On June 28, 2025, The Strike closed out their five-stop North American tour with a high-energy performance at Utah’s newest concert venue, the Rio Tinto Kenecott Stage at America First Square in South Jordan. The venue in Daybreak is part of the new ballpark that is home to the Salt Lake Bees. As a photographer and concert lover, I’ve been to countless venues across the state—and I can confidently say this one is a standout. It was Utah Concert Review’s first time covering a show at the venue, and I’m already looking forward to coming back.
American Folk band JOSEPH, one of our favorite live bands here at Utah Concert Review, returned to Salt Lake City at The Commonwealth Room. JOSEPH, since 2014, has been a trio consisting of sisters Natalie Closner, Allison Closner, and Meegan Closner. The latter two are twins. In August 2024, it was announced that Allison would be stepping away. This was JOSEPH’s first time playing Utah as a duo since Allison’s departure. I was curious to see how the band would sound. What would be different? And what would still be the JOSEPH we know and love?
Country Music singer, Cody Johnson, brought his “Leather Deluxe Tour” to Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre on Saturday, Jun 28, 2025. He brought Wade Bowen and Mae Estes along with him. The last time we covered CoJo was back in February 2020, just weeks before the world shut down due to the pandemic. He was opening for Country Music superstar Miranda Lambert at the Delta Center in downtown Salt Lake City. I remember enjoying his energetic performance. He set the bar high for Miranda, and it made for a great night of Country Music.
There’s something so cool about seeing a musician along the journey of their career go from supporting other artists on their tours to headlining their own tour. I was happy for Cody Johnson that his career has gone the way it’s gone. He not only brought his headlining tour to one of Utah’s largest concert venues, but he sold the place out! I’ve said this before, and I’ll most likely say it every time I attend a Country concert, but there is nothing like the vibe at this type of show. People were in great spirits. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. And this was in between sets! I’m sure you can imagine what it was like when the music was actually being played. I was happy to be at Utah First Amp for this show.
There are just some shows that are more anticipated than others. Mumford & Sons was that show for me. It had been six years since the guys had played Utah. This would be my first opportunity to review and photograph one of my favorite bands. It seemed very clear inside Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre that I was not the only one eagerly anticipating this concert. We had waited long enough, and now we were all getting to experience the North American Tour promoting the release of “Rushmere”.
Modest Mouse sold out the Ogden Amphitheater on the 28th of June. Lead singer of Built to Spill Doug Martsch would join them and open the show. This has been one of the more anticipated shows of the Ogden Twilight Concert Series. I was glad the date had finally arrived.
On May 31, 2025, Lord Huron returned to Utah for a sold-out stop at Sandy Amphitheater on their Strange Trails 10th Anniversary Tour. For me, it was a full-circle moment: the first show I ever saw at Sandy Amphitheater was Lord Huron, and seeing them again in that same beautiful setting brought back a wave of memories. This was my third time seeing the band—once at Red Rocks and twice now at Sandy—and each time, they’ve left me more impressed than the last.
It was a hot day out at Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre when The Brotherhood of Rock Tour stopped by on Jun 11, 2025. STYX, Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon fame, and Don Felder, former guitarist of the Eagles, brought a crowd of dedicated fans who disregarded the hot temps and focused on the classic songs from these legendary artists. This would be my first show of the summer out at Utah First Amp. The biggest shows of the summer will be taking place there. I was excited to be back out there with this show to kick things off. STYX makes frequent stops at this venue, so it felt like tradition to be catching them there again.
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.
