The Flaming Lips w/ The Particle Kid• April 26, 2022• The Union
Reviewed and Photographed by Alisha Gregson
On Tuesday, April 26th, Psychedelic Rock band The Flaming Lips brought their colorful show to The Union Event Center in Salt Lake City. I was familiar with a couple of their songs. In preparation for the night I checked out a few videos from their past concerts. With the research I did, I knew that this concert would be one of a kind.
I arrived at 7:00 just as the doors were about to open. Outside stood a line of excited fans ready to be entertained. I was however surprised to see that the crowd for the night was much smaller than I expected. The band often plays to a sold-out audience, including their previous sold-out shows at the Ogden Twilight Concert Series. My guess is that many local fans may have actually traveled to Denver to catch their show the night before. Denver is known for having a bigger psychedelic scene. Or possibly fans are expecting them to return to Ogden Twilight, which is unfortunately not the case this year.
Reviewed by Tiffany Mull and Photographed by Alisha Gregson
My favorite musicians write and perform their own songs. Much popular music isn’t actually written or created by the person who performs it. Many pop singers, at least many of those dominating the charts these days, are the singing, dancing puppets of their record labels. These pop stars perform songs purchased, often at unfair rates, from creative individuals tucked away from the limelight. Every now and then, though, one of these truly creative people steps out of the shadows to showcase their own work.
This past Sunday, British-based band Glass Animals came to Salt Lake City. It was the 5th stop of their Dreamland tour. The sold-out show was held at the Union Event Center at 8:00 pm. They performed for about an hour and a half. On a night where international pop star Justin Bieber played a show at Vivint Arena, it was Glass Animals that stole the night away. To open the show, Sad Night Dynamite got the crowd ready for Glass Animals with a high-energy performance. By the time Glass Animals came on to the stage, there was already an electric atmosphere spreading throughout the venue. Screams filled the air as lead singer Dave Bayley took to the stage.
What better way to kick off the new month than with some nostalgia? On Tuesday, March 1, 2022, beloved alternative rock band, Mayday Parade was here in Salt Lake City, Utah at The Union Event Center. However, this tour wasn’t just any Mayday Parade Tour. It was the 11th Anniversary of their Self Titled Album that came out in 2011! I remember when this album came out, I was a Freshman in high school and it was on repeat for a while. So I was super excited to be able to capture the show tonight!
Tōth (led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Alex Toth of Rubblebucket fame) set a perfectly indie mood for the sold-out Dr. Dog show on a cool fall evening at The Union. Alongside Alex, drummer Jeremy Gustin and bassist Ryan Dugre sported brightly colored coveralls that matched the headliner’s Mondrian-like backdrop, a colorful dissonance that complimented the swirling vocals of the band. As the venue slowly reached capacity, stragglers were welcomed by Alex’s trumpet solos and the resulting enthusiastic cheers of the crowd.
OCT 21 | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | THE UNION EVENT CENTER TICKETS ON SALE NOW
With Special Guests Touché Amoré and Self Defense Family To Support
After a year+ of no live music, California rock band Thrice are back and hitting the road this fall in support of their 11th studio album, Horizons/East. Thrice’s 2021 Autumn Tour will be making a stop at The Union Event Center in Salt Lake City on October 21. Tickets are on sale now here.
Gojira, Knocked Loose, & Alien Weaponry at The Union
Reviewed by Maralee Nielson
A rainy cold night in Salt Lake City rapidly turned into a hot, sweaty, and energy-filled night. All thanks to Gojira, Knocked Loose, and Alien Weaponry. October 11th, The Union Event Center was filled with metalheads all alike. Ready for the return of live music, and more or less ready to rage. Salt Lake City was the first night of the tour with the full lineup. As doors opened and fans rushed in, a good handful was running towards the front of the barricade (as venue staff was yelling ‘NO RUNNING’) but another handful running to look at merchandise, and another going up to the bar to pick out the best overlook of the stage. Soon enough the venue was pretty packed and anxious for the show to begin.
I was experiencing some major dé jà vu last week when Angels & Airwaves made it to Salt Lake City for their Lifeforms tour! They were playing at The Union Event Center once again, a whole year and some days later since the last time they were here in 2019! Now that concerts and live music are back, the crowds are more eager and excited than ever to see their favorite artists perform. When you have a legend like Tom DeLonge in the house, you know it’s gonna be an incredible show and an amazing night!
Marking their tenth stop on the Direction Of Dreams Tour, Hippie Sabotage took Salt Lake City by storm. Hippie Sabotage is an indie duo from Sacramento California, composed of brothers Kevin and Jeff Saurer. Stopping by Utah for the first time since last summer’s SLC Twilight, Hippie Sabotage put on one of the best concerts that I have ever been to. Fans were allowed into The Union at 7 PM, however, they started lining up long before then trying to secure their spot at the front of the barricade.