A sold-out crowd packed their way into Red Butte Garden this last Monday, August 19th, to spend their evening singing and dancing with folk-rock, singer-songwriter, Shakey Graves. The Salt Lake City crowd was treated to a high-energy yet personal show by the Austin city-based performer. One could not have asked for a better evening as all the stars seemed to align, the days of storming had just cleared up and set the stage for one of the best shows of the summer.
Tuesday, May 23, marked the opening night for the Red Butte Garden Outdoor Concert Series. Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade and supporting band Fishbone brought their Summer Of Green Tour to the gardens. The sold-out show ended up being an exciting way to start off what is expected to be an incredible summer of concerts at the venue.
She & Him’s seventh studio album is a loving, LP-length tribute to one of the greatest living American songwriters and singers, Brian Wilson. Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson finds Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward diving deep into the legendary artist’s extensive songbook, offering fascinating and delectable new spins on time-honored classics and overlooked gems alike. These fourteen covers are infused with the familiar magic that She & Him fans know and love, opening a new window into Wilson’s iconic catalog. Wilson even features on a song with Zooey and M. Ward for the album, “Do It Again.” The band have enjoyed a friendship, and mutual appreciation, with Wilson over the years and She & Him was previously a guest vocalist on his 2015 album, No Pier Pressure. Recently, the band released “Darlin’”, the lead track and video from Melt Away.
She & Him will be stopping by Red Butte Garden Amphitheater on Tuesday, June 14. Utah Concert Review had the opportunity to visit with M. Ward ahead of their Salt Lake City tour stop. Kevin and Ward discussed Melt Away, what goes into creating a good cover song, and much much more. Enjoy!
It’s hard to believe. When I first saw the lineup for the Red Butte Garden Outdoor Concert Series 2021 I thought how far away the final show with Emmylou Harris seemed. I was excited for so many shows in the lineup, but I remember thinking ‘I’m not missing Emmylou”. And I’m so glad I didn’t. She was the perfect artist to close out this incredible series.
Hard to believe this would be the second to last concert of the season at Red Butte Garden Amphitheater. But a cold evening wasn’t going to stop these fans from starting the final week of shows off right. After a long summer, we finally made it to JJ Grey & Mofro joined by Larkin Poe.
If you feel jaded with modern music, I strongly suggest you take in some Khruangbin. This utterly refreshing trio has their own sound, artfully fusing styles as disparate as psychedelic rock and vintage funk. Mark Speer explores Middle Eastern music scales and experiments with reverb, much like Dick Dale (who pioneered surf rock). Multi-instrumentalist Donald “DJ” Johnson plays drums and Laura Lee is on bass.
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real Red Butte Amphitheater
Reviewed by Jacob Moniz
Red Butte Garden had an amazing lineup in place for a perfect night on September 14th. Prior to the show, I hadn’t listened to Lukas/Promise of the Real before so I was excited to experience the concert with no previous listening history. Going to a concert without actually listening to the band is a unique experience!
It’s starting to feel a little different up at Red Butte Garden lately. The temperature is getting a little cooler, and the wind is whipping a little more. Fall is near. What isn’t different is the continued excellence in the quality of the bands and their performances. The 2021 Red Butte Garden Outdoor Concert Series has been fantastic so far and with the shows, they have lined up to finish out the series, it’s only going to get better. The home stretch started on Thursday, September 2 with 80s and New Wave icons, Squeeze. With Colin Hay of Men at Work fame supporting. While these two bands may have made their mark in the great era of 80s music, neither has slowed down by any means.
After a harrowing incident that involved a group of drunken loiterers and an out-of-commission tour bus on the streets of Reno, Neko Case and her band pulled in last-minute to the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre. They began soundchecking about the time gates were supposed to open and the long line of attendees who had queued up for the show, previously a little anxious to get into the venue, seemed renewed to hear Case’s voice give a quick preview of the night.
It’s a beautiful night for live music. It’s the middle of the week and some soulful, funky, jazz music is just the perfect refreshment from the busy work week. The weather was perfect and it was a packed house as soon as we got there. I truly enjoy Red Butte Garden. People bring their chairs, blankets, wine, beer, and all sorts of snacks. It’s a family affair when you attend a show at this venue. I would say this is the perfect place to bring the family together to enjoy live music and food.
