Local Natives w/ Lucy Dacus, NoSo & Jordana• August 4, 2022• Ogden Amphitheater
Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe
Ogden Twilight has resumed! After almost six weeks between opening night with Bleachers and this show, it felt good to get back to the Ogden Amphitheater. From here on out Ogden Twilight will be happening on a pretty steady schedule. With so many great show coming up, it will be hard to stay away. Shows like The Shins, The National, Beach House, and Modest Mouse are sure to bring large crowds. I imagine those nights will be similar to the night we had with Local Natives.
This review might need to be titled this review “Lessons learned when traveling to Ogden Twilight”. I live about 45 minutes to an hour from Ogden. I figured I’d be able to leave a little over an hour before the show started and be there with time to spare. Well, that was a poor decision on my part. Not only did I not make it in time, I barely made it in time to see some of Lucy Dacus’ set. It took me over two hours to get to Ogden. I got stuck behind an accident and even when I tried to take an alternate route, that only saved me 10 minutes.
So yeah, I apologize. I missed seeing Jordana and NoSo. Which really bums me out because I was looking forward to this packed bill. I had the opportunity to chat with Jordana and really enjoyed our conversation. I was hoping to catch the set. It was a disappointment for sure.
I was happy that I did get a chance to see some of Lucy Dacas’ performance. She has a beautiful voice and I loved her interaction with the crowd. It was very clear that a chunk of the audience was there to see her specifically. In fact, I noticed some people left after her. Which I don’t really get. And they missed some cool moments during Local Natives that we’ll get to in a bit.
Dacus played a really cool version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark”. She really made it her own and I wonder if people thought it was an original. Upon first hearing it I thought, “Hey I know this”. But for a second I couldn’t place it and thought maybe it was one of hers. But then it hit me that is was a classic song from The Boss. Lucy Dacus didn’t end her covers there. She also played a great arrangement of Cher’s smash hit, “Believe”. The audience was really into it as they were with the whole set. I know Lucy Dacus will be back. I’m assuming she’ll be here as a headliner. Because she had plenty of fans here to see her.
It was a hot hot night. The sun went down and it was still smoldering. One of the security guards told me he was jealous that I was wearing shorts. The beauty of it was no one seemed to really care. People were packed on the Ogden Amphitheater lawn, excited for headliners, Local Natives. A few extra tweaks by the roadies and techs and we were ready.
Local Natives have such a cool vibey sound. They opened with “Who Knows Who Cares”. Immediately everyone was singing along as the song built. The band seemed to be having so much fun. They shared with the audience that this was their first tour in three years. That is so long for a musician to stay home. They must love being back on the road and playing to these big crowds. Comments like, “This is so fun!” and “This is Crazy” would indicate that Local Natives were into just as much as this hyped up crowd.
They flew through their set playing songs like, “Coins”, “Past Lives” and “Sun Hands”. They even invited Lucy Dacus back on stage to join them for a song. It pays to stick around folks. You never know when the opener you came to see will come back on stage. It was a great duet and worth being there for.
Local Natives dedicated their song “Colombia” to anyone who has lost someone. Looking throughout the audience I could tell that this had an impact on people. It was a moment to think back and reflect on loved ones who had passed. I noticed a fan in the front row as the band played “Fountain of Youth”. His back was to the band and he was singing out to the crowd. Almost as if it was his concert. It was pretty funny to see. But also cool because he was definitely feeling the song and this show. The band sounded great. I’ve enjoyed their studio recordings. But these songs definitely translate live.
It was cool to see Ryan Hahn get featured. We were told that he writes a lot of the music. So he was invited to join in on vocals for, “Dark Days”. He seemed to love the opportunity. The set ended with “Wide Eyes”. No doubts here, the band was called back and they finished the night with a three song encore. I love a three song encore. I think people generally expect a two song encore. Sometimes one, which is the worst. But when that third song is added it’s pretty great. So good job Local Natives.
The entire night ended with, “When Am I Gonna Lose You”. People were dancing along and getting it all out. Local Natives soaked it all in and told the crowd, “This has been amazing!”. And it was amazing. Ogden Twilight is off to a good start. The shows have been amazing. Can’t wait for the next one. And I think we’ll be seeing Local Natives back here in Utah soon.
