Andrew Bird• Iron & Wine• June 21, 2022• Red Butte Garden Amphitheater
Reviewed and Photographed by Tiffany Mull
Iron & Wine and Andrew Bird filled Red Butte Garden with earthy folk and swanky strings Tuesday night. Both known for smart, bookish lyrics and singular performance styles, they go well together. Iron & Wine (Sam Beam) opened with “Love Vigilantes” followed by “Jezebel.” Without a band, he improvised some beatboxing during “Lovers’ Revolution.”
I don’t know if Red Butte Garden will ever get more 90s than it did on June 20th. Barenaked Ladies brought their Last Summer on Earth Tour to the Amphitheater but they didn’t come alone. BNL was joined by 90s contemporaries, Gin Blossoms and Toad the Wet Sprocket. It was a lineup of hitmakers from top to bottom. I arrived as Toad the Wet Sprocket took the stage. The venue was already full. It was obvious that Red Butte patrons were excited about this whole show.
Though Nevada’s northeastern region remains one of the West’s best kept secrets, the towns of McGill and nearby Ely pull an ace out of the sleeve with the new Schellraiser Music Festival. The festival’s name is adopted from the neighboring Schell Creek mountain range and imbues its mission to fundraise for a local cause. This year: the Nevada Northern Railway’s work to restore locomotives and expand the historic rail’s footprint.
It was one of the more wild nights I’ve seen at Sandy Amphitheater. The mighty Tenacious D made a tour stop in the typically mild-mannered Salt Lake suburb. The powerhouse fusion of Jack Black and Kyle Gass was almost more than Sandy Amp could handle. I don’t know how often the “D” goes on tour. I don’t know that they come to Utah too often. The vibe inside Sandy Amp was that of great anticipation. It was a different kind of excitement. There was this feeling like “this Is going to be awesome.” But also, “I wonder just how amazingly weird it’s going to get tonight.” And it got pretty weird. But the perfect amount. Tenacious D mixed a cocktail of weird, hilarious, blue, and rock on that stage. This show may have been funny. But Tenacious D came to rock. And so did theIr fans.
ZZ Top has been coming to Utah since the 70s. They used to call The Salt Palace home whenever they would come to Salt Lake City. In recent years, Red Butte Garden Amphitheater is the stopping place for the legendary Blues Rock band. ZZ Top helped bring live music back to Red Butte last summer just weeks following the passing of original bassist, Dusty Hill. Less than a year later, ZZ Top made their return with the same lineup, including new bassist and former guitar tech to Hill, Elwood Francis. The moment the band walked on stage, the generally casual garden attendees, jumped to their feet, ready to rock.
Seeing Tash Sultana live is more than just a concert. It’s an all-encompassing experience. Sultana is the only one on stage. But you would never know it by the layers upon layers of music that are coming out of the speakers and into the stands. There was a vibrant energy throughout the audience and it was clear that the people there were expecting a fun night. The line for merch was lengthy but shortened just in time for Tash Sultana to take the stage. I like the way Sandy Amphitheater set up the merch booth. The line forms on the hill so people can actually watch the show from a distance as they wait to buy a shirt.
She & Him• June 14, 2022• Red Butte Garden Amphitheater
Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe
When Red Butte Garden announced the 2022 lineup for their Outdoor Concert Series I was beyond excited to see She & Him as one of the bands. They hadn’t been to Utah in a while and I felt like Red Butte Garden Amphitheater was a perfect setting to see them. When I saw that they would be touring to promote their album Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson, I knew I had to cover this show. Little did I know how attached to this show I would become.
I was contacted and invited to interview M. Ward (Him) leading up to the show. After chatting with Ward and learning more about the album and the band’s love of the great legendary songwriter from The Beach Boys, I knew it was a show not to be missed. In fact, the actual Brian Wilson was playing over at USANA Amphitheatre on the same night, and I still chose to be in Red Butte Garden for this show. That’s how much I wanted to be there! And the night did not disappoint.
Chicago & Brian Wilson w/ Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin• June 14, 2022• USANA Amphitheatre
Reviewed by Josilyn Wakkuri Lybbert
Chicago, with Brian Wilson, played a packed USANA Amphitheater on June 14, 2022! Fans of all ages gathered to see and hear some iconic hits primarily from the 60s, 70s, and 80s! Anticipation was apparent as people waited in line to go through security. While I was in line, I heard various conversations taking place ranging from how many times some of the concertgoers had seen Chicago live before, to those like myself who were so excited to hear some of the classic Beach Boys songs performed by Brian Wilson!
Stevie Nicks w/ Vanessa Carlton• June 16, 2022• USANA Amphitheatre
Reviewed by Brittany DeMott
Courtesy Live Nation
The Reigning Queen of Rock and Roll made sure to stop at one of her favorite places on Earth. Believe it or not, Salt Lake City, UT is that place. Stevie lived here in Utah from 1961 to 1964 and went to Wasatch Jr. High. And briefly Judge Memorial. Stevie’s family moved away from Utah; if you have been to a show before, you know she talks about how much that devastated her. She absolutely loves Utah and the song “Landslide” was dedicated to her Utah friends. When you’re at a bar out of town and this song comes on, you can tell everyone that Stevie wrote that song about your home state. Most likely a spell will overcome them and they will fall in love with you.
Fork Fest is one of the summer music festivals I most look forward to. I love this festival because it highlights all of the amazing local artists that Utah has to offer and this summer’s lineup was no exception. Returning for its fourth year, Fork Fest was the perfect combination of music, art, and good family fun.
