ZZ Ward March 2, 2020 The Complex

By: Kevin Rolfe

Photo Credit: Kevin Rolfe @utahconcertreview

Back in 2012, I was at the concert of a band (who shall remain nameless) who was huge that year.  Their songs were on the charts, they were all over TV and everybody seemed to really like them. Obviously I liked them, I was at their concert. But I remember leaving the venue and running into a former coworker.  I asked him if he liked the concert and he stated that he wasn’t at that concert but at the venue nearby seeing ZZ Ward. I knew the name but wasn’t familiar with her music. He stated that he could hear the concert I was at through the wall dividing the venues.  He then mentioned, “Sounds like it was a good time.” But he said it in a tone that let me know, it wasn’t as good as his show. ZZ Ward was playing in a smaller, more intimate venue so I thought, “There’s no way that show was better than mine!” Well in the following days, I heard people at other shows I was attending and posts online mentioning how amazing that ZZ Ward show was.  All this time later, I wished I could have seen her in that tiny no longer used venue. Finally, on March 2 I was able to see what all the fuss was about.

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Hippie Sabotage March 7, 2020 The Union

By: Kinsi Cook

Photo Credit: Kinsi Cook @kinsis.photos

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. 

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Echosmith w/ Weathers February 27, 2020, The Complex

By: Erica Fasoli

Photo Credit: Erica Fasoli @ericajfasoli

Echosmith, the sibling trio known for radio hits “Cool Kids” and “Bright” brought Weathers and Jayden Bartels to the Complex on Thursday night. A combination of rock and pop filled the venue and brought a contrast of moody and bright performances made for an interesting and entertaining night.

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Electric Guest w/ Soleima February 22, 2020, Urban Lounge

By: Evelyn Salazar

Photo Credit: Evelyn Salazar @takenbyevelyn

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. 

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Pinegrove February 15, 2020, The Complex

By: Erica Fasoli

Photo Credit: Erica Fasoli @ericajfasoli

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.

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Sarah McLachlan February 13, 2020, Eccles Theater

By: Tiffany Mull

Photo Credit: Kevin Rolfe @utahconcertreview

“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.

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American Authors & Magic Giant w/ PUBLIC February 10, 2020, The Complex

By: Evelyn Salazar

Photo Credit: Evelyn Salazar @takenbyevelyn

I honestly don’t even know how to begin to explain what an amazing concert The Band of Brothers tour brought to Salt Lake City. For a Monday, it was a party at The Complex, and I don’t mean that lightly. The performers were PUBLIC, Magic Giant and American Authors. I was stoked to see American Authors perform again. It would be my third time seeing them live and my second time photographing the show, last time was when they were here in the summer and performed at Red Butte Garden. That time, they were opening so it was going to be great to see them as a headliner this time. I had never heard of Magic Giant and I only knew one PUBLIC song. However, it was a huge turn out from the moment doors opened, so I expected these other bands to be pretty good. 

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Brandi Carlile February 8, 2020, Vivint Arena

By: Kevin Rolfe

Photo Credit: Melissa Majchrzak @melissamajch

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!  

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