People began lining up around 6 am. An hour before doors opened, fans were lined up down the block. This wasn’t just any artist coming to town. A true rockstar was going to be in town, Machine Gun Kelly. The show sold out within minutes of tickets going on sale. The Complex set up the scarcely used outdoor stage to accommodate the large crowd.
As a concert reviewer, I’ve had the opportunity to see many artists as they’re starting out. I’m always thrilled to see them move on to the next step of their career. An album release, a TV appearance, or what’s most impressive to me, when they stop back by Utah but in a larger venue than before. For example, we were able to cover Conan Grey, when he was at Kilby Court then again on his next tour at The Depot. Not everyone has that kind of trajectory in their music career so it’s exciting to see when it does happen.
Out of all these artists, my favorite has been Jade Bird. Jade was one of the very first artists to reach out to Utah Concert Review for coverage when she was coming to play Utah. Of course, this was exciting to me. One, the website was gaining some traction, and two, someone saw the value in it that they would want us out to cover their show. I eagerly accepted the invitation without having ever heard of Jade Bird or listened to her music. She was opening for Son Little at The State Room and that was about all I knew. But upon seeing that initial performance, I’ve become a big fan ever since.
OCT 21 | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | THE UNION EVENT CENTER TICKETS ON SALE NOW
With Special Guests Touché Amoré and Self Defense Family To Support
After a year+ of no live music, California rock band Thrice are back and hitting the road this fall in support of their 11th studio album, Horizons/East. Thrice’s 2021 Autumn Tour will be making a stop at The Union Event Center in Salt Lake City on October 21. Tickets are on sale now here.
It’s been another tour that has been a long time coming. Another tour that was affected by the pandemic. I knew it was going to be another tour that was well worth the wait for many reasons. There were five bands on the lineup and all of them were crazy in their own way. It was an insane night. The show was just two hundred tickets away from being a sold-out show. It felt like one the entire night thanks to all the bands, their crew, and all the fans. I was familiar with every band on this lineup. I’ve seen them all perform live more than once. I was certain the energy was going to stay crazy and consistent the entire night.
The Re-Entry tour kicked off this fall and made a stop in Salt Lake City. On October 14th A Day to Remember, Asking Alexandria and Point North landed here at the Great Saltair to host a night of singing, jumping, and crowd surfing.
An Evening With Michael Bublé 2021 North American Tour
Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe
When you buy tickets to a concert, the show already seems so far away as it is. Throw in four, yes, four rescheduled dates, and the anticipation for that show has grown to an all-time high. Either that or you kind of expect the show to never actually happen! For me, it was the first feeling. Michael Bublé, one of the biggest entertainers in the world, finally made good on his tour stop at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Now, the postponements and reschedules weren’t really his fault. The pandemic is to blame for that. I think Bublé and his team were optimistic that things would get better quicker than they did, hence the hopeful new dates. But as I walked past the long line to enter the arena, I could see the excitement on everyone’s face.
Gojira, Knocked Loose, & Alien Weaponry at The Union
Reviewed by Maralee Nielson
A rainy cold night in Salt Lake City rapidly turned into a hot, sweaty, and energy-filled night. All thanks to Gojira, Knocked Loose, and Alien Weaponry. October 11th, The Union Event Center was filled with metalheads all alike. Ready for the return of live music, and more or less ready to rage. Salt Lake City was the first night of the tour with the full lineup. As doors opened and fans rushed in, a good handful was running towards the front of the barricade (as venue staff was yelling ‘NO RUNNING’) but another handful running to look at merchandise, and another going up to the bar to pick out the best overlook of the stage. Soon enough the venue was pretty packed and anxious for the show to begin.
I was experiencing some major dé jà vu last week when Angels & Airwaves made it to Salt Lake City for their Lifeforms tour! They were playing at The Union Event Center once again, a whole year and some days later since the last time they were here in 2019! Now that concerts and live music are back, the crowds are more eager and excited than ever to see their favorite artists perform. When you have a legend like Tom DeLonge in the house, you know it’s gonna be an incredible show and an amazing night!
The Superbloom Music Festival finally debuted at Sand Hallow’s Rock Bowl this past weekend! The National Parks’ dream was to “curate a festival experience and create a special event to celebrate the release of our new album Wildflower”. But due to the unfortunate circumstances of the pandemic in 2020, the festival was canceled. Since then, restrictions have lessened and Superbloom was ready to party at the absolutely beautiful OC Tanner Amphitheater right outside of Zion National Park. Utah’s flash foods, unfortunately, had different plans and a major flash flood hit the OC Tanner Amphitheater and sustained major damages. Thankfully Superbloom was determined to have their dreams come true and they were able to find the music fest a beautiful new home at the Rock Bowl at Sand Hollow Resort in Hurricane, Utah!
It had been well over a good year and a half since I had been to a show at Kilby Court. I was very much excited to be back. Especially for a sold-out show. When I arrived at the venue the line was stretched down the alleyway. Everyone was buzzing with excitement for the show and ecstatic that Chloe Moriondo was playing a small enough venue where they could have a small and intimate show with the artist. I was going into this show with absolutely no idea who any of the artists were or the genre of music being played. While waiting in line I spoke with a few of the fans. They went on to explain that tonight’s show is mainly indie pop. Listening to everyone talk about Chloe and seeing the way they lit up with excitement brought it out in me!
