Utah Concert Review Archives - Page 9 of 49

April 13, 2023

Hairspray

Hairspray the Musical• April 11, 2023• Eccles Theater

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

Photographs by Jeremy Daniel

The 2022/2023 season of Broadway at The Eccles has been one for the books! Shows like Moulin Rouge, Ain’t Too Proud, and Dear Evan Hansen has thrilled audiences. Eccles Theater has been packed to the rafters with satisfied patrons. The shows of this season have been excellent, but I must admit, when this season was announced, I was thrilled to see Hairspray on the list. I didn’t know there was a tour up until that point. Outside of the occasional regional or community theater productions, my Hairspray musical experience had ended. I really love this musical so I’m sure you can imagine how delighted I was to see it on the season schedule, and how much more ecstatic I was to be sitting in my seat Tuesday night waiting for the show to begin.

April 10, 2023

Schellraiser Festival 2023 Lineup Announced!!

Schellraiser Festival June 1-3 In McGill, Nevada

Headliners Include Dinosaur Jr., Blonde Redhead, Asleep At The Wheel, Joy Formidable, Blitzen Trapper And More…

Cow Meet Punk, Punk Meet Cow

April 4, 2023 – McGill, NV: Schellraiser Music Festival The Schellraiser music festival will take place June 1 – 3 near the small town of Ely, Nevada. The headliners include Dinosaur Jr., Blonde Redhead, Asleep At The Wheel, The Joy Formidable, Blitzen Trapper, Murder By Death and more. Bands will play in one of the most stunning high-desert landscapes in North America, surrounded by the majestic Schell Creek Mountain range, for which the fest is named.

April 6, 2023

Black Violin

Black Violin• March 29, 2023• Eccles Theater

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

Black Violin is a hip-hop duo from Florida. The two members of the group are Kevin Sylvester and Wilner Baptiste, both classically trained string instrumentalists. Will B plays the viola and Kev Marcus plays the violin. I had only heard of the group but before the show, I had not heard their music. What I was told is that they mix classical music and hip-hop into their show. And that was exactly what they did. I was excited to see and hear what this type of show was like. It did not disappoint. Black Violin was joined on stage by DJ SPS and drummer Nat Stokes.

April 5, 2023

Inhaler

Inhaler• w/ Sun Room •March 28, 2023• The Complex

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

Photographed by Lewis Evans

Inhaler is a Dublin-based Irish Rock band. It’s funny because when I learned about this band I immediately liked them. I thought I was super cool because I found this young band on their assent. I acted like I basically discovered them. Well turns out I’m a little late to the Inhaler discovery group. They have two albums already, both charted number 1 in Ireland, and their most recent release Cuts & Bruises was number one in the UK as well. No small feat. And not only that, but this would be their second trip to Salt Lake City in as many years. So while I do feel like I’m catching onto their comet early, it’s not quite as early as I thought.

March 31, 2023

Morgan Wade

Morgan Wade• March 15, 2023• The Commonwealth Room

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

Morgan Wade is a country singer on the rise. She self released her first album Puppets With My Heart in 2018. Despite pandemic restrictions she’s continued to steadily make her assent into Country Music stardom. In 2021 Wade released Reckless and had subsequently continued releasing singles and acoustic versions of songs. She is currently nominated for a CMT Award in the Breakthrough Female Video of The Year category for her video of “Wilder Days”. Morgan Wade sold out The Commonwealth Room here in Salt Lake City on March 15, 2023. I feel like it might be the last time we see her in such an intimate venue for a long while.

March 30, 2023

Rayland Baxter

Rayland Baxter w/ Liz Cooper & Friko

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

When it was announced that Rayland Baxter would be playing The Commonwealth Room in Salt Lake City, there was no doubt that it would be a sold out show. Baxter is well liked here and it’s also been a while since he’s made a stop in Utah. Of course, we all know how the COVID-19 Pandemic put live music and touring to a halt. So that was an obvious reason why we hadn’t seen Rayland in a while. The other was he was working on an album. In 2022 Rayland Baxter released If I Were A Butterfly. So not only were we finally going to see Rayland Baxter perform live again, but we were going to get to hear some of these songs performed for the first time in Salt Lake City.

March 27, 2023

The National Parks

The National Parks• 8th Wonder Tour• March 17, 2023• The Union

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

What a night! Not only was it the opening show for The National Parks tour. And not only was it a hometown show for the Utah-based band. But it was also the album release show for their new album 8th Wonder. I think the excitement of having one of Utah’s favorite bands performing their tour opener and debuting many of the 8th Wonder songs mixed in with other favorites had this crowd buzzing from the opening of The Union doors. Support acts, Andrea von Kampen (Who will be joining TNP for the Spring leg of the 8th Wonder Tour), and Lantern By Sea only fueled the crowd’s fire with impressive performances. Following the openers, everyone was more than ready for The National Parks.

March 20, 2023

Nessa Barrett

Nessa Barrett• The Young Forever Tour• w/ Isabela LaRosa• March 17, 2022• The Great Saltair

The Young Forever Tour is in full swing as it visited Salt Lake City coming close to ending its North America sets. Nessa Barrett is an upcoming artist that has gained a lot of popularity due to her social media presence. She brought along Isabela LaRosa, who also has been finding success through social media trying to promote her music. Both artists fall into a similar genre and fanbase. So she was an excellent choice for an opening act. Although the Complex was supposed to host Nessa and Isabela, they switched to The Great Saltair due to popular demand. I thought this was an excellent choice.

March 17, 2023

Young Dubliners

The Young Dubliners• March 14, 2023• The Depot

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! We can think of no better way to celebrate than to share our review of our amazing time at The Depot in Salt Lake City, with The Young Dubliners. The Young Dubliners have been a favorite in Utah for many years. As far back as the old Zephyr Club. A long-standing venue that hosted many bands in the 80s and 90s.They even played Salt Lake City during the Winter Olympics in 2002. The Zephyr Club has since been torn down, but Salt Lake City’s love of The Young Dubliners is as strong as ever.

March 16, 2023

Chappell Roan

Chappell Roan• Naked in North America Tour• March 9, 2023• Soundwell

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

Chappell Roan is a pop singer-songwriter based out of Los Angeles. She brought her Naked in North America Tour to Soundwell in downtown Salt Lake City on Mar 9, 2023. Like all of the other dates on this tour, the show at Soundwell was sold out. I found this to be extremely impressive for someone who hasn’t released a full album. Only one EP and a bunch of singles. Sure enough, I walked into the venue and it was packed