SLC Twilight•Soccer Mommy•Bratty•Blue Rain Boots•August 10, 2023• Gallivan Center
Reviewed and Photographed by Logan Fang
With the Twilight Concert Series coming to a close, I had the pleasure of watching Soccer Mommy take the stage for the penultimate performance of the 2023 lineup. This summer’s series featured a number of impressive artists, including Lord Huron, Death Cab for Cutie, and The Head and The Heart. Like these previous concerts, Soccer Mommy’s performance took place at the Gallivan Center, which to my surprise, fit the thousands of people in attendance.
The open-seating arrangement enabled guests to sprawl out on the lawn with friends and family while enjoying the music. The VIP section closest to the stage hosted a sizable group of fans who loved the up-close and intimate view of the artists. Dotting the perimeter of the venue were a number of vendors selling drinks and snacks for guests. As I arrived at the Gallivan Center at 6 PM for the show, the line for admission was already wrapped around the corner. When I walked in, I noticed that at the far end of the venue, fans huddled around a tent selling merch of the three bands playing that night. With Soccer Mommy headlining, the concert also saw performances by the local Utah band Blue Rain Boots, and the Hispanic artist, Bratty.
Blue Rain Boots
I was familiar with Blue Rain Boots. Having shot for them at Soundwell, so their music was a great way to kick off the evening. At around 6:30, they took the stage and began with their crowd-favorite 2018 single “Oh My God You Are Fine.” The rock-indie vibe to the song instantly had the audience on their feet dancing along. The band’s presence throughout their short set was contagious, demanding high energy for the crowd. Some of my favorite songs they performed were “Night Out” (their most recent release) and “Hold Me.” The rock and bluesy feel to “Hold Me” made the song a personal favorite of mine.
It seemed as if the crowd shared my opinion as they bobbed along to the catchy guitar riff featured throughout the piece. The calming vocals of Blue Rain Boot’s lead singer, Simon Griffen, also paired well with these grungy riffs by their lead guitarist Carter. Altogether, the band’s performance was a stellar combination of the soft melodies you’d expect of an indie artist with heavier rock overtones, making their performance an overall intriguing listen.
After Blue Rain Boots exited the stage, the crowd was still buzzing with excitement. Unable to contain themselves, many audience members turned to bumping around beach balls and chatting with nearby friends to pass the time. On a number of occasions, while we were waiting for Bratty’s set, the audience lost control of the beach balls and knocked them onto the stage. Luckily, the security threw the balls back into the eager crowd who then cheered with approval. Meanwhile, as I was standing in the crowd looking around, I noticed how beautiful the lighting was at the venue. The now setting sun cast a golden glow across the audience, which made photographing the crowd an enjoyable task. The rich tones I sought to capture in my photos complimented the summer vibe ever so characteristic of the Twilight Concert Series.
Bratty
Now nearly 8 PM, Bratty made her way onto the stage. She opened with a song in Spanish unfamiliar to many. Like myself, the crowd didn’t anticipate that her songs were in a different language. But for all of us, her pieces were refreshing and heartfelt. Despite the language barrier, the non-Spanish speakers in the audience still danced and clapped along to her music.
After her first song, Bratty introduced herself to the audience as a singer from Mexico. Humbly, she apologized for the language gap, but the audience assured her that it did not matter. As demonstrated by her performance, it was interesting to see how music can transcend linguistic barriers. Even though the majority of the crowd did not understand the lyrics of Bratty’s songs, they clearly felt the emotion she conveyed through the rhythm and cadence of her songs.
At different points throughout the set, Bratty would banter with the crowd in Spanish. To which the audience members who did speak it, replied back much to her amusement. At the end of her show, she directed the audience towards her merch that many people, it seemed, were in the midst of lining up to purchase.
Soccer Mommy
After some more waiting, the crowd welcomed Soccer Mommy to the stage. To start her performance, she began with her mellow hit “Crawling in My Skin.” In February of 2023, Soccer Mommy released this hazy, psychedelic song as part of her second album “Color Theory.” The song’s warm instrumentation and moody vocals had the audience swaying to the beat. Throughout her set, she sang a number of tracks from “Color Theory.” The diversity in style and feel to each song in the album was quite nice, as certain songs aimed to represent specific moods.
Some songs sought to convey heartbreak and depression, while others communicated paranoia and physical illness. Through the variety of topics she covered in her performance, Allison (Soccer Mommy) demonstrated her impressive abilities as an artist. Midway through her set, she performed her calming hits “Fire” and “With U.” The audience nodded along to the soothing synth that seemed to hush the crowd.
As the set progressed, attendance still remained high, but the overall atmosphere calmed down. Everyone was enjoying the music but in a more sentimental manner than earlier in the evening. Similar to Blue Rain Boots, however, Soccer Mommy’s songs definitely had a rock-ish feel to them. Only her pieces had more grunge to them, featuring distorted, twangy guitar riffs characteristic of the genre.
At the end of the night, I found myself appreciating the surrounding cityscape and lights above the venue. A unique part about the Twilight concert series at the Gallivan is that you can both see the sunset and nightlife of SLC throughout the performance. These elements contribute to the summer-concert atmosphere and offer a relaxing way to spend the evening. Like everyone here, I thoroughly enjoyed soaking up the summer sun while listening to these three artists perform.