All the way from New York, Bayside is a rock band that is celebrating 25 years of being a band. Playing over 50 different songs over the course of two days, I was lucky enough to catch day one of their show live at The Depot. With a line out the door, the fans were not quite aware just how much of a great show they were in for that night, and as the doors opened at around 6:30 pm, it was showtime.
I remember back in 2019 while attending the first Kilby Block Party, which took place on the street just outside the famed Kilby Court, that this festival had the potential to be a festival that could be comparable to some of the biggest festivals in the country. The inaugural Kilby Block Party was a one-day event in which Death Cab For Cutie, a band that had played Kilby Court early in their career, as the headliner. The rest of the lineup included bands who as it turned out were on their way to international success. Bands like The Backseat Lovers, Ritt Momney, and The National Parks, have all become well-established bands.
I remember being impressed with the attendance, especially for a first-time festival, and I especially recall how well-organized it was. I’ve been to a number of major festivals and some of them were not as organized as the first KBP. My hope was that this festival would grow and become emblematic of what the music scene in Utah is actually like.
Summer is close. Do you know how I can tell? The snow is melting, the grass is greener, the temperature is consistently rising, and Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit have made a tour stop in Utah. Sure, sure, I know that they have made the occasional stop in the fall or winter. But Jason Isbell and his crew in concert has become a summer tradition for their Utah fans. Sandy Amphitheater opened its season two nights of the An Evening With Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Tour. If Sandy Amp was hoping to make a splash by opening their summer concerts with such a popular artist, they were successful. But maybe not in the way they expected.
It should come as no surprise that Post Malone opened his BIG ASS Stadium Tour right here in Utah. He loves this place. And just to continue stating the obvious, the place loves him. Salt Lake City is Post Malone’s adopted hometown and he has been well embraced since he’s made this area his home base. When this tour was announced, I wondered if Utah would make the cut. So often artists that become beloved by Utah start to neglect us on their bigger tour stops.
Sometimes when a stadium tour is announced, Utah will get passed by because we don’t have an NFL-sized stadium so the show would be much smaller than any of their other shows. But if you look at artists like Luke Combs, Garth Brooks, or U2, they still make it a point to come to a state that has loved them from the beginning. I was very happy to see that Utah would be the first show on the BIG ASS Stadium Tour.
The Avett Brothers are one of my favorite bands to see live. They were last in Salt Lake City in July of 2023. It was an amazing show. I’ve been anxiously awaiting their return to Utah ever since. Well as you might expect, this band is in high demand. They’re touring all over the country seemingly all the time. I recently looked over their tour dates and still didn’t find a Utah tour stop. But what I did find was a stop in Boise, Idaho.
Djo and Post Animal performed at The Complex for a sold-out show on the BACK ON YOU WORLD TOUR. The tour is set to hit major cities around the world such as Salt Lake City, Toronto, Brooklyn, Manchester, Stockholm, Paris, and Amsterdam. They performed here on a Tuesday night in the Rockwell at The Complex. Post Animal is a Chicago-based rock band that formed in 2014. Post Animal is releasing an album this coming July titled Iron. Djo is coming off his The Crux album which was released on April 4th of this year. Djo (Joe Keery) was a guitarist/vocalist for Post Animal before leaving to do Stranger Things. During the formation of the band Joe Keery and the group were roommates in Chicago.
Early last week, The Complex welcomed Scottish art-rock band Franz Ferdinand for an intimate sold-out show at The Grand on their The Human Fear tour. Hundreds of casual and hardcore fans came out this Monday evening to experience a set full of groovy and electric energy, with plenty of new and old songs to get everyone in the room jumping. The group put on a spectacular show by showcasing their musical expertise and joy of performing, and it was a treat to witness a very integral indie band do what they do best.
Snow Patrol is a band that I have had on my list of bands I’d love to cover for quite some time. On Mar 28, 2025, I was finally able to cross Gary Lightbody and the fellas off that list. Snow Patrol played a hit-filled show at The Union Events Center in Salt Lake City on their North American Tour. I was so excited to not only be in the photo pit for the first three songs but to watch this band perform.
Daniel Seavey’s high energy had the crowd jumping so hard that it felt like the floor was going to fall out from under everyone. When The Second Wind tour stopped at the Depot, fans from all over the state flocked to come see the incredible show.
Friday nights are always a sacred time of the week. It’s the beginning of the weekend, and for most people, it can be the end of a long and hard week. On the night of March 28th, this particular Friday night, the place to be was at The Depot to catch Saint Motel on their Symphony in the Sky tour. With a sold-out show and plenty of fans lining up early to get into the show, there were already signs of this being a fantastic show before the doors even opened. Once doors opened at 7 PM sharp, it wasn’t long until the venue was completely filled. This was going to be a night to remember.
