. Much warmer than I think anyone expected. Car after car pulled in their respective spots. As I walked towards USANA Amphitheatre, I passed rows after rows of cars. I feared for the end of the show when we all tried to head home. But I didn’t have time to think of that. The line to get into the venue was long. But from what I could tell, people were really patient and friendly, and I’m sure just excited to get inside. Nu Metal gods, Korn was just over an hour away from taking the stage. Nu Metal is not a genre I have covered much, but when it’s Korn and they’re joined by Staind, it seems like a show that needs to be checked out.
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real Red Butte Amphitheater
Reviewed by Jacob Moniz
Red Butte Garden had an amazing lineup in place for a perfect night on September 14th. Prior to the show, I hadn’t listened to Lukas/Promise of the Real before so I was excited to experience the concert with no previous listening history. Going to a concert without actually listening to the band is a unique experience!
The Deer Valley Concert Series is something I look forward to every year. It’s nice to get up to Park City where it’s a little cooler. Set upon a grassy hill that turns into a ski slope in the winter, lined with trees and a gorgeous view of the valley. It’s a perfect place for a concert. Of course, there were no concerts at the Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater. This year the series was condensed. Things concert-wise didn’t really open up until the end of July so there were only five shows this summer.
While the 2021 Deer Valley Concert Series may have lacked in the number of shows they were able to put on, they definitely compensated with extremely talented artists. Nathaniel Rateliff & the Nightsweats, Indigo Girls, and two nights of Dark Star Orchestra filled up the summer sky with beautiful music. The series closed with the immensely talented icon, Sheryl Crow.
I don’t think I’ll ever have the perfect words to describe how the band Half • Alive makes me feel. I don’t think anyone can truly understand how extraordinary and unpredictable a Half • Alive show really is unless they experience it for themselves. Thankfully for Utah fans, a lot of us got to experience that on Monday night, September 13.
Death Cab for Cutie, Ogden Amphitheater September 10, 2021
By Tiffany Mull
Photo Credit: Tiffany Mull
“Thank you for your patience,” Ben Gibbard apologized for the delay, “The fire department held us captive until the storm passed. We weren’t on some diva shit or nothing.” You had to show proof of vaccination or a covid-free test result from the last 72 hours in order to enter the venue. The opener, Deep Sea Diver, went on at 6 p.m. They gave us catchy, zippy pop-rock; there was even a cowbell. There were then ominous gusts of wind followed by a soft rain. Death Cab for Cutie waited for an hour and a half for the storm to pass before coming on stage. They opened with “Passenger Seat,” “You are a Tourist,” and “The Ghosts of Beverly Drive.”
The Ogden Twilight Concert Series has been a huge hit for the Northern Utah music scene this summer. Surprisingly this was my first time attending a show in Ogden and I was excited. I had seen quite a few photos and videos of the previous shows at this venue. The energy of the place was beautiful and it sat right in the heart of Ogden’s downtown area.
It was a sold out show and the crowds gathered early to cap off their Saturday night with a bang! Luckily for me, I had my girlfriend and a couple of my friends who were also at this concert. It was the perfect night for the last few summer nights with friends. The venue had a cozy lounge area for sponsors of the event. It was also awesome to see the food trucks placed right inside the venue. It made grabbing a bite really convenient for the fans.
I arrived just right on time to catch RnB artist/singer/songwriter Ant Clemons. This man might be unknown to the casual concertgoers at this venue, but I was extremely excited to see Ant perform live. I grew up in the early 2000s RnB era and Ant Clemons brings that energy and soulful music into today’s current music. Ant is famously known for becoming a guest artist in Kanye West’s 2018 single “All Me.” From that point on, Clemons has been all over the music industry and has worked with Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Snoh Aalegra, Sunday Service Choir and the list goes on. He has solidified his name in the music industry and forever will be a part of many top charting albums.
Ant Clemons opened up his set with dance moves that reminded you of the early days of Usher. The younger crowd couldn’t help but get as close as they could to the barricade. Ant performed with so much charisma and energy. His band was small with a drummer and a guitarist and he mainly sang with his instrumentals. He performed his hit single “Appreciation,” with rapper 2 Chainz and Ty Dolla $ign, which made the crowd groove along with him.
Clemons checked in with the crowd to get a gauge of how they’re feeling and he mentioned how he wanted to do something different. He wanted to make a song in the moment. I was very shocked and curious about how he was gonna execute this. As an artist with his caliber, I knew he had a good plan that still seemed very interactive. He split the crowd in half. One half sang a faster tempo melody and the other half the slower part. When both halves mixed it created this rhythmic melody that lit up Ogden. He sang along with the crowd reaching high falsetto notes.
Clemons proceeded to play all of the top hits he was featured in and dancing to today’s top songs. With songs ranging from SZA, Justin Timberlake, and Kanye West, it was almost shocking to know he was a part of a bunch of songs that we listen to on a daily basis. I personally believe Kanye wouldn’t be the same artist he is now without his features and help from artists like Ant Clemons. Ant finished up his set and you can tell the crowd appreciated and enjoyed his performance. Seeing him definitely made me realize how much work goes behind the scenes in the music industry.
Before the show, I had very little information about Noah Cyrus. The only reason I knew about her is because of my girlfriend that listens to her music. I’m a huge fan of her single with Leon Bridges titled “July”. She resembles the same twang and sound of her sister Miley Cyrus. Her style of music comes with a huge background of Nashville, Tennessee. Lastly, the day before the show, I did my best to listen to her top songs. It was beautiful yet intricate and very descriptive and open about mental health issues. I have shown a lot of appreciation to songwriting in these past couple reviews and I will always show the utmost respect to someone that writes about their life and turns it into art.
The “Stay Next To Me” Tour is off to a hot start. Coming off their biggest show ever at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado, Quinn XCII and Chelsea Cutler rejoin forces to go hit the road and get back on the touring life. I have been an avid listener of both Quinn and Chelsea for the past couple of years and this show feels like a full-circle moment for me. This was my first show back at The Complex and I was supposed to shoot for Chelsea’s “How To Be Human” tour before the live music industry was shut down due to the pandemic. I was looking forward to photographing this night since I was also at their show at Red Rocks. I have to point out that it was a magical experience.
