Concert Photoagrapher Archives - Utah Concert Review

October 16, 2025October 20, 2025

Howard Jones

Howard Jones • Haircut 100 • Richard Blade • September 22, 2025 • The Ballpark at America First Square

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

Photographed by Alisha Gregson

If there’s ever been an event with a juxtaposition between venue and artist, this was it! 80s Electronic music legend, Howard Jones, celebrated the 40th anniversary of his album Dream Into Action while playing the very first concert at The Ballpark at America First Square, the brand new stadium in South Jordan, and home to the Los Angeles Angels’ AAA affiliate, the Salt Lake Bees. The classic hits seemed that much fresher as the nostalgic songs played throughout the sparkling new venue.

September 30, 2025September 30, 2025

Polo & Pan

Ogden Twilight • Polo & Pan • Zoe • Mikey Stern • Sarah Lies • September 25, 2025 • Ogden Amphitheater

Reviewed and Photographed by Marlo Matamoros

Polo & Pan performed the last concert that would take place at the Ogden Amphitheater on September 25^th for the Ogden Twilight Series. Sofia Kourtesis was scheduled to open the concert, but had an emergency and could not make it. Utah-based artists, Sarah Lies and Mikey Stern, would replace Sofia.

I always emphasize the park surrounding the amphitheater and how it is always packed before and after the show. I bring this up because I feel like it adds to the concert experience and is an example of how these concerts bring the community together, whether it’s enjoying the sound within the amphitheater or outside of it. Tickets are required for anyone over the age of 4, so if you’re thinking about coming out to a show next year, keep that in mind. I have been to multiple venues, and that is the one thing that stands out with the Ogden Amphitheater is how well they accommodate families.

August 26, 2025August 26, 2025

Alabama Shakes

Alabama Shakes • August 22, 2025 • Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

When Alabama Shakes take the stage, there’s no mistaking that the audience is in for something special. The Grammy-winning band, led by the incomparable Brittany Howard, has carved out a reputation as one of the most dynamic live acts. Their concerts aren’t just shows—they’re full-bodied experiences that combine raw emotion, ferocious musicianship, and a rare ability to make a large venue like Utah First Credit Union Amphitheater feel as intimate as a back-porch jam session. Seeing Alabama Shakes in concert is to witness a band completely in their element, channeling blues, rock, and soul into something visceral and unforgettable. Alabama Shakes are on their first tour in eight years. It has been a long wait, but it was worth it to see what we saw in West Valley City.

July 28, 2025July 28, 2025

Caamp with Whitney

Caamp • Whitney • July 24, 2025 • Granary Live

Reviewed and Photographed by Sam Howard

Summertime in Utah brings on the opening of a lot of outdoor venues and concert series that we don’t normally get to attend during the colder seasons. Granary Live, being one of the newest venues in Utah, has booked some exciting bands to perform at their 7,500 capacity venue, with Caamp being one of them. With the show being completely sold out, it was sure to be a very exciting night.

June 10, 2025June 10, 2025

OMD

OMD • June 6, 2025 • The Union

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

Summer is here. The warmer weather means more concerts. There are so many shows coming to Utah this summer and anticipation is high for so many of them. It’s one thing to get excited about seeing one of your favorite bands come to Utah. It’s another thing when that band was scheduled to play almost a year ago and had to cancel. That was the case with Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, or OMD.

June 10, 2025June 10, 2025

Blondeshell

Blondeshell • Jahnah Camille • June 6, 2025 • Soundwell

Reviewed and Photographed by Amelia Weyerstall

Soundwell was filled with excited Blondeshell fans waiting to see the indie band play in Salt Lake City again. Blondshell (Sabrina Teitelbaum) recently released her highly anticipated sophomore album If You Asked For A Picture via Partisan Records.

May 22, 2025May 22, 2025

Kilby Block Party Day 2

Kilby Block Party Day 2 Recap • May 16, 2025 • Utah State Fairpark

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

After a memorably epic day one at Kilby Block Party, I wondered how the rest of the festival would hold up compared to what I had witnessed. Day one was the lineup I was the most excited about. My anticipation for that date was overwhelming. It was such an incredible experience. The thing I have learned since KBP has been in our lives is this festival does not disappoint.

As I’ve mentioned many times, I love how well-organized this festival is. There are so many things that I’m sure go unnoticed that make this festival as pleasant an experience as it is. Not only in infrastructure and that kind of boring stuff, but how well they put the lineup together. While I knew and looked forward to multiple bands on day one. I was excited to see a few bands I liked while having the opportunity to discover some great bands that I had up to this point been unfamiliar with.

February 28, 2025March 4, 2025

The Backfires

The Backfires • Mercury • February 26, 2025 • Kilby Court

Reviewed and Photographed by Amelia Weyerstall

The rock and roll band, The Backfires, and the indie band, Mercury, put on an incredible show at Kilby Court. The band’s energy lit up the whole venue. Both bands were super supportive of each other and were grateful to be able to play the show in SLC and very excited to share their music with the SLC crowd. The crowd might have been on the smaller side; however, they really brought great energy to the show.

October 18, 2024October 18, 2024

Imagine Dragons

Imagine Dragons • eaJ • October 11, 2024 • Utah First Amphitheatre

Reviewed and Photographed by Nate Bonney

On October 11th, the Utah First Amphitheatre was treated to night one of three shows by Imagine Dragons. The band is technically from Las Vegas, but we here in Utah know that they wrote many of their early hits and gained a large following here in Utah. More specifically Provo, Utah often performing at Velour Live Music Gallery. From that time on, Utah has been an area that has been most loyal to Imagine Dragons. Hence the multi-show residency.

September 27, 2024September 30, 2024

Pitbull

Pitbull • T-Pain • September 25, 2024 • Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre

Reviewed and Photographed by Marlo Matamoros

Pitbull AKA Mr. Worldwide brought his Party After Dark Tour to the Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre on September 25, 2024. Pitbull brought Grammy-winning artist T-Pain as a special guest to join him on this tour. Both artists have an extensive discography with hits “Hotel Room Service,” “Give Me Everything,” “Buy U a Drank,” “Bartender,” “I’m Sprung”, and both artists have also charted number one.