Concert Photography Archives - Utah Concert Review

May 24, 2025May 24, 2025

Kilby Block Party Day 3

Kilby Block Party Day 3 recap • May 17, 2025 • Utah State Fairpark

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

With contributions by Alisha Gregson

Another day at Kilby Block Party means another day of a diverse lineup of some of our favorite bands. So far in this festival, we’ve had solid weather. The skies have stayed dry for the most part and temperatures have been moderate to cool. This was the first day of KBP where there was some nervousness about the weather. Despite the concern, people remained in good spirits and all bands were able to take the stage and perform their sets.

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.

May 20, 2025May 21, 2025

Kilby Block Party Day 1

Kilby Block Party Day 1 Recap • May 15, 2025 • Utah State Fairpark

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

Kilby Block Party Photo Credit: Kevin Rolfe

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.

May 15, 2025May 16, 2025

AWOLNATION

AWOLNATION • Bryce Fox • Makua Rothman

Reviewed and Photographed by Alisha Gregson

On May 3, 2025, AWOLNATION lit up The Depot in Salt Lake City with a sold-out show on their Phantom Five Tour, promoting their latest album of the same name. Known for their intense energy and genre-bending alt-rock sound, the band, fronted by Aaron Bruno, delivered a performance that felt larger than life despite the more intimate venue. Utah Concert Review never misses an AWOLNATION show, but this was my first time seeing them live. After years of hoping for the chance, the night didn’t disappoint.

May 6, 2025May 6, 2025

Sam Fender

Sam Fender • Young Jesus • April 23, 2025 • The Union

Reviewed and Photographed by Morgan Newbold

Last week, Salt Lake City welcomed Sam Fender for the very first time, to a long-awaited show at The Union! After touring since 2017 and playing the biggest festivals in the world, fans were ecstatic to finally see him make a stop in Utah on his ‘People Watching Tour’. I certainly was excited.

May 5, 2025May 5, 2025

Post Malone

Post Malone • Jelly Roll • April 29, 2025 • Rice-Eccles Stadium

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

Post Malone’s BIG ASS STADIUM TOUR Opens in Salt Lake City!

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.

April 28, 2025April 29, 2025

The Avett Brothers

UCR On Tour • The Avett Brothers • April 3, 2025 • Idaho Central Arena

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

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.

April 28, 2025April 28, 2025

Djo

Djo • Post Animal • April 21, 2025 • The Complex

Reviewed and Photographed by Marlo Matamoros

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 4^th 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.

April 17, 2025April 17, 2025

Larkin Poe

Larkin Poe • Parker Milsap • April 12, 2025 • The Depot

Reviewed and Photographed by Alisha Gregson

On April 12, 2025, Larkin Poe brought their electrifying Bloom Tour to The Depot in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Nashville-based roots rock band, led by sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell, delivered a powerful performance filled with grit, soul, and sisterly chemistry that left a lasting impression on the crowd. The Depot, with its intimate setting and top-tier production, was the perfect venue for a show that was equal parts heartfelt and high-energy. I’ve photographed a lot of shows at The Depot. It’s one of my favorite spots. The security team and entire staff are always awesome, and it really does feel like every show there is special.

April 12, 2025April 12, 2025

Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand • Telescreens • March 31, 2025 • The Complex

Reviewed and Photographed by Morgan Newbold

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.