Live music is being consumed very differently today than it was just a few weeks ago. Before the live-music world temporarily shifted to quarantined stream only on social media, earlier this month I had a blast attending a wonderful show by Amanda Shires and L.A. Edwards. These are two artists that I was not previously familiar with, and with everything currently on pause, I’m so happy I took advantage of this opportunity to introduce myself to their music.
We’ve had a few canceled or postponed shows in Utah in the last few months. Some due to weather, and some due to illness. The latter is the case for Country Music superstar, Miranda Lambert. From what I read on social media, Ms. Lambert became under the weather and wasn’t comfortable performing with her voice in the state it was in. It’s disappointing when a show needs to be postponed, but I admire Miranda for wanting to give her fans the best show possible. This performance was well worth the wait.
Last Saturday night, Electric Guest and Soleima sold out The Urban Lounge in downtown Salt Lake City. People of all kinds rushed inside as soon as doors opened to grab their drinks from the bar and get close to the stage. If it’s a sold out show, you know it’s going to be a good night. There were even people outside seeing if anyone had tickets for sale in hopes to get inside. I made my way up towards the stage and secured a spot. Urban Lounge is a smaller venue with a bar inside, so there’s no photo pit. So I really can’t leave my spot if I want to be at a good angle to take some photos.
After opening for Tacocat last year at Kilby, The Paranoyds made their way back to SLC in support of their first album Carnage Bargain, described on the group’s Bandcamp page as “a raucous blend of garage rock grit, new wave swagger, horror film soundtrack campiness, and a myriad of other influences.” Their live show gave a glimpse into this “myriad,” made evident in their tangible 1960’s Batman theme-esque guitar riffs, their reverberating synth accents, and infinite rhythms that rattle around in your head and never seem to leave.
Saturday night at the Complex focused on the comeback of a band that sincerely wanted to make amends and a crowd that was ready to forgive. Pinegrove, an indie-folk band, made a stop in Salt Lake City to promote their newest album release, “Marigold”, based on their experiences over the past few years.
“I’ve come to terms with the fact that I write the same song over and over,” Sarah said, “so with my limited musical ability, I try to spice things up by switching instruments.” This isn’t true, of course, but it does show a level of self-deprecation and humility rare for an artist of her renown.
Brandi Carlile made her much-anticipated return to Utah Saturday night at Vivint Smart Home Arena, easily the largest venue she’s played in the Beehive State. Carlile was originally set to play Vivint Arena on December 6 but found it necessary to reschedule due to a bruised vocal chord following a bout with laryngitis. Rescheduling a show can be difficult. Most of your tour is already laid out, and usually, it’s taking you further and further from the location you’ve had to cancel. I was happy to get a firm rescheduled date. Sometimes the “We’re working on a new date…” can hang in limbo until we forget about it or the artist is ultimately unable to find a new date on the calendar to play. But Brandi Carlile made sure she was coming to Utah, and we didn’t have to wait too long. She rescheduled the arena date to February 8, almost two months exactly from when her original show was meant to be. That can also be unusual. KISS, for example, had to postpone their September 2019 show out at USANA Amphitheater and weren’t able to reschedule the date until this upcoming summer. So, a huge thanks to Brandi for making up her show so soon!
