Category: Concert Reviews

The first time I saw Ingrid Michaelson was about five years ago when she was the opening act at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles.  I knew maybe 2 of her songs, and that’s about it.  But with her voice, her songs, and her personality, she won over me and the rest of the L.A. crowd.  This is not an easy task to accomplish.  Especially as an opener, and especially in front of a tough L.A. audience that is generally unimpressed and unaware of opening acts.

Well fast forward to this past Friday night, June 19, Ingrid brought her A Summer Night Out Tour to The Complex right here in Salt Lake City.  Now what The Complex may lack in personality, it makes up for it in size and sound.  The Complex is basically a huge warehouse turned into a concert venue.  But because of this, it can bring in some really great bands that might not fill an arena, but still need a lot of space for their fans.  And while I expected this type of venue to have a horrible echo, or poor sound, I was really impressed with the sound in there.  Either the building was built to have solid acoustics, or the necessary accommodations were made for quality sound.  Either way, I tip my hat, because the sound was solid.

Before I get to Ingrid, I want to quickly mention her opening acts.  As I was walking in, Greg Holden was about halfway through his set.  I thought he had some good songs, a nice singing voice, and a lot of emotion.  And the ladies seemed to really like him.  Jukebox the Ghost followed Greg, and they put on a great opening set.  Full of energy, and even giving the crowd a fun cover of Queen’s “Somebody to Love”.  I was really impressed with them, and I look forward following their career progression.

The time came for Ms. Michaelson to take the stage.  She makes it impossible to not fall in love with her.  Her voice is amazing, she’s hilarious, she has complete command of the stage, and the audience, and of course, she’s extremely easy on the eyes.  Her personality is so fun that I’d swear we would be good friends if we were ever to meet.  But I have a feeling the thousands of others in the sold out Complex felt the same way.  Not to mention all of her other fans on the rest of her tour.  Her band seems to really like performing with her, and It adds to the atmosphere of the show.  I bet they are having a blast on this tour.

Ingrid mentioned that her and the band knew they were in for a great show, because Salt Lake City crowds are always so into it and crazy. Of course we all ate that up.  But as I’ve mentioned before, this is something a lot of bands passing through will bring up.  And it would seem that they might say this everywhere, but I’ve been to enough concerts in different states to see that it’s not something bands always say.  Utah is a special place to see a concert, and I love it when the artists recognize that.  A couple few of Ingrid’s band mates dropped their jaws when during some crowd sing a longs,  the audience harmonized.  I doubt many other towns do that!

Ingrid ran through her catalogue of songs for what seemed to be about an 80% female audience, balancing the old and new, andsinging them all with such purpose and care.  I love it when an artist will sing a song they’ve done a million times, yet make it feel as fresh and new as ever.  Ingrid is very skilled at this craft!

There were a number of special moments in the show.  One in particular is when Ingrid did her amazing cover of “Can’t Help Falling In Love”, made famous by the King himself, Elvis Presley.  She’s done this cover many times, but it blows me away, one, that she still sings it as with her own songs, with such a sincerity that makes it feel as if she’s covering it for the first time, and two, that she can captivate a lively crowd into either singing along, or sitting there quietly mesmerized.

Another great moment was when she performed her song “Soldier”.  A great song on it’s own, but enhanced even more when in the middle of the song she busts into a cover of Lady GaGa’s “Poker Face”, that lead to one band member singing “One of Us” by Joan Osborne, and then another band member singing “With or Without You”, by U2, and then another band member following with “Undone-The Sweater Song” by Weezer, and then finally another band member singing “Call Me Maybe”, by Carly Rae Jepsen!  And then to actually follow those solos by singing all of the songs in unison, with them somehow all meshing together quite well, was not only amazing, but had the smile filled crowd going nuts!  It was just a really fun arrangement and totally a Ingrid Michaelson thing to do.

I’ve already mentioned Ingrid’s voice, but I don’t think I can say enough about it!  She hits these high notes that are as clear as a chime, yet soft and smooth as the first ripple you see after skipping a rock in a glassy lake.  And yet, her voice is so rich and full of soul that it’s almost unfair that she has this many gifts in one voice.  I could listen to her sing all day long.  The old saying, “She could sing me the phone book, and I’d love it!”, doesn’t really apply these days because seriously, who uses a phone book anymore.  Plus I’d feel like she’d be wasting her gift on singing me the local plumber or pizza guys contact info.  But if she said, “Hey, I want to sing to you while I play my Ukulele allday long.”, I’d be cool with that.

The show finished with a really fun cover of Icona Pop’s “I Love It”.  The crowd was dancing, and it was a perfect end to a perfect set.  I really hope to see her again soon!

When I mentioned I was going to see Ingrid Michaelson to some of my male friends, I got about the same response, “I’ve heard of her, but I don’t really listen to many girl groups, or girl singers, it’s just not my thing.”  I must say I feel really bad for these guys.  They are missing out on so many great songs, and so many beautiful voices that come from so many of the great female artists, not only from today, and there is astrong group of female artists today, but from the great female bands and singers throughout history.  It’s disappointing to see so many limit themselves with such a “I’m too much of a guys guy”sentiment, and what I think is a close minded thought.  So get out there, check out some female artists that you may not have normally looked at.  You may be surprised at the gems you’ll find.

It’s hard for me to believe, but this week marks the 25th anniversary of the release of Depeche Mode’s signature album Violator. This album sent Depeche Mode into the stratosphere as far as notoriety, and cementing their mark in the world of alternative music. I will never forget how happy my ears were the first time I heard this gem.

This website was created for the purpose of reviewing live music, so I’m not going to go into what makes this album so great. If you haven’t heard it, give it a listen and you’ll know. I think not only does it stand the test of time, but you can still hear its influence in much of the music we hear today.

Now obviously I am a lover of live music, and I think what makes a studio album legendary is when songs that weren’t hits, or even singles can be performed years after an album’s release. When those songs are embraced with as much excitement as the hits, then you know an album has reached iconic status. Such is the case with Violator. Of course, you’d expect the crowd to go crazy when they hear “Enjoy the Silence”, or “Personal Jesus”. You might even expect to hear other excellent singles such as “Policy of Truth”, or “World in My Eyes”. But what is amazing is that in their most recent tour, (Completed in March 2014, in which they didn’t come to Utah. What’s up with that Depeche?! Anyway…) Depeche Mode performed not only “Blue Dress”, but “Halo”, both non singles from Violator. These songs were met with the enthusiasm that you’d expect from hearing a #1 hit. In my experience seeing Depeche Mode, I’ve heard them perform “Waiting for the Night”, “Clean”, and “Sweetest Perfection” as well as all the songs previously mentioned.

Tour after tour, Depeche Mode performs at least four and up to six songs from Violator. I think that says a lot for the type of album is it. Do yourself a favor and allow yourself some time to re-listen to this album in its entirety. Something we don’t do much of anymore. And if you have never heard this complete album, it’s time to give yourself a quality education. Happy 25th Violator!

Here are a couple video clips of live versions of songs from Violator.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drn7wXarm-I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiE9xLeS7S8

I’d like to wish a Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you love dove’s out there. I’d like to share a few videos of some of my favorite love songs that I’ve had the privilege of hearing live within this past year. Enjoy!

Buddy Holly tragically passed away 56 years ago today. He has always been one of my all time favorites, and I would have loved more than anything to see him perform live. Buddy is a legend in the music industry, and will forever have his fans, but he seems to be forgotten when people discuss the greatest influencers of Rock N Roll. But without Buddy Holly, we may not have had The Beatles, and without the Beatles, well, it’s hard to imagine what music today would be like. I often wonder what it would have been like if he had never boarded that plane. What would we think of him now? What would his music have meant to us if he was around longer? How much would we be praising him for his engineering skills in the studio? We’ll never know, but considering all he did in his short 22 years, I think it’s safe to assume he would have left an even greater mark on the music world had he lived.
I thought rather than me ramble on and on about how much I love Buddy, I would post a few videos from some of the best in the music world, and how much they love him. Enjoy!

Graham Nash getting to hold and play Buddy’s leather bound acoustic.

Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers on meeting Buddy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtOhipzEZHU

Dave Stewart of the Eurythmic’s on how Buddy influenced him, and imagining what he would have done later in his career.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdQW1yq-oMw

Here are a few of Paul McCartney clips on how Buddy influenced him and his fellow Beatles, from style, to songwriting, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub_Ndas3Fgw

And finally, since this website is meant to focus on live music, here are two clips of Buddy himself performing live.

On Wednesday November 12, The Black Keys brought their “Turn Blue World Tour” to the Maverik Center. They had been through Utah a couple of years ago, and I missed them. So I was determined to find a way to get into this show. Can you believe I guessed the promo code for cheaper tickets? Otherwise I don’t think I would have made it. So, the rock gods looked out for me with this one. The best way I can describe this show is Slow Burn.

I’m not sure if it was because the show was in the middle of the week, or because it was the first really frosty day in Utah this year (27* at showtime), but the crowd took a lot longer to get going into the show than they normally do. When the band walked out and started playing, the majority of the arena stayed seated. I am someone who likes to stand during concerts, but I’m not one to make a point to stand when everyone is sitting. I’m not a fan of annoying people. Or forcing them to look at my behind for 90 minutes. Fortunately my seat was backed up to a suite, so there was no one behind me. I was able to stand the whole time. Now don’t get me wrong, I get it if we’re at a Josh Groban concert or something mellow, but this was The Black Keys! Their music, is not sit down music! So I got lucky that I didn’t have to worry about that. The stage was simple yet perfectly designed. The backdrop started out as a curtain that looked like it was from an old theater, to having that drop and behind it were multiple moving video screens and light rigs. It was subtle, yet flashy at the same time. Just like the band they were illuminating.

The band plowed through about four songs before saying anything to the audience. There really wasn’t much interaction between band and the crowd other than the occasional “Thank You” or “Help us out with this one!” type talk. But what the band lacked in physical energy, and crowd involvement, they made up with pure musical energy. It’s not always needed for a band to start a clap along, or a city reference to get the get things going. Sometimes they just need to play their amazing songs, and the crowd will catch up eventually. Well that’s what The Black Keys did. They just kept going. Because there is no way they didn’t notice the crowd was a little dull. They played their huge hit, “Gold on the Ceiling” about five songs into the set, and you could see some bubbling up from the crowd. A few of those sitting, rose to their feat, and those who didn’t were certainly bobbing their heads. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the crowd wasn’t dead. When the songs were over, the volume of their applause was definitely at a high volume. I just thought I’d see the whole place rockin out the second the band arrived. But that was not the case this time. But sometimes, a band has to earn their dues. And in my opinion, The Black Keys worked hard for their money in this show. But like I said, they just kept going. And the crowd started joining in the fun.

Patrick Carney’s drumming was on point as always, and the blues just dripped from Dan Auerbach’s guitar the whole night. These guys have in a gift in blues rock that would make Howlin’ Wolf proud. Seriously, those guitar riffs he plays just seemed to hypnotize and pierce the souls of everyone there. Because as the show went on, people started rising to their feet, dancing as if these beautiful tones had put a spell on them and they could no longer just sit there. About an hour or so into the show, I would say that about 80% of the audience was on their feet, and by the end, I’d say about 99% were standing and the place had finally been brought to a steamy boil. We had been put under the blues rock spell of The Black Keys.

I’d say the only thing that really bummed me out with show is when the band ended their main set, a disappointingly large volume of the arena started filing out as if the show was over. Did they not know they were coming back? Did they really have to get somewhere at 10:30 at night? Doubtful. I will say though, a group of teenage boys on their way out kept looking back, and right when the band returned to the stage, in their surprise and amazement they returned to their seats. They were so happy the band came back. At first I couldn’t believe they didn’t know the routine of concerts. But, as I reflected on my much younger days, I guess you do need to experience that first encore to know that is what happens in most concerts.

The show ended with a fantastic version of “Little Black Submarines”. It was a perfect closer. This band, they’re just so great. They really are a true American rock band. They have the grit of this country’s heartland, and yet the depth to be a worldwide phenomenon. There really is nothing like seeing a great rock band, and that is exactly what I saw here at the Maverik Center.

Setlist
Dead and Gone
Next Girl
Run Right Back
Same Old Thing
Gold on the Ceiling
Strange Times
Nova Baby
Leavin’ Trunk (Taj Mahal cover)
Too Afraid to Love You
Howlin’ for You
A Girl Like You (Edwyn Collins cover)
Money Maker
Gotta Get Away
She’s Long Gone
Fever
Tighten Up
Your Touch
Lonely Boy

Encore:
Weight of Love
Turn Blue
Little Black Submarines

To be perfectly honest, I only knew about 4 songs from The Airborne Toxic Event before attending their concert. Of course I’ve been a fan of their 2008 hit “Sometime Around Midnight”. And I’ve seen a few performances on TV here and there. So I knew them enough to know I wanted to go see them Monday night at The Depot.

The crowd was surprisingly mixed between young and not so young. As I understood it, The Airborne Toxic Event was part of that musical flashback to the 80’s modern rock sound similar to Franz Ferdinand, Modest Mouse, or The Bravery. And while some of their songs did take my ears to that era, they had much more to offer than to be pinned down to one style of music. There were times that I felt like I was listening to a folk band, other times I felt like I was listening to a synth-pop band. It was that kind of variety that made this show extremely entertaining for me.

Sometimes I really enjoy going to shows so where I know very little of their catalogue, so that I can stand back and watch the show with no expectations. I think the thing I enjoyed the most was the passion being delivered from each member of the five piece band. Each one of them clearly skilled musicians to the point that throughout the show many of them switched from guitar to keyboard, or keyboard to violin, or even three band members playing drums at one time. They sounded great, and to have the energy they had for a Monday evening show, ignited the crowd to react to these songs as if they were seeing a show on a Saturday night.

It has been a while since I’ve seen a band that is still in the midst of their first decade of growth, and it was obvious. I could tell they still loved playing live, and they still appreciate their fans. As I’ve always said, Utah has the best concert goers that I’ve witnessed, and I think the bands could feel that. Lead singer Mikel Jollett even comment to the crowd about how excitable they were. But it was so cool to see him climb down from the stage, taking selfies with the front row, and high fiving every hand he could reach. At the end of the show keyboard/ violinist, Anna Bulbrook jumped into the waiting arms of the audience and crowd surfed around and back to the stage. There was great chemistry between audience and band. It felt genuine, and it was refreshing to see. Even when the show was over, and the lights came up, and the PA was playing exit music, many of the band members stayed out there, signing autographs, throwing guitar picks and setlists to the audience. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a band stay out that long. It was pretty cool.

I must say, they won me over. Albums will be bought, Youtube videos will be watched, and songs will be learned. I really like this band. And anyone who says that “Rock is Dead” (I’m talking to you Gene Simmons), has clearly not seen The Airborne Toxic Event! Rock N Roll has a heartbeat and I think it’ll be just fine.

Welcome to Your Wedding Day
Papillon
Gasoline
Changing
Happiness Is Overrated
This Losing
Hell and Back
Dope Machines
What’s In a Name?
Numb
Wishing Well
Wrong
Sometime Around Midnight
All I Ever Wanted

Encore:
The Graveyard Near the House
Timeless
Boys Don’t Cry snippet (The Cure Cover)
All at Once

It’s hard to believe that for 31 years, Elton John had at least one song charting on Billboard’s top 100. Now try to pack all those hits into one night. That was Elton John’s dilemma on Friday night at the Maverik Center. But I think he did a great job of covering those 31 years in a two hour show.

I had known Elton was coming to town for some time, but until it was the week of, for some reason it didn’t occur to me that I should go to this concert. I almost missed out on a great night. Don’t get me wrong, I am most certainly an Elton John fan. I think even if you’re not a die hard fan, it’s impossible to not like at least one of his songs. Even if someone else is singing it in one of his movies, or stage musicals. It’s hard to not be impressed with his body of work. But despite the Grammy’s, the Tony’s, and even the Academy Awards, what it really comes down to is how amazing these songs really are. There is something for everybody.

Sir Elton walked on to a darkened stage at exactly 8:30 pm. Even though the stage was pitch black, you could see him from a mile away. All the cameras taking pictures exposed his knee length sequined coat. It’s funny, because looking back at some of the things he used to wear on stage, this coat was actually pretty conservative. He walked out to “Funeral for a Friend” and then once he reached stage joined right in with the rest of the band. Then of course continued with “Love Lies Bleeding”. The Utah crowd did not disappoint . People were up and dancing during this song, and could not have been more excited that this legend was in town.

He came out guns blazing with with his huge hits “Bennie and the Jets” and “Candle in the Wind”. This is what I’m trying to say people. These are huge songs of his, and he did them right at the top of the show? Was he going to run out of songs? Was the show going to start strong then lull when he started playing deep cuts? Nope. He had enough hits to play for an hour more than he did, and this was a full two hour show.

I remember looking at my phone to see what time it was thinking he had probably played for maybe 30 minutes. But he had already played for an hour and 15 minutes. Time flew by in this concert because each time you may have thought he was going to hit that “beer run” segment of songs, he didn’t. I think he played maybe 3 songs I hadn’t heard before, and those were great. And when he played those, the people that did make their beer runs, had to have been really bummed when the following song was one of his biggest hits. Songs like “Levon”, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, or “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” followed songs that may not have been as familiar to this crowd.

He didn’t do a whole lot of talking to the crowd, but when he did, he usually had something fun or interesting to say. At one point he spoke of being more comfortable in his own skin than ever before, and because of that, he enjoys performing more than he ever has. Normally I would think maybe an artist will just say something like that just to get a cheer from the crowd. And while he was applauded for that comment, I think he was being genuine. He seemed in very good spirits, and I think he really enjoyed himself.

Elton John also talked about the success he’s had with his writing partner Bernie Taupin. In case you don’t know, Elton John has never written the lyrics to any of his songs. He said that he and Bernie have never even worked in the same room. Bernie would write in another room, then come to Elton with lyrics he had written, and then Elton would go to the piano and put these words to music. It’s a formula that has clearly worked (understatement of the year). Sir Elton mentioned that when they were first starting out, they lived with his mother, and one day Bernie came to him with what he called the most beautiful lyrics he had ever read. Especially for an 18 year old. He went to the piano, and created what was to become his first hit, “Your Song”. He said he owes all the success he’s had to that song. I’ve included video footage of this song as a reminder of just how beautiful this song is. In my opinion, these lyrics are some of the best written in popular music history. It was really cool how he set up the song, and it made for a special moment in the show. Needless to say, the crowd was so excited to hear this classic. The ovation he got after was tremendous and well deserved.

Elton closed his main set with four upbeat songs. This was the moment when the majority of the arena was up and dancing, and just letting loose. With Elton’s songs it’s sometimes hard to know when to sit and when to stand. I usually like to stand at all concerts, but I get the demographic of this show wasn’t going to do that, so I tried to pick my spots. But here, it was obviously stand up time. He left the stage and of course he returned to a crowd that was as loud as they had been all night. Maybe even louder. Encores are a funny thing aren’t they? We know they’re coming back. We know they have some huge songs they still must do. It’s such a weird tradition. I do remember though when I was young, hoping and praying my favorite groups would return. But now that I’m older, I guess I’m more aware that this is just what bands do. I would have liked to have seen the time where encores originated and people weren’t sure the artist would come back. What if they didn’t? That’d be the worst! Anyway, I’m getting off track.

Sir Elton came back and kept the crowd on their feet with “Crocodile Rock”. That was fun. The crowd sang the La La La’s in the song, and the energy was at its highest point. After that song Sir Elton brought the show to a perfect close by singing one of my favorites, “Daniel”. He did this song alone. Just him, and his piano. It was beautiful. And made me wish he had done a few more songs like that.

I left this show totally impressed with the performing chops of Sir Elton John and his band. Many of whom had been with him for 40+ years. Of course there were some other songs from his catalogue that I would have loved to hear, but like I said before, how do narrow down over 45 years of songs into a two hour show? He’s been at it a long time, but not once did I feel like he was just going through the motions, or giving us a half hearted show. I think he really enjoyed the energy and excitement of this particular audience. I know I say this a lot, but I don’t think artists passing through, expect to get what they get from Utah crowds. We appreciate them stopping into our small city, and we show them our gratitude with really getting into the show. If you haven’t ever seen Elton John, I recommend you do. Even if you’re not a huge fan. If you care about the history of rock n roll, or popular music, this is a show not to be missed. Elton John has left his mark, and influence on music, and he’s still doing it. Cheers to him, and I look forward to what he’ll do next.

Setlist

Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding
Bennie and the Jets
Candle in the Wind
Grey Seal
Levon
Tiny Dancer
Holiday Inn
Philadelphia Freedom
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time)
Hey Ahab
Oceans Away
Your Song
Burn Down the Mission
All the Girls Love Alice
Home Again
Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me
The Bitch Is Back
I’m Still Standing
Your Sister Can’t Twist (But She Can Rock ‘n Roll)
Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting

Encore:
Crocodile Rock
Daniel