Lost 80’s Live! August 15, 2019, Sandy Amphitheater

By: Kevin Rolfe

Photo By: Kevin Rolfe

Nostalgia can be a beautiful thing. And Sandy Amphitheater was full of it on August 15. The amphitheater was full of people thinking back to their youth and to the songs that made up the soundtrack of their lives back then. Many of those songs were on display during the Lost 80’s Live Tour. With a lineup including A Flock of Seagulls, Wang Chung, The Vapors, Boys Don’t Cry, The Escape Club, Real Life, and Farrington & Mann(Original Members of When in Rome UK) you get the most bang for your buck. Several bands performing some of the ’80s most iconic songs in one show. When I was stationed by the soundboard to take pictures a man stopped to chat with me. I asked him what he thought of shows like this. He thought it was great. He stated that he could see all these bands at once whereas he might not be able to see all of them if they toured individually. We also discussed that this gave these bands the opportunity to play to a larger audience then they might if they toured on their own. He shared that he had seen A Flock of Seagulls way back in the early 80s and was excited to see them again. He also stated that he had never seen When in Rome when they were first on the scene so he was excited to finally hear “The Promise” live by original vocalists Farrington & Mann.

Continue reading “Lost 80’s Live! August 15, 2019, Sandy Amphitheater”

Preview: Iron & Wine & Calexico are coming to Ogden Twilight on August 21!

Calexico and Iron & Wine are coming to Ogden on Wednesday, August 21st to play at the Twilight Series at Ogden Amphitheater with special guest Orville Peck. C

Calexico and Iron & Wine just recently released Years to Burn, their first full–length album together. They first made an artistic connection with In the Reins, the 2005 EP that brought Sam BeamJoey Burns, and John Convertino together. The acclaimed collaboration introduced both acts to wider audiences and broadened Beam’s artistic horizons, but it was the shared experience of touring together in the tradition of Bob Dylan’s “Rolling Thunder Revue” that cemented the bond. Their metaphorical roads diverged in the years that followed, but they kept in touch and cross-pollinated where they could. Although they often talked about rekindling their collaboration in the studio and on stage, it wasn’t until last year that their schedules aligned.

This will be Utah Concert Review’s first time seeing Calexico in concert. And we haven’t seen Iron & Wine since 2013 at In the Venue! We could not be more excited to be covering this show. To purchase tickets go to 24tix.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=Rj-kWm08HGM

SLC Twilight-Courtney Barnett August 15, 2019, Gallivan Center

By: Evelyn Salazar

Photo By: Evelyn Salazar

Wow, Courtney Barnett can put on a show! Last Thursday’s Twilight Series was quite the concert, with a great lineup and a large turnout. Things kicked off with Salt Lake City’s very own Choir Boy. How I have never heard of them before surprised me, because they seem to have a very large following here in Utah. Their music and performance gave me some serious 80’s electronic, synth vibes and I absolutely loved it! It was fun to watch them on stage, dance along to their music and really get in the groove of things. They’re super stylish too. I was very impressed with them and added a new band to check out on my list! 

Continue reading “SLC Twilight-Courtney Barnett August 15, 2019, Gallivan Center”

Ben Harper & Trombone Shorty August 11, 2019, Deer Valley

By: Tiffany Mull

Photo By: Kevin Rolfe

It’s impossible to hold your head steady when Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue are playing. After Jessy Wilson warmed up the crowd, Troy Andrews and his band took the stage by storm with two full drum sets, three guitars (one bass), two saxophones (tenor and baritone), two backup singers, and Troy himself alternating between the trombone, trumpet, and vocals—nothing short of epic.

Continue reading “Ben Harper & Trombone Shorty August 11, 2019, Deer Valley”

OAR & American Authors August 9, 2019, Red Butte Garden

By: Evelyn Salazar

Photo By: Evelyn Salazar

O.A.R. is still killing it like it’s 1996. That’s when the rock band originally formed but you wouldn’t be able to tell, because the band is still so alive and filled with so much energy. You can see how happy they are to play, almost as if it’s their first big show, which is definitely not the case. Last Friday, Red Butte Garden was packed with fans of all ages, eager to enjoy a nice night and a good show. It definitely was a great show!

Continue reading “OAR & American Authors August 9, 2019, Red Butte Garden”

The Alarm August 8, 2019, The Complex

By: Kevin Rolfe

Photo By: Kevin Rolfe

As we get older and we grow up, we many times attend concerts of our favorite bands to remember the “Good Ol’ Days”.  And many times nostalgia fills us and we go back to that time when we were younger when we saw a particular band for the first time.  There are times when we’ll go to a show for that nostalgia trip and unfortunately a band has passed their peak and we’re sadly reminded that we’re all older and that the band we’re seeing probably needs to call it a day.  Then there’s The Alarm. Sometimes I wonder what it was like seeing The Alarm back in the 80s or 90s. (My first time seeing them was last year.) Could it have possibly been better than what I saw on August 8, 2019, at The Complex? There’s just no way. I think through the circumstances of Mike Peter’s life he has breathed new life in The Alarm, especially in their live shows. 

Continue reading “The Alarm August 8, 2019, The Complex”

Summer Salt August 7, 2019, In The Venue

By: Evelyn Salazar

Photo By: Evelyn Salazar

I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else last Wednesday night, in Salt Lake City other than at the Summer Salt concert. The combination of good vibes, great music, and a night filled with excellent performances, I mean, what else could you want from a summer concert? Not only was Summer Salt amazing live, but their two opening bands, Dante Elephante, and Motel Radio pumped up the crowd and the energy never died down. 

Photo By: Evelyn Salazar

Dante Elephante opened up with some awesome tunes that started to get everyone in the mood, heads bobbing, feet tapping, and warmed the crowd up for what would be a killer night. Their lead singer brought everything he had to the stage, singing his heart out as he stood barefoot on stage, playing his guitar. There was so much passion in their performance and it was so much fun! Towards the end of the set, he even hopped off stage and went into the crowd, singing into the mic, as fans new and old surrounded him. The first opening band wasn’t even done with their set and everyone was already smiling and vibing. 

Continue reading “Summer Salt August 7, 2019, In The Venue”

SLC Twilight- Vince Staples August 8, 2019, Gallivan Center

By: Kaden Severn w/ contributions by Efrain Cuessy

Photo By: Kaden Severn

If anyone has ever doubted hip-hop fans of Salt Lake City for not being true supporters of the genre, they were dreadfully wrong. For example, last night at the Vince Staples concert at the Gallivan Center. Wednesday night was another installment in the Twilight Concert Series featuring one of rap’s rising superstars Vince Staples, best known for his smash hits like: “Norf Norf”, “Big Fish”, and “Oops.” The Twilight concert has been bringing out some absolute killer acts and Vince Staples was a perfect act to introduce Hip-Hop to the mix.

Continue reading “SLC Twilight- Vince Staples August 8, 2019, Gallivan Center”

Roselit Bone July 31, 2019, Rye Diner & Drinks

By: Katie Barber

Photo By: Andy McFarlane

Enter a dystopian timeline à la Rod Serling, and at the exact geographic midpoint between the Chihuahuan Desert and the Pacific Northwest, there is sure to be a dimly-lit bar where Roselit Bone is always the main act. This according to the Portland-based group’s first two albums, which transmit surf-rock rhythms accented by brassy conjunto that seem to transcend notions of time and geography.

While the Pacific Northwest does not seem a likely region to produce sonic epics that could reverberate across red-rock canyons and bounce off mesas, Roselit Bone proved the contrary at Rye Diner & Drinks, where the seven-piece band (normally eight, missing their pedal steel accompaniment) played the second-to-last-stop on their tour during an early evening show. As the sun set, frontwoman Charlotte McCaslin guaranteed that after the attendees finished their meals and it got a little darker, the band would “get weirder.”

Continue reading “Roselit Bone July 31, 2019, Rye Diner & Drinks”

UCR Interview- Mike Peters of The Alarm

By: Kevin Rolfe

Photo By: Stuart Ling

 The Alarm is back on tour promoting their new album Sigma.  Sigma is a sequel to last year’s critically acclaimed Equals.  The Alarm return to Utah on August 8 at The Complex with Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel.  I had the opportunity to speak with The Alarm’s frontman, Mike Peters a couple of weeks ago.  I enjoyed our conversation so much! Mike has had a challenging life and a very interesting career. Enjoy!

Utah Concert Review: So before we begin, I was watching some videos on YouTube the other day and I went down this rabbit hole as you do.  I’m a huge fan of The Killers, and I’m sure you know where I’m going with this, but I saw them performing at Cardiff Castle in Wales (Peters home country) and they began singing “Rain in the Summertime”.  I was so excited! But then I heard that you might have been there. Is that true? Were you there?!

Continue reading “UCR Interview- Mike Peters of The Alarm”