IMAG¡NARY FRIENDZ

IMAG¡NARY FRIENDZ w/ goodfellas & The Button Ups• May 26, 2022• Kilby Court

Reviewed and Photographed by Mallorie Lerman

When I arrived at Kilby Court on Thursday, I noticed a mass of people waiting to get in line into the venue. Vaccine cards and negative covid tests were being checked for admittance. The line was long but it moved steadily. The lineup for the night would be full of some great local artists. The show started off with the local band the Button Ups. They were followed by goodfellas. And the headliner of the evening would be IMAG¡NARY FRIENDZ. We have been trying to cover one of their shows for a while. For one reason or another, it hadn’t worked out. But it finally happened and we were excited to finally see these guys.

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KALEO

KALEO• May 18, 2022• Red Butte Garden Amphitheater

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

May 18th was the opening night of the Red Butte Garden Outdoor Concert Series.  KALEO was the band to do the honors of opening the acclaimed series.  KALEO hails from Iceland, but their music screams American Delta Blues.  They did not start this series off with a whimper.  If the rest of the upcoming concerts are anything like this one, we’re in for an excellent summer at Red Butte. 

In a way, it almost felt like the first day of school.  Or maybe the first day of summer camp.  There was excitement walking through the gates, into a familiar place I hadn’t been in a while. There were the same people at Will Call, the same security guards, the same people handling press, and many of the same patrons that attend the concert series year after year.  It was like catching up with old friends who I hadn’t seen “over the summer” or “throughout the school year”.  Many hugs were exchanged and conversations were had about what we’d been up to.  It was so fun to see everyone again.  

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UCR Interview: Jake Scott

Photo Credit: Rachel Deeb

Pop singer-songwriter, producer, multiinstrumentalist, and recent Elektra Records signee Jake Scott will open for indie hitmaker Ben Rector on The Joy of Music: Live U.S. tour. The tour stops off in Utah for two shows at the Sandy Amphitheater on May 18 & 19. Scott will provide direct support for the first leg of dates, which wraps in Oklahoma City on Sunday, June 5.

We had the opportunity to visit with Jake leading up to the Utah tour stops. Enjoy!

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Dennis Quaid

Dennis Quaid• May 5, 2022• Egyptian Theater

Reviewed and Photographed by Alisha Gregson

On May 5th, movie star Dennis Quaid arrived in Park City to show off his musical talent to a theater full of adoring fans. When I was first asked to cover his concert I had to read the name a couple of times to make sure I wasn’t mistaken. I had no idea that the same Dennis Quaid I have grown up watching on the big screen also performed live music. It would be easy to go on and on about how talented of an actor Quaid is, but since this is a review of his concert I will leave his many well-loved movies for another day.

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The English Beat

The English Beat w/ The Mad Professor• April 29, 2022• The Commonwealth Room

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

There are times when I’ll see a concert on the calendar and know without any doubt that it’ll be a good time.  That’s exactly how it was when I saw The English Beat on the schedule.  I grew up with The Englis Beat, or The Beat, as they’re known in England being played on early MTV and on my brother’s record player.  The songs are so familiar and always take me back to that young time in my life.  As I’ve aged, (boy have I aged!) I’ve been able to appreciate the music more and more. They were one of the major bands of the ska music revival in England and a huge player in the New Wave, Post Punk generation. 

The English Beat has a dedicated fan base here in Utah.  They’ve played everywhere from Red Butte Gardens to the Complex to Soda Row in Daybreak.  Their shows are always well attended and the crowd is always a lively bunch.  

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Jerry Cantrell

Jerry Cantrell• April 28, 2022• The Depot

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

Alice in Chains lead guitarist, co-lead singer, and principal songwriter, Jerry Cantrell brought his “Brighten Tour” to The Depot in Salt Lake City.  Cantrell is one of the best guitarists around, and I had never seen him live, solo or with Alice in Chains.  So I was definitely looking forward to this concert.  Utah is fortunate to be getting a double dose of Jerry Cantrell this year as Alice in Chains will be stopping by USANA Amphitheatre in late August.  

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Freddie Gibbs

Freddie Gibbs w/ Redveil & MIKE• April 27, 2022• The Complex

Reviewed and Photographed by Tomo Crestani

With an exciting new album in the works, legendary rapper Freddie Gibbs visited The Complex in Salt Lake City. Having sold out weeks before the show, there were many people outside the box office who had been scammed with fake tickets. The venue handled it very well in helping those fans find a way to attend the show or get their money back. That was basically the only negative thing I saw happen at the show. (Which is obviously not the artist’s or venue’s fault.)  Although not featured in the previous 2 shows, Freddie brought along a second opener for this show. The two openers featured in Salt Lake were Redveil and MIKE. Having had the opportunity to listen to all three artists before the show, I was excited to see how they performed each song. 

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Teddy Swims

Teddy Swims w/ Stephen• Day April 12, 2022• The Complex

Reviewed and Photographed by Vanessa Holt

When I first had been offered the opportunity to attend and photograph Teddy Swims at his Utah stop on his Tough Love tour I was excited for multiple reasons. One was the fact that this entire tour run was close to being completely sold out at every date. Salt Lake didn’t disappoint and had completely sold out the show. Another reason is that I was excited to see Teddy Swims perform for the first time ever. I’ve known of Teddy Swims for quite some time and the one thing I’ve always kept in mind was the energy that Teddy Swims has carried with him as a person would only mean that he’d put on an amazing performance.

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The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips w/ The Particle Kid• April 26, 2022• The Union

Reviewed and Photographed by Alisha Gregson

Photo Credit: Alisha Gregson

On Tuesday, April 26th, Psychedelic Rock band The Flaming Lips brought their colorful show to The Union Event Center in Salt Lake City. I was familiar with a couple of their songs. In preparation for the night I checked out a few videos from their past concerts. With the research I did, I knew that this concert would be one of a kind.

I arrived at 7:00 just as the doors were about to open. Outside stood a line of excited fans ready to be entertained. I was however surprised to see that the crowd for the night was much smaller than I expected. The band often plays to a sold-out audience, including their previous sold-out shows at the Ogden Twilight Concert Series. My guess is that many local fans may have actually traveled to Denver to catch their show the night before. Denver is known for having a bigger psychedelic scene. Or possibly fans are expecting them to return to Ogden Twilight, which is unfortunately not the case this year.

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The Warning

The Warning w/ Devora• April 24, 2022• The Complex

Reviewed and Photographed by Vanessa Holt

There is no doubt in my mind that the best way to start a week is with a concert. To top it all off is with a rock concert. That is exactly what I signed myself up for this last Sunday with The Warning headlining at The Complex. I hadn’t heard of either Devora or The Warning previously but I’m never opposed to hearing new artists. Especially if my first time hearing them would be live. 

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