Utah Concert Review

A friend of mine won tickets on the radio to the recent Lady Gaga concert at Energy Solutions Arena, and invited me to go with. I’m sure it’s surprising to some that I said yes, and not surprising to others that I accepted the invite. Just to put it out there, I do enjoy Lady Gaga’s music. I don’t know if I’d consider myself one of her “Little Monsters” (what she calls her dedicated fans), but I have downloaded a number of her songs, and cut a few rugs listening to her jams. I never in my life thought I’d be seeing her live, but the moment and opportunity came. It’s been really hard to explain what I saw, because there was so much going on that my eyes couldn’t take it all in.

First of all, the people watching was at an all time high. Interesting make up, colored hair, platform shoes, g-strings, leather chaps, and that was just one dude. There were so many unique looks again, my eyes couldn’t capture it all without appearing to stare at people. And I was always taught that staring is rude. But I think in this case it was probably ok, even welcomed. When it comes down to it, I probably stood out as the oddly dressed weirdo. And I was in jeans and a polo shirt. The one time I don’t go shirtless with a bowtie and booty shorts! Lesson learned.

When Energy Solutions Arena was built, I’m pretty sure they forgot that bands might tour through Utah and want to play in a big venue. The sound is probably the worst in any large arena that I’ve ever been in. Which is why I have to compliment the sound engineers on this tour. They mixed the show perfectly. Which is no small task at this venue.

The set design was amazing. The staging looked as if we were in Greece, or maybe even Jerusalem. All the band members were nicely placed in their own little houses. The catwalk was all over the place. On one side of the stage it reached all the way across the arena floor and curved to form a bar for the 21+ general admission to buy adult beverages without having to leave the floor. Smart move Lady Gaga. On the same catwalk was what looked like Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, but it turned out to be one of Gaga’s hidden piano’s that she would be using later in the show. The other catwalk went about halfway down the other side of the arena floor, with a bridge connecting the two. In the middle of the shorter catwalk was a large circular platform where a lot of dancing would be done, as well as a huge chair designed as the monster claw her fans make. Gaga would sit in this later in the show and it would raise up about 20 feet in the air. There were a lot of hidden surprises in her staging, such as trees and flowers growing from out of the stage and catwalk.

My seats were not that great (sweet radio station winnings), so sometimes I felt like I was watching people watch a concert. But only a few times. For the most part, it didn’t matter how high up, or how close any of us were, we were all part of the show, involved in the experience.

The show started with Gaga’s 14 talented dancers spreading out over the catwalk. And Lady Gaga raised up from the stage floor. Before she appeared, it seemed as if the upper bowl would be sitting for most of this show. But when they saw her, not only did they stand up, they went nuts! I cannot express how into this show her audience was. Hands in the air, dancing the whole time, and singing a lot at the top of their voices. They were singing every word from songs that were not singles from her albums.These fans absolutely love her. She strutted the stage and catwalk in perfect time. Every step was choreographed, yet, it seemed totally natural. She told us that tonight was “A celebration of love, freedom, and being yourself.” I couldn’t tell if she had back up singers, or if her harmonies were just back tracks, but whatever there was, it sounded good. And her vocals were amazing. She would scream out at the audience, and then sing these beautiful notes. I don’t know how she does it. She’s dancing the whole time, yet can still sing live. I was winded just walking to my seat. Granted, it was four rows from the top, but when I saw what she was doing, I was embarrassed. I’m sure there were times she was singing along with tracks, but I can’t blame her. She was moving around the entire show. While she was singing an acapella version of “Edge of Glory” she stopped in the middle and said, “Man, the altitude in this place just kills me! I mean, how you do guys breath here? With the smoking and the drinking, and this altitude? You’re superstars, that’s why.” It was pretty funny. The amazing thing is right after she says all that, she hits the highest note of the song. I was impressed.

Say what you will about Lady Gaga, but she can captivate an audience. She gives you everything she has. This show didn’t sell well. I imagine in other towns this show was an instant sell out, but here there were a few areas where they curtained off unsold seats. I was worried that would bring down the show, or maybe Gaga and her crew would just show up, do some songs with lower energy, and get out. But this was not the case. She left it all out there. Literally. All of it. There was one point towards the end of the show where she was dancing like crazy, stops, vomits, then goes right back to dancing even harder! (I’m not going to post it, but it’s online. Feel free to take a look.) It was unbelieveable. When she came back for her encore she apologized for getting sick. And she said she wasn’t trying to do any “performance art” tonight. I imagine she was referring to a controversial show she did at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas where she had “Vomit Artist” (Meaning, she drinks paint, then pukes it up on a canvas to make art.) Millie Brown, vomit on her. So this wasn’t that. She had just pushed herself too far. I’m sure the altitude, and the nonstop dancing and singing got to her. The crazy part is she comes out for her encore and kills it on her final song “Gypsy”. If I vomited during a performance I’m pretty sure there wouldn’t be an encore. But Gaga is dedicated to her fans, and they are absolutely devoted to her.

This show is not for everybody. That is for sure. But I’ll tell you what, if anyone wanted to come to this show, all would be welcomed. I don’t think I have ever been to a show where there was such an open minded, accepting and free spirited atmosphere. I saw people who in another setting would be reserved, let loose, and just let it go. Gaga set the precedence early on that this was a safe place, and that people could just have a good time and not worry about being judged. And the fans went along with that. It was great. They had complete command of this crowd. There was a time where she asked people to put away their phones, and just be in the moment. And would you believe it? The phones went away for a while. I didn’t think that was possible in this day and age. I think Lady Gaga feels safe in this environment as well. She knows the people there are with her, and her perceived “weirdness”. Here she is not weird. She is the leader, and inspirer of those that feel rejected, and misunderstood.

In an arena show, if you’re not close, it’s easy to feel distant from the action and not part of the show, but other than Bono from U2, I’ve never seen an artist engage with the audience in such a way that makes an arena feel like a small club. And if anyone with reading this knows me, they’ll know that that is high praise from me. But she in fact did that. She has that kind of power. I have to say, it was inspiring.

I had a great time at this show. I don’t know if I have anything critical to say about it. If I was going to say anything, I would say she left a few hits off of the setlist. And she only did a slow version of “Born this way” and an acapella version of “Edge of Glory”. But the show was so fast paced and electric, and fun that it wasn’t until I was walking out that it even came to mind. The staging was amazing, the lighting was perfect, the sound was well done, and the costumes were creative, interesting, and multiple. But even without any of that, I think Lady Gaga is an artist with endless depths of talent. She knows what she’s doing, and why she’s doing it, and for so many, it’s working. And who knows, maybe there is a “Little Monster” in me after all.

Setlist
ARTPOP
G.U.Y.
Donatella
Venus intro
Venus
MANiCURE
Just Dance
Poker Face
Telephone
Partynauseous
Paparazzi
Do What U Want
Born This Way (Piano Version)
Dope (Piano Version)
Jewels N’ Drugs
Judas
Aura
Sexxx Dreams
Alejandro
Ratchet
Bad Romance
Applause
Swine

Encore:
Gypsy

There is such an interesting dynamic to a free concert. For starters, not everyone is necessarily a fan of the band performing. Many times they are just there because they didn’t have to pay for it. Free concerts are generally not held in typical concert venues, which lead people to be confused at what type of concert this will be. Do they bring their own seating or blankets? Is this a stand up show? Is this even my kind of music? This past weekend I was able to observe all of this at the free Train concert in downtown Salt Lake City. The concert was performed in the shadow of Energy Solutions Arena on a closed off 300 W block. The crowd was diverse. Well, this is Utah, by diverse I should clarify by saying there were people of all ages at the show. Some were confused, and brought their lawn chairs and blankets as close as 30 feet from the stage. Maybe Mix 107.9, the radio station that hosted the event, should have announced this wasn’t a concert in the park, it was a show in the middle of the street where people would be standing the whole time. Anyway, these people were bummed once this concert started. I imagine they either couldn’t see, had their blankets trampled, changed locations, or closed camp and stood like the rest of the throng.

I always feel the need to divulge my level of interest in the particular bands I review. To be perfectly honest, I’m not a Train fan. Although I do respect them for their longevity, and their success in the music business. I found it surprising that a band that could probably fill the building next door on their own tour, was willing to play a free show to close the “Days of ‘47” celebration and Pioneer Day weekend. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure they were paid handsomely and I overheard some mega fans state that some band members have property in Park City. If this is true, it was an easy payday, and easy commute for the band during what appears to be their touring off season.

It was fun to see die hard fans in pure bliss that they were seeing their favorite band for free! But there seemed to be a fun atmosphere in the air, that we were all there for a good time, with a band, fan or not, whose songs we know whether we want to or not.

The show was opened by mid nineties “one hit wonders” The Wallflowers. For me, this was a great choice for an opener. They are a band I’ve thought might be fun to see, but I don’t know that I would make it a point to go to their show. The thing with most “one hit wonders”, they actually have more hits than the one. The Wallflowers opened with “Three Marlenas” which was actually a hit for them. They also played “6th Avenue Heartache” and, “The Difference”, both hits for them. But let’s be honest, if we’re going to see The Wallflowers, we want to hear their big hit “One Headlight”. And of course, they did not disappoint. Sometimes I feel for these bands, because they probably have other good songs that they would love to play. But at the same time, I know tons of artists who would give anything to have just one hit. So, I don’t have too much sympathy for them. They’re still doing shows almost 20 years after that song came out.

There was a quick turn around with a DJ from Mix 107.9 coming out and preparing the crowd for Train. He noted that there were more than 20,000 in attendance. When I looked behind me, I couldn’t see the end of the crowd. It looked like people went on for forever. Train came out strong opening with one of their hits “Calling All Angels”. This was a song where fans and people like me, just there for the experience, could get into. The crowd was immediately into this show. To me their only misstep was trying to cover Led Zeppelin’s “Ramble On”. I’m sorry, but that is just too far of a reach for me. And I don’t think the crowd loved it either. But we moved past that musical blasphemy, and got back on track. They returned to their hit list with what I believe was their first big hit “Meet Virginia”. The thing that has always impressed me with Train, is the fact that when you think they’re done producing radio friendly hits, they’re not. When I heard “Meet Virginia” back in 1999, I thought this was a group that would be popular until about 2002, and then they’d ride those hits the rest of their career. But here we are in 2014, and they’re still releasing songs that will most certainly chart. Which was proved when they sang a yet to be released “Bulletproof Picaso”. The way the crowd reacted to this new song, I’m certain I’ll be hearing it for years to come at my local grocery store.
Above anything else, Train are the consummate professionals. They know just how to entertain a crowd like this. They knew not everyone there were Train fans. Lead singer Pat Monahan did a great job interacting with the crowd. After the first song he jumped to the security aisle and told everyone along the aisle to pull out their phones and he’d let them take selfies with him. PS-Selfie is such an awful word! I imagine he does that at a lot of his shows, but it was clear to me that the crowd, even those no where near the security aisle, were excited at the thought. He also brought up about 20 or so girls/women during the song “Mermaid” to be his backup singers. He brought up a young girl to sing “Bruises” with him. Again, all of these things may be done at all of their shows. I wouldn’t know. But like I’ve always said, when playing a show in the middle of the street, best to interact with and involve the audience.
The main set concluded with monster hits “Hey Soul Sister” and “Drive By”. Young and old alike at this show were singing along, and waving their arms in unison at Pat’s command. Train came back and sang “Marry Me”, which I’m sure reminded many of their first dance at their wedding, or opened the door for some sweet public making out that never makes anyone in close proximity uncomfortable. They couldn’t do a show without performing their enormous hit “Drops of Jupiter”. The sing a-long was defining. It was irresistible not to join in. They closed the show with an interesting choice. They ditched their songs to perform “Dream On” by Aerosmith. After just experiencing what I believe was a failed attempt at Led Zeppelin, I was nervous as to how this would go. But to the general public, this song is probably more well known these days. And because this was done during the encore, Train could have probably performed “Hangin’ Tough” by New Kids on the Block, and the crowd would have been in just as much of a frenzie. Come to think of it, I really wish I would have heard that! Anyway, Train did their thing with the song. The crowd was way into it, the band sounded great, and Pat Monahan actually killed it. He it all the notes you have to hit to make that song rad. I was actually impressed.
As someone who isn’t a card carrying member of the Train fan club, I walked away more than satisfied with the show. As I mentioned, they are true professionals. They came to entertain a crowd, and entertain they did. Their fans were happy, people just looking for good times, found it, and even when I asked a friend who doesn’t like Train at all what his thoughts were, he said “It was well put together.” I admire a band, who can come out, and perform successfully to a crowd that isn’t theirs. So for that I say choo choo Train. Choo effin Choo.

Setlist

Calling All Angels
Save Me, San Francisco
If its Love
Get To Me
Ramble On (Led Zeppelin cover)
Meet Virginia
50 Ways to Say Goodbye
Mermaid (Beauty in the Water)
Bruises
Free
Bulletproof Picasso
Angel in Blue Jeans
Hey Soul Sister
Drive By

Encore

Marry Me
Drops of Jupiter
Dream On (Aerosmith cover)

It was time once again to head to the USANA Amphitheater to spend another beautiful July night in double headlining, legendary rock band euphoria. USANA was packed as much as I’ve ever seen it. So packed, I didn’t see a patch of green in the lawn seating. Tonight’s leaders of fist pumps and rock fingers were first The Steve Miller Band, and bringing it home was one of the all time greatest hit machines, Journey.

Tower of Power opened the show, but I missed them. But all accounts were that they sounded as good as ever.

To be honest, I was surprised that this was a double headliner. Yes, Steve Miller Band has tons of great songs, and a fan base that has lasted and rivals many if not most of it’s contemporaries. But when I think of Journey, I think of hit after hit, and sing a long after sing a long. Not to mention the fact that “Don’t Stop Believin’” is the most downloaded song of all time. That, as well as appearing in the finale of “The Soprano’s”, gave Journey a new life in the new century. But finding their current lead singer, Arnel Pineda, on YouTube, and the story that goes along with that, has kept Journey far above any other band in their era. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKv93LcfLOI But tonight, we were back in a time where Journey, and The Steve Miller Band were playing the Fillmore in San Francisco and both were each other’s equal.

Initially The SMB was treated as if it was the opening act. The sun was still out, people were sitting down for the most part. Steve didn’t seem to mind. I really enjoy The SMB. They are one of those bands that have way more hits than you realize. They opened the show with about 4 huge hits. The crowd seemed pleased to hear these classics. I was concerned thinking, ‘He’s playing all his hits early, he’s going to run out of songs!’. But as I mentioned, he has way more classic stadium anthems than I realized. After the obligatory slow jam portion of the show. When that was finished, Steve and his band kicked it into high gear and finished the show with even more huge classic hit songs. I would say out of the 18 song set, I knew at least 12. I’m a greatest hits fan of The SMB. I’ll admit it. So to know more songs than I thought I would, was a pleasant surprise. The crowd finally rose to their feet when Steve Miller put on his spaceman mask and sang “Space Cowboy”. It was the highlight of the set for me. And because they were co-headlining they came out and did an encore. As the sun was going down, the energy was up for The SMB. They ended the show strong, and the crowd was ready for Journey.

About 20 minutes later, Journey took to the stage. They hit the crowd with about 5 huge hit songs. It was almost as if the crowd didn’t know what to make of hearing these songs so soon. Songs like “Anyway you want it”, or “Separate Ways”, or “Only the Young” were blasting through our ears and into our brains before we knew what to make of it. They were in top form.

One of Journey’s shows earlier in the week had to be canceled due to inclimate weather. This gave Arnel an extra night of vocal rest. Honestly, I don’t know how that dude sings those songs 3-4 times a week. He was in his usual top form, running all over the stage looking like he was twenty years younger than the rest of the band. He’s only about 10 years younger.

Spirits were high, and voices were united in these familiar songs for a solid forty minutes. Then the middle of the show arrived. Now don’t get me wrong, I get bands wanting to do newer songs. Especially when they’ve been playing the same stuff for 30 plus years. But something felt weird about this middle segment of the show. They would play a new song, or a deep cut, and then attempt to keep the crowd interested with a piano medley of songs that were otherwise unplayed. Instead of being interesting, it mostly bummed me out that I wouldn’t be hearing some of these great songs of theirs. They got the crowd’s attention by getting back into their classic catalog and mixing in “Lights” and “Open Arms”. The crowd joined in these sing alongs as it’s some of their biggest songs, but the audience had been figuratively sitting on their hands for the better part of a half hour when we finally reached this point. The band then jumped back into some newer jams, and the crowd for the most part was not along for the ride.

Brandon Flowers, the lead singer from one of my favorite bands The Killers, when asked why he was doing a solo album when the rest of the band was taking a break, said something to effect of, most bands have a ten year window, give or take, where fans are interested in hearing new music from them. After that, they only want to hear “the hits”. So he wanted to release as much music in that time as he could before he was relegated to a “hits only” act. Even if sometimes the newer stuff is great or even better than what made the band big, the general fans don’t want that. After reading that interview, I have always paid attention to this philosophy. And you know what, he’s right. And so it goes with Journey. When they had their decade or so, they released hit song after hit song. A streak matched by very few. So when it came to performing songs not within that framed decade, the crowd was generally uninterested, and seemed eager for a return to the songs they hoped to hear. They actually had some pretty decent new songs. Well, at least songs that sounded like Journey songs. But no one wanted to hear them. And as a fan, I’m right there with the other 20,000. I want to hear the songs I grew up on. The songs that made a comeback when I was in high school, and Journey released their Greatest Hits album, which reminded us that they existed, and that they once dominated the charts. But at the same time, I can see how this could be frustrating for the band to be held to past success without given a chance to show what else they can do.

Finally the crowd was resurrected when Journey played “Wheel in the Sky”. From there they played a few more big songs and then, as if nothing ever happened prior to this moment, they played “Don’t Stop Believin’”. No matter how many hits they have, and no matter how many new songs they tried to squeeze in, when that piano intro hits the ears, it’s like the world stops and all focus is on this one moment. It’s amazing how a four minute song can feel like an eternity of awesomeness. That was the moment, and the reason to be there. They must have played that song thousands of times over their career. But there is just no way it can get old. To see a crowd in that state of frenzy is a feeling I can only imagine, but one that they see every night. It must be so amazing.

The band left and then of course came back for the encore. They finished the show with one of my favorites “Lovin’, Touchin’ Squeezin’”. The crowd was still at it’s peak. It was strange. It was almost as if the show was just getting going, and yet, unfortunately this was to be their last song. I’m not sure if it was the order of their setlist, or too many new jams, but with that middle portion of the show bringing things to what felt like a stand still, the night left a little to be desired.

That being said, it was a fun night of overall great music. The people watching wasn’t a let down by any means either. It really is one of my favorite aspects of attending concerts. It’s hard sometimes to not wonder how much more amazing this night would be, if we could see Steve Perry back in his rightful place as the lead singer of Journey. But I feel like we are dealt this hand as Journey fans, and if we have to see a replacement singer, I’m glad it’s Arnel Pineda. He keeps the show alive, and exciting. Without him, there would be a lot of 50 year olds just standing there. They do sound fantastic, but Arnel makes a Journey show still worth going to.

Steve Miller Band Setlist

Jungle Love
Take the Money and Run
Abracadabra
Sugar Babe
Space Cowboy
Serenade
The Stake
Ooh Poo Pah Doo
(Jessie Hill cover)
Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma
Dance Dance Dance
Acoustic set
Wild Mountain Honey
True Fine Love

The Joker
Swingtown
Rock’n Me
Jet Airliner
Encore:
Space Intro
Fly Like an Eagle

Journey SetList

Be Good to Yourself
Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
Any Way You Want It
Only the Young
The Star-Spangled Banner (John Stafford Smith cover)
Stone in Love
Mother, Father (Deen Castronovo on Vocals)
She’s a Mystery
Lights
Piano Solo (When You Love A Woman / Who’s Crying Now / Patiently / Why Can’t This Night Go on Forever / Send Her)
Open Arms
Escape
Ritual
Guitar Solo (Neal Schon)
Wheel in the Sky
Faithfully
Don’t Stop Believin’

Encore
Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’”

I was offered a ticket last minute to see The Naked and Famous last night, and I’m so glad I was able to go. What a fun band. I’m a huge fan of synthpop, so this show was right up my alley.

I think it must be so interesting for a band from far away, in this case New Zealand, to come all the way to our small rocky mountain city to find a high energy fan base such as this. The Depot was sold out, the fans were dancing, singing and jumping the entire show, and it was obvious that the band was loving it. They made several comments as to how lively the crowd was.

The interesting thing about The Depot, is while it’s a great venue as far as the sound, visibility, and size, sometimes it seems fans will treat the place like it’s the local pub, and the band is just some local act. It has always amazed me when people act like this. Well not tonight. Sure, people had their drinks, and conversed at the bar, but not for too long. Most of the people I observed were anxious to get back to the show. And I can’t blame them. The music was fantastic, and the vocals were perfect.

The Naked and Famous aren’t the type of band to dance around, and interact with the fans too much. But their music speaks for itself. Personally I don’t know how they’re not dancing the whole time. I couldn’t stand still at one of their shows, even if I had a broken leg. The nice thing about the band is they picked their spots when to really get into it. And the crowd always followed along.

As was expected, the final song of the night was the hit Young Blood. For me, seeing a band that is on the rise, with maybe one or two big hits, as opposed to seeing a hit machine like The Eagles or U2, has a certain appeal. While I love seeing bands with a ton of hits, there is a certain exciting anticipation when waiting for those two or three big songs. And that was definitely the case with this show. When Young Blood began, there was an excitement level from the crowd that had not yet been present. It was almost like a release from the almost 90 minutes worth of anticipating when we were going to hear it. And I gotta admit, it was worth the wait. It really is a great song. The Naked and Famous have played that song so many times! And they will have to play it in so many shows to come. But even they seemed to love the moment. How could they not.

All in all, it was a fun night. And while I personally felt like I was chaperoning the concert due to the youth of the crowd, it was still a great show, and I’ll be sure to see them again.

Setlist
A Stillness
Hearts Like Ours
Girls Like You
Rolling Waves
The Sun
Frayed
I Kill Giants
Grow Old
All of This
Punching in a Dream
Waltz
No Way

Encore:
The Mess
To Move With Purpose
Young Blood