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.

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Jade Bird

Jade Bird • Halley Greg • May 2, 2024 • The State Room

Reviewed and Photographed by Morgan Newbold

Photo Credit: Morgan Newbold

Earlier this month, in the heart of Salt Lake City, Jade Bird graced the stage in a quaint intimate venue called The State Room. If you’ve never been there, It’s a charming theatre with a decently sized floor and layered seating. Above the center of the room, hangs a giant mirrorball. When I walked in, I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the room and stage. It wasn’t too stuffy, but cozy. For a show that wasn’t completely sold out, I had plenty of room to shoot from anywhere. I was excited to be here, not only for the first time but to shoot at a new venue. I’m always worried about the lighting of small venues, but I had no issues here. AND I had a mirror ball to add a touch of flare to these glowy shots I was about to get. 

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Taylor Acorn

Taylor Acorn • World’s First Cinema • April 27, 2024 • Soundewell

Reviewed and Photographed by Logan Fang

On April 27th, Salt Lake City had the pleasure of welcoming Pennsylvannia-native Taylor Acorn to the Soundwell stage where she played for a sold-out audience. The venue brimmed with excitement as people overflowed into nearly every corner of the building. Among the concertgoers were several dedicated young fans watching their first live concert with posters in hand. With catchy hooks and intoxicating melodies, it’s easy to see why Acorn’s music has such an appeal to music enthusiasts of all ages. Well before the concert even began a staggering line was already congregating to purchase some of her hottest tour merch, including what seemed to be a favorite—some signed polaroids taken prior to the show. Taylor’s Good Enough tour was joined by LA-based band World’s First Cinema who opened the night with a pop-rock performance of their own. 

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Peter Frampton

Peter Frampton • April 9, 2024 • Eccles Theater

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

Last summer Peter Frampton was scheduled to play a show at the Sandy Amphitheater.  I strolled up to the venue about 20 minutes before showtime to find a long line outside.  That was pretty unusual for shows that I’ve been to in the past at Sandy Amp so I wondered what the situation was.  I was fortunate enough to surpass the line with my media credentials and go inside the venue to try and get the inside scoop. What I discovered was that there would be no Frampton concert due to some unforeseen technical issues.  My hope was that the show would be rescheduled, but that doesn’t always happen.  I wondered if I missed my chance to see Peter Frampton live.

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Ryan Beatty

Ryan Beatty • March 8, 2024 • The Grand at The Complex

Reviewed and Photographed by Josilyn Wakkuri Lybbert

Ryan Beatty brought his 2024 North American Calico Tour to The Grand at The Complex in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 8th! It was his first time doing a show in Utah, and his excited fans lined up as early and a few hours before the night’s events and filled up the space inside the venue quickly once the doors opened!

When I arrived inside of the venue, there was a palpable sense of anticipation from the fans, yet they maintained a mellow and relaxed vibe. A venue worker jokingly remarked, “I came to take a peek at the rowdy crowd!” and then mentioned that because of the audience’s well-behaved demeanor, he predicted that it would be an easy night for venue staff and security.

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Grace Potter

An Evening With Grace Potter • Eccles Theater • February 24, 2024

Reviewed and Photographed by Mike Ferguson

Photo Credit: Mike Ferguson

On Saturday, February 24th, 2024 Grace Potter and her band blessed our eyes and ears with an incredible and fun performance at the Eccles Theater in downtown Salt Lake City. This was not a venue I was very familiar with. The only other time I had been at this venue was to work as contract security for The Fiddler On The Roof in 2017. But this venue was the perfect setting for the energy and electricity Grace and her band exuded.

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SLC LIVE Winter Edition

SLC Live Winter Edition • February 16- 17, 2024 • The Gateway

Reviewed and Photographed by Mark Daluz

Let me first start off by apologizing to all the EDM fans out there. I’d never heard of SLC Live until a couple days and boy do I wish I had. Although Indie Rock is my top jam, a big chunk of my early music listening had been EDM, listening to legends like “The Chainsmokers” and “Illenium”. It never crossed my mind that an EDM concert of this stature was possible in Utah but I was so wrong. SLC Live gave Utah EDM fans the chance to listen to legendary and iconic DJs “deadmau5” and “Gryffin”. All uniting all kinds of people from different backgrounds, communities, and groups. Under the lasers and lights of the Gateway Plaza, I was in for a night to remember. 

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Twin Tribes

Twin Tribes • Urban Heat • Vandall Moon • February 6, 2024 • Urban Lounge

Reviewed and Photographed by Thea Chevelle

I have been looking forward to seeing Twin Tribes at Urban Lounge since the Pendulum tour was first announced. I have had the privilege of shooting Twin Tribes once before at the Near Dark Festival in Phoenix, and I was absolutely blown away by the sheer talent and connection shared between the two musicians.

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Chance Peña

Chance Peña

Chance Peña • Hayd • February 10, 2024 • Kilby Court

Reviewed and Photographed by Miriam Wasden

Upcoming singer-songwriter Chance Peña played a sold-out Kilby Court with Hayd. Kilby Court isn’t his only show that is sold out. In fact, his entire tour is completely sold out. It was exciting to see this budding star play in such an intimate setting. He will definitely be playing a larger venue next time he stops in Salt Lake City.

From the beginning of Hayd’s set, the feeling of the audience was known. Everyone there was into the lyrics and melody of both artists. It’s important to note how both artists were involved in the display of their performance, what I mean by this is that they were deliberate in choosing each song for their set as accompanying stories were also told. 

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Thursday

Thursday • February 2, 2024 • The Depot

Reviewed and Photographed by Morgan Newbold

Last Saturday evening, the atmosphere at The Depot was surging with energy as fans eagerly waited for rock band Thursday to take the stage. The cozy dimly lit venue was packed all the way the bar. I made my way over to the stage to observe the room, and what kind of vibes this band would bring. I saw a mostly older crowd, but there was still a good mix of young rockers and elder emos alike. With a career spanning over two decades, Thursday has cultivated a wide-ranged and hardcore fan base. This show was on their ‘War All The Time’ tour, dedicated to playing their 2003 album in full. I saw a lot of people repping the merch, and discussing their excitement for this long-awaited performance. 

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