Salt Lake City Music Scene Archives

December 10, 2024December 10, 2024

Sixpence None The Richer

Sixpence None The Richer • December 4, 2024 • The State Room

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

The Fall into Winter concert calendar in Utah can be a little thin. After a Summer filled with multiple shows to choose from on a nightly basis, concerts can be more difficult to come by as tours slow down around the holidays and end of the year. So when I saw that Alternative Rock band, Sixpence None The Richer would be playing The State Room in Salt Lake City, I thought, well there’s a show worth checking out. I figured I’d know a handful of songs and if anything it would be a night of nostalgia. Reliving some of my life’s soundtrack from the late 90s and early 2000s. And while there was a bit of that. I was surprised when I realized the show was much more than that.

November 25, 2024November 25, 2024

Mark Ambor + Kenzie

Mark Ambor • Kenzie • November 19, 2024 • The Complex

Reviewed and Photographed by Josilyn Wakkuri Lybbert

Fans of indie artist Mark Ambor happily waited in line and braced cold temperatures to get the perfect spot for his highly anticipated, sold-out Rockwood Tour stop at The Complex in Salt Lake City! It didn’t surprise me when a security guard said that over 900 tickets were sold for the show because even before the show started, the crowd flowed out into the lobby and couldn’t fit into the entire room in the venue that the show was to take place in!

I quickly noticed that the crowd was more diverse in age than I was expecting! While a large portion of the fans were teens to twenty-something year olds, there were quite a few people beyond that age range, and I even noticed a handful of little kids. One stood right at the barricade but couldn’t even see over it!

November 21, 2024November 21, 2024

State Champs

State Champs • Knuckle Puck • Meet Me @ The Altar • Daisy Grenade • November 18, 2024 • The Depot

Reviewed and Photographed by Sam Howard

The Depot is a venue that makes a show’s production feel huge while still maintaining a very intimate experience between the audience and the performer. State Champs playing there was no different. With big sounds from the stage, an audience of roughly 650 people, and a pop-punk fan’s dream of an opening lineup, the State Champs’ show was definitely one that got the crowd’s hearts beating hard. The crowd grew more hyped with each opening act, all the while having a good mix of people attending to see each band and not just the headliner.

November 21, 2024November 21, 2024

Hockey Dad

Hockey Dad • Remo Drive • Tatiana Hazel • November 14, 2024 • The Complex

Reviewed and Photographed by Morgan Newbold

Last Thursday, surf rock band Hockey Dad came out to Salt Lake City to play a lowkey, intimate gig at The Complex! They just got started on their US/Australia tour this winter with Tatiana Hazel and Remo Drive! I am always grateful to photograph shows of artists that I’m hearing for the first time! It’s a great experience and challenge to shoot, not knowing what to expect. However, I did listen to Tatiana beforehand and now I am definitely a new fan of hers! This was honestly the most intimate show I’ve attended at The Complex, but the energy was UP in the Grand room! With a majority of young fans in the crowd, everyone came to get absolutely wild. This show brought a triple threat of indie-rock splendor! I certainly enjoyed sitting back and losing myself in the music when I wasn’t shooting.

September 10, 2024September 10, 2024

Post Malone

Post Malone • Muscadine Bloodline • Dan Spencer • September 8 & 9, 2024 • Utah First Amphitheatre

Reviewed and Photographed by Nate Bonney

Post Malone started his F-1 Trillion Tour right here in his hometown SLC, Utah. He did a two-day stint and both days were packed. Seems the first show on Sunday was busier but not by much. I was able to shoot the images of the artists on Sunday the 8th and then I had the opportunity to view the show on the 9th. I will include both of Post Malone’s setlists. There was a slight variation on each night. Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre holds a max capacity of 25,000, so the energy was high for both nights.

July 22, 2024July 22, 2024

SLC Twilight: Watchhouse

Watchhouse • Branson Anderson • July 19, 2024 • Gallivan Center

Reviewed and Photographed by Austin Dayton

This weekend, on July 19th, Americana/Folk Duo Watchhouse made their way into Salt Lake City, Utah to headline the third weekend of the 37th Annual Twilight concert series. The Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based couple, comprised of Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz, found themselves surrounded by high-rise apartments and office buildings as they took the stage at the downtown-based Gallivan Center. They would go on to deliver a soul-filled set of American and folk-based music that was interwoven with the influence of bluegrass, indie, and hints of alt-rock. We’ve had the opportunity to cover Watchhouse multiple times over the years. This performance was right up there with all the rest.

June 26, 2024June 26, 2024

Cavetown and Mother Mother

Cavetown • Mother Mother • June 18, 2024 • Granary Live

Reviewed and Photographed by Mike Ferguson

The atmosphere at Granary Live in Salt Lake City was buzzing with excitement on the evening of Tuesday, June 18th as music enthusiasts gathered for a double feature showcasing performances by Mother Mother and Cavetown. The venue, known for its vibe, provided the ideal setting for an event that promised a mix of high-energy alternative rock and soulful indie folk tunes.

June 19, 2024June 20, 2024

Luke Combs

Luke Combs • May 8, 2024 • Rice – Eccles Stadium

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

This might have been the biggest concert event of the 2024 summer. If anything it got the Utah concert summer concert season off to a rousing start! I like to think of this like the Daytona 500. It’s NASCAR’s biggest event. But unlike the Super Bowl, it’s the first race in the season. Country Music megastar, Luke Combs brought his Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old Tour to Utah for a two-night residency at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the campus of the University of Utah. The stadium was jam-packed with Country Music fans on both nights. I was fortunate to attend night two on Saturday, June 8.

June 19, 2024June 20, 2024

Danny Lux

Danny Lux • Dariell Cano • June 15, 2024 • The Complex

Reviewed and Photographed by Logan Fang

Danny Lux made his first trip to The Complex last Friday on the latest stop of his international tour, Tour of Lux. The Chicano artist celebrates the release of his fifth studio album EVOLUXION, joined by fellow Latin artist Dariell Cano. That night, The Complex housed a sizable audience made up mostly of Latine and Spanish-speaking fans dressed in Danny’s signature tour merch. Before the show began, eager fans searched for glimpses of performers in the wings and then cheered to beckon them on stage. The excitement in the crowd was palpable.

May 30, 2024June 7, 2024

Kilby Block Party 5

Kilby Block Party • May 10-12, 2024 • Utah State Fairgrounds

Reviewed and Photographed by Logan Fang

Kilby Court Block Party: Now A Salt Lake City Tradition

This May, local concertgoers and music lovers from afar returned to the Salt Lake fairgrounds for the fifth iteration of the Kilby Block Party. This year’s music festival celebrates the 25th year of its namesake, Kilby Court. For the past five years, Kilby has brought a countless number of esteemed music icons to the festival stage, including the likes of indie titans Phoebe Bridgers, Steve Lacy, and The Strokes. As the festival continues to curate a dazzling array of artists, this year’s lineup featured performances spanning several eras of indie-rock.