Relive the Utah Concert Experience!
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real Red Butte Amphitheater
Reviewed by Jacob Moniz
Red Butte Garden had an amazing lineup in place for a perfect night on September 14th. Prior to the show, I hadn’t listened to Lukas/Promise of the Real before so I was excited to experience the concert with no previous listening history. Going to a concert without actually listening to the band is a unique experience!
Continue reading “Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real September 14, 2021 Red Butte Garden”
The Ogden Twilight Concert Series has been a huge hit for the Northern Utah music scene this summer. Surprisingly this was my first time attending a show in Ogden and I was excited. I had seen quite a few photos and videos of the previous shows at this venue. The energy of the place was beautiful and it sat right in the heart of Ogden’s downtown area.
It was a sold out show and the crowds gathered early to cap off their Saturday night with a bang! Luckily for me, I had my girlfriend and a couple of my friends who were also at this concert. It was the perfect night for the last few summer nights with friends. The venue had a cozy lounge area for sponsors of the event. It was also awesome to see the food trucks placed right inside the venue. It made grabbing a bite really convenient for the fans.
I arrived just right on time to catch RnB artist/singer/songwriter Ant Clemons. This man might be unknown to the casual concertgoers at this venue, but I was extremely excited to see Ant perform live. I grew up in the early 2000s RnB era and Ant Clemons brings that energy and soulful music into today’s current music. Ant is famously known for becoming a guest artist in Kanye West’s 2018 single “All Me.” From that point on, Clemons has been all over the music industry and has worked with Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Snoh Aalegra, Sunday Service Choir and the list goes on. He has solidified his name in the music industry and forever will be a part of many top charting albums.
Ant Clemons opened up his set with dance moves that reminded you of the early days of Usher. The younger crowd couldn’t help but get as close as they could to the barricade. Ant performed with so much charisma and energy. His band was small with a drummer and a guitarist and he mainly sang with his instrumentals. He performed his hit single “Appreciation,” with rapper 2 Chainz and Ty Dolla $ign, which made the crowd groove along with him.
Clemons checked in with the crowd to get a gauge of how they’re feeling and he mentioned how he wanted to do something different. He wanted to make a song in the moment. I was very shocked and curious about how he was gonna execute this. As an artist with his caliber, I knew he had a good plan that still seemed very interactive. He split the crowd in half. One half sang a faster tempo melody and the other half the slower part. When both halves mixed it created this rhythmic melody that lit up Ogden. He sang along with the crowd reaching high falsetto notes.
Clemons proceeded to play all of the top hits he was featured in and dancing to today’s top songs. With songs ranging from SZA, Justin Timberlake, and Kanye West, it was almost shocking to know he was a part of a bunch of songs that we listen to on a daily basis. I personally believe Kanye wouldn’t be the same artist he is now without his features and help from artists like Ant Clemons. Ant finished up his set and you can tell the crowd appreciated and enjoyed his performance. Seeing him definitely made me realize how much work goes behind the scenes in the music industry.
Before the show, I had very little information about Noah Cyrus. The only reason I knew about her is because of my girlfriend that listens to her music. I’m a huge fan of her single with Leon Bridges titled “July”. She resembles the same twang and sound of her sister Miley Cyrus. Her style of music comes with a huge background of Nashville, Tennessee. Lastly, the day before the show, I did my best to listen to her top songs. It was beautiful yet intricate and very descriptive and open about mental health issues. I have shown a lot of appreciation to songwriting in these past couple reviews and I will always show the utmost respect to someone that writes about their life and turns it into art.
Continue reading “Ogden Twilight: Noah Cyrus September 4, 2021 Ogden Amphitheater”
The “Stay Next To Me” Tour is off to a hot start. Coming off their biggest show ever at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado, Quinn XCII and Chelsea Cutler rejoin forces to go hit the road and get back on the touring life. I have been an avid listener of both Quinn and Chelsea for the past couple of years and this show feels like a full-circle moment for me. This was my first show back at The Complex and I was supposed to shoot for Chelsea’s “How To Be Human” tour before the live music industry was shut down due to the pandemic. I was looking forward to photographing this night since I was also at their show at Red Rocks. I have to point out that it was a magical experience.
Continue reading “Quinn XCII & Chelsea Cutler September 2, 2021 The Complex”
It’s starting to feel a little different up at Red Butte Garden lately. The temperature is getting a little cooler, and the wind is whipping a little more. Fall is near. What isn’t different is the continued excellence in the quality of the bands and their performances. The 2021 Red Butte Garden Outdoor Concert Series has been fantastic so far and with the shows, they have lined up to finish out the series, it’s only going to get better. The home stretch started on Thursday, September 2 with 80s and New Wave icons, Squeeze. With Colin Hay of Men at Work fame supporting. While these two bands may have made their mark in the great era of 80s music, neither has slowed down by any means.
Continue reading “Squeeze w/ Colin Hay September 2, 2021 Red Butte Garden Amphitheater”After a harrowing incident that involved a group of drunken loiterers and an out-of-commission tour bus on the streets of Reno, Neko Case and her band pulled in last-minute to the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre. They began soundchecking about the time gates were supposed to open and the long line of attendees who had queued up for the show, previously a little anxious to get into the venue, seemed renewed to hear Case’s voice give a quick preview of the night.
Continue reading “Neko Case August 29, 2021 Red Butte Garden Amphitheater”
Salt Lake City Live has already established itself at a premier concert event in Utah to catch some of the best EDM DJs in the world. Having already put on two sold out and extremely successful shows with two legendary DJs, Steve Aoki and Diplo. Their final event of the summer was no doubt going to be up to par with their previous shows. Electronic producer and singer, Zhu was bringing his talents to Salt Lake City!
Continue reading “SLC LIVE: Zhu August 28, 2021 Gateway Olympic Plaza”
I’ve been a fan of PVRIS for years now. I first saw them on a Vans Warped Tour in 2013. From then on I’ve seen PVRIS eight times and I haven’t grown tired in the slightest. Every single time I’ve seen them it’s always been something new. Whether it’s Lynn’s hairstyles, a new era of the band’s sound, being different from before, it’s always new and always amazes me. I knew that night wasn’t going to be any different.
Continue reading “PVRIS August 25, 2021 The Complex”
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats were able to successfully bring the energy to Deer Valley on August 20, despite multiple recent obstacles. We’ve seen Cancel or Postpone many shows it was great to see this show take place. In Utah lately, and other parts of western states, live musicians have not only had to navigate through a resurgent COVID-19 variant, but also nasty smokey skies. Lately, the extra safety blanket an outdoor show normally provides from the COVID-19 virus has been countered with risky, poor air quality from summer fires.
Continue reading “Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats August 20, 2021 Deer Valley”
I’ve never been to a concert at the U of U Health Plaza at Rio Tinto Stadium before, located in Sandy Utah. But on Friday August 27th, they had the perfect lineup for an absolutely amazing outdoor concert experience. With it being 18 months since the last Atmosphere concert in Utah, fans lined the corner of the stadium with anticipation to start the night far before doors opened. I had a mishap with my ticket but the staff was incredibly kind and resolved the issue quickly just in time for me to enjoy the first set performed by the amazing Z-Trip.
Continue reading “Atmosphere w/ Cypress Hill August 27, 2021 U of U Health Plaza at Rio Tinto Stadium”The Salt Lake Twilight series continued its impressive 2021 lineup with Thundercat and Remi Wolf at the Gallivan Center. The show was sold out so I made sure to arrive early. I grabbed a bite to eat at one of the rotating local food trucks that the event brings out. Many people had the same idea as me and quickly filled the venue well before the main act.
Continue reading “SLC Twilight: Thundercat August 26, 2021 Gallivan Center”