Stephen Day | Anna Vaus | March 25, 2025 | Urban Lounge
Reviewed and Photographed by Josilyn Wakkuri Lybbert
Stephen Day’s Gold Mine Tour stop on March 25th at the Urban Lounge in Salt Lake City was a show that I’d been looking forward to since the day that it was announced! I have been listening to him for the past few years and have been able to see him open for Ben Rector and Stephen Sanchez, but I was more than ready for a full set of Stephen Day music!
Stephen has a sound that is all his own in the best way, and he has proven to be able to excel in various genres. A lot of his music has an indie/pop feel, but there are some songs that effortlessly weave in sounds of funk and country. I feel like those combinations aren’t commonly found, but they work so well! Aside from the technical aspects of his music, his voice is one of my favorites out of all of the artists I listen to. It packs power while also being very smooth. The recordings of his work are great, and he’s even better live! Needless to say, I was super excited to not only go to this show as a fan but to cover it as well!
Fans steadily made their way into the Urban Lounge, taking time to grab some concert merch, a drink, or just secure their spot! I appreciated the calm atmosphere facilitated by the fans – sometimes venues are chaos prior to a show, but people seemed content to chat amongst themselves, were respectful of others around them, and were all over just pleasant to be around!
Anna Vaus
Anna Vaus was the first artist to take the stage, and it was quickly apparent that we were in for a treat! She, joined by her fiancé, Kevin, kicked off her set with a cover of Tears for Fears’ hit, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” and then followed it with her song, “Dust.”
Anna shared that she grew up listening to the likes of Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell, and because of their influence on her music, she describes her style of music as Laurel Canyon Country – which I love!
Towards the end of listening to her sing, “Born on a Windy Day,” from her EP, Wild Honey, I was noticing some musical elements that reminded me so much of Stevie Nicks. Seconds later, “Born on a Windy Day,” flowed seamlessly into a beautiful cover of, “Dreams,” by Fleetwood Mac! The crowd loved that one!
Then, Anna told a story about a part of her music journey. She shared that, initially,y people working in the music industry would encourage her and basically say, “You’re going to be a star, kid!” But as time went on, that encouragement shifted to, “You’re going to be a star, kid, only if you…” The crowd booed at part, which made her laugh and say, “My therapist is going to eat that up! Can’t wait to tell Janice!” Continuing the story, that put Anna in a situation where she either had to conform to the standard box that the powers that be want her to be in or she would continue to do things in a way that felt right for her.
She opted for the latter, and it felt like it was going to be all down hill from there, but then she made an analogy that when riding a bike, going down hill is the best part! This inspired not only the song, “Downhill,” but it’s also incorporated to her debut album produced by Anna and Kevin that came out just a few days before the show, Down Hill From Here.
The song was such a sweet tune and reminder that there are still silver linings when we think things are going wrong. The chorus captured the feeling perfectly by saying, “But if it’s all downhill, I’ve got the wind in my hair, easy going, I don’t really care when I get there. I’ve got the sun on my back, think my wheels are growing greener grass, it’s downhill from here.”
Another inspiring song followed the pretty, yet groovy, “Easy Lover.” “Scenic Route,” was written after Anna noticed a common theme in her twenties – feeling behind. Not only was the sentiment sweet, the song was stunning to listen to because of the musicality along with Anna’s beautiful voice. The lyrics spoke about feeling like one could take wrong turns, but then noticing the beauty that’s found in those seemingly wrong turns.
“Happy Trails,” was the perfect song to end Anna’s set as it was a song full of the best well wishes! She provided such an uplifting performance with her wonderful music and gift of sharing experiences and feelings. It all really seemed to resonate with the room full of mostly twenty-somethings!
After her set, she took time to meet fans at her merch table, and there were many excited to have a quick chat with her! She was incredibly kind! Aside from the music, her merch was absolutely adorable, and I could resist getting her sweatshirt that brightly displayed, “Laurel Canyon Country,” and also had lyrics from, “Downhill,” on it! She was even giving away little packs of California Poppy seeds (my favorite flower nonetheless!) that had a nod to lyrics from, “Happy Trails,” on the package that said, “I hope all your favorite flowers start growing in your yard.” I thought that was such a cute idea!
I also took a look at Stephen Day’s merch table after seeing several people carrying around vinyl records. He had four record options available which I thought was awesome because I feel like even just having one record available at a show is rare! I ended up getting a red pressing of his album, “Guess I’m Grown Now.”
Stephen Day
Time passed quickly with all of that excitement and fans were excited for Stephen Day! He started off with a single from his most recent album Gold Mine. “Kinda Cowgirl,” is one of those perfectly blended indie with hint of country songs! There’s even a sampling and nod to, “You’re Still the One,” by Shania Twain in the song!
“Gold Mine,” was next and to say the crowd was hyped would be an understatement! Stephen made the already upbeat song even more fun by dividing the crowd in half down the middle and had them battle to see which side would be the loudest!
One of the most feel good, groovy songs, “On Top of The World,” was next! Fans immediately got right to their best dance moves! That was something that would remain a common theme throughout the rest of the night which was fun to see. Everyone seemed very present, taking photos and videos occasionally, but mostly enjoying each moment and song to its full potential!
Another one of my personal favorites, “If You Were The Rain,” followed. The somewhat jazzy sounding song endearingly and creatively cultivates an analogy between the rain and a love interest. The crowd loved this song too and collectively, with Stephen, stepped side to side to the chorus.
Stephen shared that when writing Gold Mine, he listened to a lot of 70s music along with 50s and 60s country music. He favored the crowd with a rocking version of, “Folsom Prison Blues,” by Johnny Cash. That lead right into, “Hey Lady,” that had a few little notes of, “Folsom Prison Blues,” mixed into it!
Stephen did an awesome job of facilitating a lot of crowd participation throughout the show! Prior to, “A Bar on the West Side of Town,” he had everyone practice waving their arms and humorously painted a scene saying, “You’re waving to mom. Maybe you stubbed your toe on the sidewalk, and your mom’s in a lawn chair. You’re down bad, that nail is slowly falling off – I’m sorry, I’m just getting into the vision, that’s why I need you so bad here!” Fans received praise from Stephen when they hit their waving mark during the chorus of the groovy tune!
After songs like, “Oscar,” and, “4321,” Stephen’s band gathered around a tiny microphone with tiny instruments, which prompted a cheer for, “tiny stuff!” They used the little instruments to perform a stripped back version of, “Drive South.” It was a fun variation of the typical band set up that one would usually see at a show!
“Forget Salt Lake City, it should be Stephen Day City!” was shouted from the crowd after the song which made the man of the hour smile.
The band left the stage which kicked off the acoustic portion of the set! The cozy, nostalgic yet bittersweet, “Autumn’s Song,” had the crowd enthralled. They were locked in on the performance, but powerfully joined in on the chorus, harmonizing with the melody. It was such a beautiful combination, and it think Stephen thought so too because when the song was due to end, he said, “Let’s sing it one more time because this is just too fun.”
Stephen had another dance move to share for, “Back of My Hand.” The shoulder roll he presented fit perfectly to the beat of this smooth, soulful, and somewhat R&B track! He ripped an awesome guitar solo during the performance too!
“All This Space,” was another lively one where people got their groove on! They echoed, “All this space,” throughout the song per the Stephen’s direction for yet another fun interactive experience! With the disco ball lit up and fans dancing their hearts out, it was quite the dynamic scene!
At one point in the show, a fan was picked from the crowd and got to spin a huge prize wheel! She and Stephen walked in slow motion, set to slow motion music, towards the wheel for the spin! She ended up winning one of his records!
A few more songs were played through and the night ended with the encore, “Dancing in the Street.” It’s another feel-good hit that was such an uplifting way to end an already uplifting night! Once again, the dancing was out in full force which fit the name of the song!
When I think of my night spent at the Gold Mine Tour, the word that comes to mind is “Sunshine-y.” From starting on a high note with the wholesome, talented Anna Vaus to dancing the night away to the phenomenal Stephen Day’s broad catalog of bops, it truly couldn’t have been better! It was such a good time, with great music and performances and kind concertgoers. If I could relive that show again, I would! Salt Lake City will eagerly await both Stephen and Anna’s next stop here!