Morgan Wade

Morgan Wade• March 15, 2023• The Commonwealth Room

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

Morgan Wade is a country singer on the rise.  She self released her first album Puppets With My Heart in 2018.  Despite pandemic restrictions she’s continued to steadily make her assent into Country Music stardom.  In 2021 Wade released Reckless and had subsequently continued releasing singles and acoustic versions of songs.  She is currently nominated for a CMT Award in the Breakthrough Female Video of The Year category for her video of “Wilder Days”.  Morgan Wade sold out The Commonwealth Room here in Salt Lake City on March 15, 2023.  I feel like it might be the last time we see her in such an intimate venue for a long while.

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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.

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Jade Bird October 4, 2021 The State Room

Photo Credit: Kevin Rolfe

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.  

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Madison Cunningham September 29, 2021 The State Room

Photo Credit: Megan Matheson

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.

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Sheryl Crow September 5, 2021 Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater

Photo Credit: Kevin Rolfe

2021Deer Valley Concert Series: Sheryl Crow

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

The Deer Valley Concert Series is something I look forward to every year.  It’s nice to get up to Park City where it’s a little cooler.  Set upon a grassy hill that turns into a ski slope in the winter, lined with trees and a gorgeous view of the valley.  It’s a perfect place for a concert.  Of course, there were no concerts at the Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater. This year the series was condensed.  Things concert-wise didn’t really open up until the end of July so there were only five shows this summer.

While the 2021 Deer Valley Concert Series may have lacked in the number of shows they were able to put on, they definitely compensated with extremely talented artists.  Nathaniel Rateliff & the Nightsweats, Indigo Girls, and two nights of Dark Star Orchestra filled up the summer sky with beautiful music.  The series closed with the immensely talented icon, Sheryl Crow. 

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A Retrospective: JOSEPH March 11, 2020 The Commonwealth Room

As I pulled into The Commonwealth Room parking lot on March 11, 2020, to cover JOSEPH, I could already tell things were different.  So different that I parked within the first three spots next to the venue.  

Just a little under a week earlier I was at The Commonwealth Room. I was watching The Lone Bellow perform in front of a sold-out room.  There were a couple of masks being worn, but the place was packed and people were standing shoulder to shoulder.  I walked up to the box office to get my ticket and photo pass and asked, “How’s it looking in there?”.  “Well, it’s definitely not a full house.  This show was almost sold out.”  It was clear to me that people were already beginning to practice what we would hear so much in the following year, “social distancing”.  

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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.

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Brent Cobb November 8, 2019, The State Room

By: Breanna Downs

Photo Credit: Breanna Downs @

This Friday was a great one for me because I was able to see the great Brent Cobb in action. I was completely blown away by his performance! Personally, country music generally isn’t quite up my alley, but nonetheless, I enjoyed every moment. I’ve never experienced a country concert before, I wasn’t really sure what to expect going into it. I’ve heard only good things, that it only takes one show to get hooked on them. That rumor definitely held up! The overall atmosphere seemed so welcoming, almost as if you were just catching a show with all of your friends. Looking out at the audience, all I saw was a sea of flannel and it was great. I especially lucked out with having the opportunity to see the one and only Brent Cobb for my first ever country concert.

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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.

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