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.

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Days Like These: A Tribute to LOW

LOW Tribute Show•March 25, 2023•Velour Live Music Gallery

Reviewed and Photographed by Alisha Gregson

Photo Credit: Alisha Gregson

The atmosphere inside Provo’s esteemed music venue, Velour Live Music Gallery, felt different than normal on Saturday, March 25th. The venue and date had originally been booked to host a concert for the band Low, a place they had performed many times over the years. Sadly, after the recent passing of Low’s drummer, Mimi Parker, no such concert would take place. 

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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. 

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Patti LuPone

Patti LuPone• “Don’t Monkey With Broadway” Tour• February 4, 2023• The Noorda Center

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

“It won’t be easy.  You’ll think it’s strange when I try to explain how I feel…” about Patti LuPone at The Noorda Center of the Performing Arts on the campus of Utah Valley University.  What a moment in this venue’s history.  To have a legend of the Great White Way grace this young stage is a massive get for The Noorda.  But as I’ve mentioned before, this venue was up to the level of the great Broadway Legend and her performance and her still after all these years, powerful voice.  The meeting of Lupone’s voice and the acoustics of The Noorda filled the air of the room was a beautiful union.  

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Jessica Vosk

Broadway Star Jessica Vosk• January 25, 2022• Noorda Center

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

Photographed by Emily Muñoz

Jessica Vosk is a singer and actress best known for starring in the role of Elphaba, the lead in Wicked both on Broadway and on the show’s national tour.  She has also performed on Broadway in The Bridges of Madison County, Finding Neverland, and the 2015 revival of Fiddler on the Roof.  Vosk has also performed concerts in some of the most famous venues across the country including New York City’s famous Lincoln Center and sold out the iconic Carnegie Hall.  So having Jessica Vosk here in Utah at the Noorda Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Utah Valley University was a real honor.

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Lizzo

Lizzo w/ Latto• November 2, 2022• Vivint Arena

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

Photo Credit: Kevin Rolfe

One of my favorite things about covering concerts is getting the opportunity to see an artist before they skyrocket into stardom.  Some I’ve had the chance to see as early as Kilby Court.  Others I’ve seen somewhere in the midst of their assent.  One of my least favorite things is to just miss an artist before they hit that launch pad and I’m just like everyone else, seeing them in the stratosphere trying to claim I knew about them earlier but without proof.  Such is my experience with Lizzo.  

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Conan Gray

Conan Gray w/ Baby Queen• October 17, 2022• The Union

Reviewed and Photographed by Tomo Crestani

Photo Credit: Tomo Crestani

The Union had a completely sold out show on Monday, October 17th when they hosted Conan Gray. Conan has been making his mark on the music industry for quite some time but has recently been picking up even more attention with the release of a new album. His tour and new album share the title Superache. He brought along Baby Queen to support him on this tour. Baby Queen is a newer artist from England that I hadn’t heard of before the show. She was a perfect fit to open for Conan.

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The Killers

The Killers w/ Johnny Marr• August 30, 2022• Vivint Arena

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

Photographed by the great Rob Loud

Photo Credit: Rob Loud

Rocker, Joan Jett once said, “No one knows what anticipation is anymore.  Everything is so immediate.”  I’m one who tends to generally agree with the Rock N Roll Hall of Famer. However, I might argue that for a concert going fanatic such as myself that these last few years have been filled with nothing but anticipation.  Shows announced in 2019 and 2020 were postponed and rescheduled only to be postponed and rescheduled again.  There was no concert I’ve been anticipating more than The Killers Imploding the Mirage Tour.  Fans of The Killers have been anticipating this concert for almost three years. 

Not only that but The Killers hadn’t played Utah since 2018.  That was the night Brandon Flowers had the second greatest flu performance inside Vivint Arena (Delta Center).  Michael Jordan being the first in the 1998 NBA Finals vs The Jazz.  It’s a toss up really because Brandon Flowers was pretty special that night in 2018. 

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UCR INTERVIEW: Nick Wold of DREAMERS

Los Angeles-via-Brooklyn band DREAMERS (Nick Wold and Nelson) have shared stages with the likes of X Ambassadors, The 1975, Bleachers, Atlas Genius, Catfish and The Bottlemen, and Weezer while garnering coverage from Fader, Entertainment Weekly and Paste, among others, and performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live. In 2016, the band released their debut full-length album This Album Does Not Exist, featuring the top 10 Alternative radio hit, the electro-sprinkled pop gem “Sweet Disaster.” They just released their new single, “Robbery” and will be performing at The Complex with The Score on August 31!

We had the opportunity to chat with vocalist, Nick Wold yesterday. We talked about touring after the pandemic, songwriting, his first concert, and more! Enjoy!

Interviewed by Kevin Rolfe

Photo Credit: Gina Gizella Manning

UCR: Nick, how are you doing? It’s good to talk to you. So catch me up a little. How far into this tour are you? 

Nick Wold: We’re kind of in the first leg I think.  We’ve done like five shows out of 20. And yeah, we’re trucking because it’s our first tour back since the pandemic since the world ended. 

UCR: Yeah. So how does that feel? It’s gotta be the craziest feeling to have that huge break and then be in front of people. In a way, does it feel like a new experience again or like an “old hat” kind of thing? 

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