There is no doubt in my mind that the best way to start a week is with a concert. To top it all off is with a rock concert. That is exactly what I signed myself up for this last Sunday with The Warning headlining at The Complex. I hadn’t heard of either Devora or The Warning previously but I’m never opposed to hearing new artists. Especially if my first time hearing them would be live.
On April 20th, IDLES visited The Complex for a show in between Coachella sets and rocked the house! Upon arrival, I noticed the crowd was very chill compared to other events. They seemed to be there just for a good time. Not a lot of hurry to get to the front of the crowd or save spots. Although it was a big room, The Complex began to fill up very quickly.
With this show being my first time covering a show at The Union Event Center I was heavily anticipating going to this show. On April 11th The Story So Far kicked off their full US tour for spring 2022. TSSF has been one of my favorite bands of all time and this was my first time being able to see them live due to COVID and previous issues with being able to get to their shows. So to say I was excited was an understatement. Not to mention how stacked the lineup was! It was just a perfect night for pop-punk listeners. Unfortunately, the weather got worse as the night started. So I, unfortunately, missed the first 3 songs from Microwave.
After months of touring, Tate McRae finished off her North America Tour in Salt Lake City. She visited The Complex in the Grand room. I arrived about 30 minutes before doors were supposed to open. The line was already very long. Although it was mostly females waiting for the show, I did spot a surprising amount of male attendees waiting in the rain. It was very impressive to see so many devoted fans waiting in the poor weather for so long.
I only had the opportunity to see Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers live one time. It was on the 40th Anniversary tour. A tour that would turn out to be Petty’s last. I was fortunate to see the tour at the beautiful Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado. When Tom Petty died I was grateful to have seen him but like so many, I was sad that we would no longer get to see him perform his amazing songs again.
When I saw some years back that Petty Theft was coming to Utah, I was intrigued but wary of another band playing Petty’s music. Sometimes I can get a little snobby with music and I imagine I thought that Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers music was untouchable and should never be performed by a tribute band. I’ve learned that whenever I get snobby my narrow-minded view is usually wrong. When I saw that Petty Theft would not only be coming back to Utah but that they would be playing two dates (one in Salt Lake and one in Park City), I realized I must be missing something. I decided I needed to see these guys for myself.
A great kick-off to the month, Wolf Alice stopped in Salt Lake on the tour of their newest album, Blue Weekend. Before being offered the chance to photograph them a coworker had brought up the band to me in a discussion. I had never heard of Wolf Alice before but during this discussion, there was nothing but good things spoken about the band. After hearing all that I was excited to hear them live. A couple of hours before doors opened, I was streaming their top few songs to get an idea of the type of sound and vibe that was going to be heard from the night. I was immediately intrigued by the alternative rock sound of it all. I was curious how they were going to be live.
People began lining up around 6 am. An hour before doors opened, fans were lined up down the block. This wasn’t just any artist coming to town. A true rockstar was going to be in town, Machine Gun Kelly. The show sold out within minutes of tickets going on sale. The Complex set up the scarcely used outdoor stage to accommodate the large crowd.
The last Ogden Twilight of the season. It truly felt like summer had slipped away so quickly. As I walked down Main Street the only question on my mind was, how were we going to end tonight with a bang?
I’m almost at a loss for words when it comes to explaining how absolutely INCREDIBLE Dayglow was Tuesday night in Salt Lake City! The energy, the music, and frontman Sloan Struble’s dancing were all magnificent! The entire production from sound to lights to the atmosphere that was created was brilliant. Let me tell you all about it!
Isaiah Rashad’s Lil’ Sunny’s Awesome Vacation Tour has finally made its stop in Salt Lake City and I couldn’t be more excited to document this tour. I have been following Isaiah’s musical journey since the first time I saw him on stage with Compton legend and one of the best rappers ever, Kendrick Lamar. This was my first time seeing Isaiah Rashad in over 8 years and I’m genuinely excited for him to showcase his new album The House Is Burning.
