Mat Kearney August 4, 2021 Red Butte Garden Amphitheater

Photo Credit: Kevin Rolfe

The year was 2009.  Alternative Brit Band, Keane was at the height of their powers and had just sold out the Palladium in Hollywood. I was there.  The memories of how excited I was for that concert still feel fresh.  Turned out, unbeknownst to me, a buddy of mine would be attending the concert as well. 

I went on and on about Keane and asked him several times how excited he was to see them live.  He mentioned to me that he wasn’t going to the show to see Keane at all, that he was only familiar with a few of their hits.  As I pulled my jaw from the ground to put it back in place I asked, “Is your date a Keane fan?  Why are you going then?”.  He said, “Mat Kearney’s opening.  I’m going to see him.” Stupidly I asked, “Who’s Mat Kearney?”. My friend replied, “You’ll see.”. 

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Native Leaves July 30, 2021 The Depot

Photo Credit: Evelyn Salazar

On Friday, July 30, 2021, The Depot was packed with people. The venue was filled with love and good vibes because of Utah’s own local band, Native Leaves. Native Leaves are a reggae band from the 801 who know how to throw a show! The night consisted of some fantastic openers,  along with the beautiful Analea Brown who truly knows how to own the stage. Her beautiful voice paired with some lovely cultural dancing by her and her crew were so fun to watch! She had the crowd dancing and vibing along with her. She did an amazing job at setting the tone and preparing the crowd for the headliners of the night.  

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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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