By: Cassilyn Anderson
The day LANY comes to town should be an official holiday in Utah because it’s a day that every teen and young adult looks forward to. This last Tuesday, LANY made a stop at The Great Saltair in Magna. Fans had been anxiously waiting outside of the venue since as early as Sunday morning in hopes to be squished against the barrier to be as close as possible to their favorite band. Many fans made new friends with each other as they waited for hours on end in line.
By the time LANY came out, a crowd of 6,300 people had filed out to the outdoor stage making this their biggest show of the world tour to date! Lead singer, Paul Klein, mentioned that Salt Lake City has been one of their favorite cities ever since they started playing and touring. He also talked about how crazy it was that back in 2015 they were playing a small show at The Loading Dock and now they are playing to a crowd of 6,300 people. I ran into my friend Talia Gallegos after the show. I asked her what she thought of the concert and she said “It was surreal. Watching them grow from playing tiny venues to looking out and seeing 6,000 people singing every lyric. The first time I saw them, I waited 4 hours in line. This time I camped out for 2 days. It’s amazing to see how much they’ve grown in only a few years.” LANY is amazing at making their fans feel important and included. They have given them that same amazing feeling for years and there is proof in the fact that there were fans that had been to that first show at The Loading Dock and then every show each year all the way up to this one.
They kicked off this show with their popular song, ‘ILYSB’. Fans absolutely lost it as they started singing. Sam Hanney, another loyal fan, described her experience as “LANY was an absolute dream, those boys never disappoint. They snatched my heart AND my wig.” Klein made it a point to jump in the pit and get in the crowd as many times as possible making the fans feel connected to him and created a very personable experience. I truly think Paul Klein is an insanely talented performer and delivers every single time. Jordan Lundquist, one of my friends who was also at the show, said “It was my first big concert and it was AMAZING. I literally cried. I’ve never been connected to music and other people like I did that night. I also grew a new love for LANY, I listened to them quite a bit but now they’re one of my favorites.”
LANY truly created a movie with this concert. As the sun set on the Great Salt Lake and they sang some of their most loved songs. It was a surreal experience. Cassidy Shaw described this show as “the perfect movie scene as the sun set super golden and the music set the mood perfectly.” Every little detail of that show was so perfect such as the roses fans threw on stage, the graphics playing behind, LANY’s energy, even the moon lining up perfectly over the stage, and so much more. My personal favorite was while they played ‘Malibu Nights’ and Paul played the piano as he sang, they had a spotlight directly on him with graphics of a sky of stars behind him. It was emotional and one of the most beautiful moments of my life. I was lucky enough to be on a set of stairs taking photos and got to see the whole song perfectly. Paul Klein put so much emotion into that song and everyone could feel it. Truly the most beautiful and emotional show I have ever been to. You can feel and see how passionate LANY is.
As for the venue itself, of course, it had its usual smell of rotting eggs due to it being right next to the Great Salt Lake, but the sound was beautiful and could be heard from the barrier to the fence at the back of the venue. I think this venue was perfect for this show. It set the mood perfectly, especially with it being outdoors. I truly believe the sunset and the moon placement, something LANY had NO control over, completed this show so perfectly. LANY truly delivered the most amazing show and Salt Lake City brought the energy. Name a more iconic duo than LANY and Salt Lake City.
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Setlist
ILYSB
Hericane
If You See Her
Thick and Thin
Thru These Tears
Pink Skies
I Don’t Wanna Love You Anymore
Malibu Nights
Made in Hollywood
Hurts