The State Room Archives - Utah Concert Review

May 12, 2023

The Church of Cash

The Church of Cash• May 5, 2023• The State Room

Reviewed and Photographed by Alisha Gregson

The State Room was the first stop for Minneapolis-based The Church of Cash on their Over Mountains Tour. The Johnny Cash tribute band pulled in a decent size crowd, with fans of all ages ready for an exciting night of live music. I know many people who love tribute concerts, but to be honest, I haven’t always been a big fan. After one incredible show, The Church of Cash has made a convert out of me. While I am sure nothing can quite compare to the experience of attending an actual Johnny Cash concert, the band did a phenomenal job honoring The Man in Black.

March 20, 2022

Patrick Droney w/ Morgxn

Patrick Droney w/ Morgxn •March 17, 2022 •The State Room

Reviewed and Photographed by Vanessa Holt

Heading to the show on Thursday night I didn’t have much of an idea what to expect. I had never attended a show at The State Room and I was excited to finally mark it off the list. I’ve also never heard of either Patrick Droney or Morgxn. But listening to their top-streamed songs on the way to the venue, I knew I was in for an amazing night of live music.

October 19, 2021

Jade Bird October 4, 2021 The State Room

As a concert reviewer, I’ve had the opportunity to see many artists as they’re starting out. I’m always thrilled to see them move on to the next step of their career. An album release, a TV appearance, or what’s most impressive to me, when they stop back by Utah but in a larger venue than before. For example, we were able to cover Conan Grey, when he was at Kilby Court then again on his next tour at The Depot. Not everyone has that kind of trajectory in their music career so it’s exciting to see when it does happen.

Out of all these artists, my favorite has been Jade Bird. Jade was one of the very first artists to reach out to Utah Concert Review for coverage when she was coming to play Utah. Of course, this was exciting to me. One, the website was gaining some traction, and two, someone saw the value in it that they would want us out to cover their show. I eagerly accepted the invitation without having ever heard of Jade Bird or listened to her music. She was opening for Son Little at The State Room and that was about all I knew. But upon seeing that initial performance, I’ve become a big fan ever since.

October 3, 2021

Madison Cunningham September 29, 2021 The State Room

Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, Madison Cunningham played The State Room this past week on her “All I’ve Ever Known” tour to The State Room in downtown Salt Lake City. When I was invited to cover this concert my initial excitement was related to returning to The State Room. After a long hiatus due to the pandemic, it was so nice to step foot into that venue. I really missed it. It’s one of my favorite venues in Utah and it never suffers from a lack of talent coming through its doors. September 29th was no exception. Madison Cunningham is an artist you should get to know.

March 23, 2020

Amanda Shires March 4, 2020 The State Room

By: Justin Hicken

Photo Credit: Justin Hicken @hicken_s_concert_adventures

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.

January 31, 2020

UCR Interview/ Review: Midge Ure January 24, 2020, The State Room

By: Kevin Rolfe with contributions by Heather Callister

Friday, January 24, 2020, at The State Room, was a special night for any music fan, but especially for fans of Midge Ure of Visage, Ultravox or Thin Lizzy fame. Midge Ure gave his fans a treat in one of Utah’s best music venues with his Songs Questions and Answers acoustic tour. A more appropriately named tour there has never been. It was just Ure a microphone and a guitar on that stage. He walked out and played his only truly planned song of the evening, “Dear God”. From there it was in the hands of the audience.

September 24, 2019

John Craigie September 18, 2019, The State Room

By: Justin Hicken

Photo Credit: Kevin Rolfe @utahconcertreview

John Craigie is a one of a kind singer-songwriter, comedian, and storyteller. His well-balanced mix of folk songs and comical stories make for a wonderful evening and that’s absolutely why John Craigie and his audience were all smiles at the State Room for a rare seated show on Wednesday night September 18th.