Midway through his Who Cares? Tour, British star Rex Orange County stopped in Utah, this time in Magna at The Great Saltair. Although he has visited Salt Lake in previous years, the turnout for this concert was more than he could have imagined. This was also my first time being to a show with no opening artist. Rex decided to come on the tour solo. Capitalizing on his popularity was not a bad idea in my opinion.
Hours before sunset, Daybreak residents started setting out blankets and lawn chairs at their neighborhood’s own SoDa Row concert venue. Friday, June 10th was the first night of the LiveDaybreak Summer Concert series. The summer concerts are exclusively for Daybreak residents and are just one of the many perks of living in their exciting community. LiveDaybreak decided to start their concert series strong, and on Friday night Southern California rock band, Lit performed a high-energy show to an excited audience of neighbors, families, and friends.
Salt Lake City was packed full of events this past weekend as the city celebrated the Pride Festival and the beginning of pride month! I was so glad to have a friend suggest some parking to me since I had never been to this venue before. Fortunately, I was able to park on the street by some houses and walk about five minutes to Urban Lounge. Having never listened to either artist before, this entire show was a new experience for me from start to finish.
It didn’t take long for Australian pop musician Dean Lewis to sell out every ticket for his Salt Lake City stop on his Sad Boi Tour. When I arrived at The Depot on May 30th, I was not at all surprised to see a line trailing down the street and around the corner. His fan base consisted of mostly young girls in their teens and twenties. They were excited for the chance to watch him perform.
I walked into the venue and made my way to the photo pit. Once I got in the pit I had the opportunity to talk to a few of the fans in the front row. I noticed most of the fans in the front were all holding identical Dean Lewis totes bags. They told me they had purchased VIP tickets. Those totes were just one of the many perks that came with them. Inside the bags, the fans received a poster, a guitar pick, and a couple of other items.
When I arrived at Kilby Court on Thursday, I noticed a mass of people waiting to get in line into the venue. Vaccine cards and negative covid tests were being checked for admittance. The line was long but it moved steadily. The lineup for the night would be full of some great local artists. The show started off with the local band the Button Ups. They were followed by goodfellas. And the headliner of the evening would be IMAG¡NARY FRIENDZ. We have been trying to cover one of their shows for a while. For one reason or another, it hadn’t worked out. But it finally happened and we were excited to finally see these guys.
Nothing, Nowhere’s spring tour is completely stacked with a crazy lineup of amazingly talented artists. We were definitely in for a long night at The Complex. But it was going to be well worth it.
KALEO• May 18, 2022• Red Butte Garden Amphitheater
Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe
May 18th was the opening night of the Red Butte Garden Outdoor Concert Series. KALEO was the band to do the honors of opening the acclaimed series. KALEO hails from Iceland, but their music screams American Delta Blues. They did not start this series off with a whimper. If the rest of the upcoming concerts are anything like this one, we’re in for an excellent summer at Red Butte.
In a way, it almost felt like the first day of school. Or maybe the first day of summer camp. There was excitement walking through the gates, into a familiar place I hadn’t been in a while. There were the same people at Will Call, the same security guards, the same people handling press, and many of the same patrons that attend the concert series year after year. It was like catching up with old friends who I hadn’t seen “over the summer” or “throughout the school year”. Many hugs were exchanged and conversations were had about what we’d been up to. It was so fun to see everyone again.
On May 25th, Tucker Pillsbury also known as Role Model made an appearance at The Depot in Salt Lake City. It was an interesting show because although I knew a few of Role Model’s songs, I really wasn’t sure how many other people knew him. But upon arrival, it was clear that many knew who he was. The line wrapped around the neighboring buildings as the security told me there were already 950 people inside. It was the longest line I had seen in a while. There was a very diverse crowd, which was surprising to me. I expected mostly female attendees, however, I was very wrong. It was fun to see a good split for an artist that might typically draw a female crowd.
I was thrilled for the opportunity to attend and photograph The Bay Strikes Back tour featuring thrash metal bands Testament, Exodus, and Death Angel. The tour had originally been planned for 2020 but had to be rescheduled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The three Bay Area bands were finally able to return and play a sold-out show at The Depot in Salt Lake City on Friday, May 20th.
When I arrived at the Depot I found an excited line of metalheads that stretched down the street. I saw that most everyone was wearing a shirt or patch supporting one of the bands on tour. There were also quite a few shirts representing The Heavy Metal Shop. A local store that sells all things heavy metal. Just as I had arrived I heard some loud cheering from further back in the line. I quickly realized the source of the excitement was Testament’s lead singer Chuck Billy. He was returning to his tour bus after taking a minute to greet his fans and give out high fives.
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, or OMD as they’re often called celebrated 40 years as a band with their Souvenirs Greatest Hits Tour. The tour comes a couple years after the actual anniversary, but like so many other tours or anniversary celebrations, the original tour was pushed back due to the worldwide pandemic. It was worth the wait, OMD never disappoints! The Monday night concert felt like a Saturday night. If the Union Events Center wasn’t sold out, it was maybe a couple of tickets away. The venue was filled and fans who have seen OMD over these 40 years were eager for the show to begin.
