Sixpence None The Richer

Sixpence None The Richer • December 4, 2024 • The State Room

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

The Fall into Winter concert calendar in Utah can be a little thin.  After a Summer filled with multiple shows to choose from on a nightly basis, concerts can be more difficult to come by as tours slow down around the holidays and end of the year. So when I saw that Alternative Rock band, Sixpence None The Richer would be playing The State Room in Salt Lake City, I thought, well there’s a show worth checking out.  I figured I’d know a handful of songs and if anything it would be a night of nostalgia.  Reliving some of my life’s soundtrack from the late 90s and early 2000s.  And while there was a bit of that.  I was surprised when I realized the show was much more than that.

The tour itself in a way was a celebration of of the past success of the band.  They’re celebrating their 25th anniversary.  It’s especially exciting because this tour marks the return of original drummer, Dale Baker.  This makes the tour the first time the original lineup of the band has played since Baker’s departure in 2001.  So it was a great night to celebrate the success of the band’s history. 

On this tour, Sixpence None The Richer is also promoting their latest release, their EP Rosemary Hill.  Whenever a band is touring their latest release it is expected that they’ll play some of those songs.  Sixpence played five of the six songs on the EP.  As I mentioned, I knew I would enjoy hearing the hits, but I didn’t realize how much I’d enjoy these new songs.  They’re really good!  “Thread the Needle” and “Rosemary Hill” were performed earlier in the show and set the tone for the other new songs to be performed. The songs were well received by the crowd at The State Room.

Hearing how well the songs from Rosemary Hill fit into the set was a pleasant surprise.  What wasn’t a surprise was how cool it was to hear Sixpence None The Richer’s hits.  I loved hearing their cover of the Crowded House classic, “Don’t Dream It’s Over”.  I’ve heard interviews with Crowded House frontman, Neil Finn stating how much he liked their version.  I enjoyed hearing it live.  I also really enjoyed hearing a cover of Joni Mitchell’s “River”.  A perfect song for this time of year.  

Heading towards the end of the set, The State Room audience was treated to Six Pence None The Richer’s biggest hits back to back.  First their smash cover of The La’s “There She Goes”.  It seemed like everyone was singing along.  So many memories flashed into my head.  They followed “There She Goes” with their number one hit, “Kiss Me”.  As the song played, I looked throughout the audience and saw couples embracing and kissing.  It was pretty clear that this was their song.  I’m sure Sixpence None The Richer has performed this song a billion times.  But they delivered another great performance of what I’m sure is their most notable song. 

As the year winds down, and concerts come to a halt outside of holiday shows, it was great to see a band like Sixpence None The Richer stop by and remind us of how rich their history is and how enjoyable their shows are.