Ben Harper & Trombone Shorty August 11, 2019, Deer Valley

By: Tiffany Mull

Photo By: Kevin Rolfe

It’s impossible to hold your head steady when Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue are playing. After Jessy Wilson warmed up the crowd, Troy Andrews and his band took the stage by storm with two full drum sets, three guitars (one bass), two saxophones (tenor and baritone), two backup singers, and Troy himself alternating between the trombone, trumpet, and vocals—nothing short of epic.

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OAR & American Authors August 9, 2019, Red Butte Garden

By: Evelyn Salazar

Photo By: Evelyn Salazar

O.A.R. is still killing it like it’s 1996. That’s when the rock band originally formed but you wouldn’t be able to tell, because the band is still so alive and filled with so much energy. You can see how happy they are to play, almost as if it’s their first big show, which is definitely not the case. Last Friday, Red Butte Garden was packed with fans of all ages, eager to enjoy a nice night and a good show. It definitely was a great show!

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Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real August 8, 2019, Deer Valley

Photo By: Fred Hayes

The beauty of live music is the simple fact that no live show is exactly the same.  And Lukas Nelson & the Promise of the Real was a testament to that! Never has the Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater felt more outdoors than it did on the night of August 8, 2019.  Not only were we treated to one of the best shows so far in the Deer Valley Concert Series, but on this night, ‘Ol Mother Nature didn’t want to be left out of the action.  

The evening began as any other might at a Deer Valley concert.  Many fans showed up early, lawn chairs in one hand, picnic baskets in the other ready to wine and dine with their friends on the hill before an incredible night of music.  This is one of my favorite aspects of the Deer Valley Concert series. We get to escape the warmer temperatures of the Salt Lake Valley and enjoy a cool pleasant evening with the food, drinks, and pleasant company.  The atmosphere is casual in nature and the 360° views are incredible. 

Photo By: Fred Hayes
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The Alarm August 8, 2019, The Complex

By: Kevin Rolfe

Photo By: Kevin Rolfe

As we get older and we grow up, we many times attend concerts of our favorite bands to remember the “Good Ol’ Days”.  And many times nostalgia fills us and we go back to that time when we were younger when we saw a particular band for the first time.  There are times when we’ll go to a show for that nostalgia trip and unfortunately a band has passed their peak and we’re sadly reminded that we’re all older and that the band we’re seeing probably needs to call it a day.  Then there’s The Alarm. Sometimes I wonder what it was like seeing The Alarm back in the 80s or 90s. (My first time seeing them was last year.) Could it have possibly been better than what I saw on August 8, 2019, at The Complex? There’s just no way. I think through the circumstances of Mike Peter’s life he has breathed new life in The Alarm, especially in their live shows. 

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Summer Salt August 7, 2019, In The Venue

By: Evelyn Salazar

Photo By: Evelyn Salazar

I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else last Wednesday night, in Salt Lake City other than at the Summer Salt concert. The combination of good vibes, great music, and a night filled with excellent performances, I mean, what else could you want from a summer concert? Not only was Summer Salt amazing live, but their two opening bands, Dante Elephante, and Motel Radio pumped up the crowd and the energy never died down. 

Photo By: Evelyn Salazar

Dante Elephante opened up with some awesome tunes that started to get everyone in the mood, heads bobbing, feet tapping, and warmed the crowd up for what would be a killer night. Their lead singer brought everything he had to the stage, singing his heart out as he stood barefoot on stage, playing his guitar. There was so much passion in their performance and it was so much fun! Towards the end of the set, he even hopped off stage and went into the crowd, singing into the mic, as fans new and old surrounded him. The first opening band wasn’t even done with their set and everyone was already smiling and vibing. 

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Backstreet Boys August 7, 2019, Vivint Arena

By: Kevin Rolfe

The Backstreet Boys bought their DNA World Tour to a sold-out Vivint Smart Home Arena on Wednesday, August 7.  Twenty six years after starting as a group they’re still selling out venues. You’ve got to admit, that’s pretty impressive. Now I don’t know if I’m the best person to be writing a review about a Backstreet Boys concert or not.  First of all, I’m a guy. And judging by the ratio of guys to girls inside Vivint Arena, this review might be best written by a woman. I also can’t say I have ever owned a Backstreet Boys album or would call myself a regular listener to their music.  But if you were in your teens or twenties in the nineties or early two thousands, which I was, the Backstreet Boys were unavoidable. My friends and I talk about how lame they were while secretly and sometimes no so secretly singing along to “Larger Than Life”. How many of you know the words to “I Want it That Way:? All of you? It’s impossible to not know the words to that song! They were huge, and their fans still love them. So while I may not be the best person to be writing this review I was the one covering this show.  I was there on August 7 and I have to say I was amazed at what I saw. 

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SLC Twilight- Vince Staples August 8, 2019, Gallivan Center

By: Kaden Severn w/ contributions by Efrain Cuessy

Photo By: Kaden Severn

If anyone has ever doubted hip-hop fans of Salt Lake City for not being true supporters of the genre, they were dreadfully wrong. For example, last night at the Vince Staples concert at the Gallivan Center. Wednesday night was another installment in the Twilight Concert Series featuring one of rap’s rising superstars Vince Staples, best known for his smash hits like: “Norf Norf”, “Big Fish”, and “Oops.” The Twilight concert has been bringing out some absolute killer acts and Vince Staples was a perfect act to introduce Hip-Hop to the mix.

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Roselit Bone July 31, 2019, Rye Diner & Drinks

By: Katie Barber

Photo By: Andy McFarlane

Enter a dystopian timeline à la Rod Serling, and at the exact geographic midpoint between the Chihuahuan Desert and the Pacific Northwest, there is sure to be a dimly-lit bar where Roselit Bone is always the main act. This according to the Portland-based group’s first two albums, which transmit surf-rock rhythms accented by brassy conjunto that seem to transcend notions of time and geography.

While the Pacific Northwest does not seem a likely region to produce sonic epics that could reverberate across red-rock canyons and bounce off mesas, Roselit Bone proved the contrary at Rye Diner & Drinks, where the seven-piece band (normally eight, missing their pedal steel accompaniment) played the second-to-last-stop on their tour during an early evening show. As the sun set, frontwoman Charlotte McCaslin guaranteed that after the attendees finished their meals and it got a little darker, the band would “get weirder.”

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UCR Interview- Mike Peters of The Alarm

By: Kevin Rolfe

Photo By: Stuart Ling

 The Alarm is back on tour promoting their new album Sigma.  Sigma is a sequel to last year’s critically acclaimed Equals.  The Alarm return to Utah on August 8 at The Complex with Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel.  I had the opportunity to speak with The Alarm’s frontman, Mike Peters a couple of weeks ago.  I enjoyed our conversation so much! Mike has had a challenging life and a very interesting career. Enjoy!

Utah Concert Review: So before we begin, I was watching some videos on YouTube the other day and I went down this rabbit hole as you do.  I’m a huge fan of The Killers, and I’m sure you know where I’m going with this, but I saw them performing at Cardiff Castle in Wales (Peters home country) and they began singing “Rain in the Summertime”.  I was so excited! But then I heard that you might have been there. Is that true? Were you there?!

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SLC Twilight- Young the Giant August 1, 2019, Gallivan Center

By: Kevin Rolfe

Photo By: Evelyn Salazar

When students return to school in a few short weeks, and they’re asked by fellow classmates for some highlights from their summer break, I’m confident that this past Thursday’s SLC Twilight with Young the Giant, The Aces and Sego will be mentioned by every student who attended the Gallivan Center on August 1.  This show had everything. Good weather, a great headliner, and two support acts with local roots and large followings of their own. This has been the strongest lineup top to bottom at Twilight this summer. This is one of those shows when you see it announced you think “Oh yeah, this is going to be good!”. And you just hope that it lives up to the expectation.  I have to say that it absolutely did. 

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