The War on Drugs

The War on Drugs • February 19, 2022 • The Union

Reviewed and Photographed by Justin Hicken

“We love playing Salt Lake City!…and a special shout out to Dale Murphy and his historic game in 1989…wherever he may be,” voiced Adam Granduciel – frontman of The War on Drugs.  The reference was very obscure yet cool. Despite Murphy playing his entire MLB career with the Atlanta Braves, Granduciel knew that he had Utah ties, and does indeed currently live in Alpine, Utah. The reference was to a particular game in 1989 where Murphy hit two home runs in one inning. 

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U92 Valentine’s Jam w/ Ice Cube

U92 Valentine’s Jam Ice Cube, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Sugar Hill Gang, Tha Dogg Pound, Melle Mel & Scorpio, N2Deep, & J.J. Fad February 12, 2022, Vivint Arena

Reviewed and photographed by Kevin Rolfe

Photo Credit: Kevin Rolfe

When I saw that Ice Cube was headlining the U92 Valentine’s Jam I knew I had to be there. I’ve wanted to see Ice Cube for some time now. He doesn’t come to Utah often, but whenever he has stopped by, I’ve missed him. I remember way back in high school jumping into my friend’s Toyota Celica and listening to NWA full blast. We would only listen to them in the car because then we couldn’t be caught by our parents listening to music with explicit lyrics. Since that time it’s been easy to follow Cube’s career. From his solo albums to his extensive movie career and his venture into the sports world with his Big 3 3 on 3 basketball league, Ice Cube is everywhere! Finally, I was getting the opportunity to see him perform. Anticipation was high.

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BRANDI CARLILE EXPANDS “BEYOND THESE SILENT DAYS” SUMMER TOUR

BRANDI CARLILE NOMINATED FOR FIVE AWARDS AT 64TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

Six-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, performer, producer and New York Times Best Selling author Brandi Carlile expands her extensive “Beyond These Silent Days” summer tour including new stops at the Santa Barbara Bowl, Austin’s Moody Amphitheater, Dallas’ Dos Equis Pavilion, Salt Lake City’s Vivint Smart Home Arena, Philadelphia’s TD Pavilion at The Mann and more. Special guests featured on the tour include Allison Russell, Ani DiFranco, Brittany Howard, Celisse, Indigo Girls, Katie Pruitt, Lake Street Dive, Lucius and Sarah McLachlan, with additional names to be announced. See below for complete itinerary.

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Aries

Aries w/ Brakence February 14, 2022, Kilby Court

Reviewed and photographed by Kaden Severn

Love was in the air as many young couples attended artist Aries’ concert on Valentine’s night.  His chill and smooth sound was perfect for the holiday. I was surprised the show was held at Kilby Court because of how big of an artist he has become. The room filled very quickly and before long Brakence came out. The young singer came out in full force rocking out to his well-known track “Dropout”!

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Petty Theft

Petty Theft- San Fransisco Tribute to Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers January 15, 2022 OP Rockwell

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

Photo Credit: Kevin Rolfe

I only had the opportunity to see Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers live one time. It was on the 40th Anniversary tour. A tour that would turn out to be Petty’s last. I was fortunate to see the tour at the beautiful Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado. When Tom Petty died I was grateful to have seen him but like so many, I was sad that we would no longer get to see him perform his amazing songs again.

When I saw some years back that Petty Theft was coming to Utah, I was intrigued but wary of another band playing Petty’s music. Sometimes I can get a little snobby with music and I imagine I thought that Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers music was untouchable and should never be performed by a tribute band. I’ve learned that whenever I get snobby my narrow-minded view is usually wrong. When I saw that Petty Theft would not only be coming back to Utah but that they would be playing two dates (one in Salt Lake and one in Park City), I realized I must be missing something. I decided I needed to see these guys for myself.

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Shinedown

Shinedown with Ayron Jones February 2, 2022 The Complex

Reviewed by Vanessa Holt Photos by Kevin Rolfe

Photo Credit: Kevin Rolfe

It was an interesting night for Salt Lake City on Wednesday, February 2 with the Shinedown in town. Seeing as it was a sold-out show, fans were determined to not miss a single minute of it. The line for the venue wrapped around the corner. It stretched all the way to the back end of The Complex. Everyone was buzzing with excitement for the show. After recently seeing several bands show up with multiple openers some thought it might end up being a short night with only one opener for Shinedown. It was going to be far from a short night. Ayron Jones played a usual set of 30-minutes. But Shinedown had a stacked setlist that ended up being 2 hours long!

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Ghost & Volbeat

Ghost & Volbeat w/ Twin Temple January 31, 2022 Maverik Center

Review and Photos by Vanessa Holt

Photo Credit: Vanessa Holt

Utah got the pleasure of getting a stop on the co-headlining tour of Ghost and Volbeat. I’ve attended very few shows at the Maverick Center and I was especially excited for tonight’s show. I had never seen any of the bands on the lineup live before. So it was going to be quite a night for me. 

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Plain White T’s w/ Brother.

Plain White T’s w/ Brother. January 29, 2022 • Cox Performing Arts Center St. George, Utah

Reviewed and Photographed by Lexi Wild

INTRO

Photo Credit: Lexi Wild

I first heard about Plain White T’s coming to St. George back in December and I was so stoked! Northern Utah has plenty of concerts. I’d say year-round. Southern Utah doesn’t get a lot of love in that department. To say that the people of St. George were just as excited as I was is an understatement. As I pulled into the parking lot at the Cox Performing Arts Center at Dixie State University fifteen minutes before the concert started, I realized how packed it was going to be due to the lack of parking. As I picked up my tickets and headed in to snap photos, I barely managed to get past the crowded merch table lines. Walking by I heard so much excitement and buzzing. People anxiously waiting to get their merch in time to see the opening band. 

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Dawes

Dawes • November 30, 2021• The Commonwealth Room

Reviewed by Justin Hicken

“We were backstage looking at all the posters of bands who played here before, and we saw our poster from 2018, and we just want to say it’s so good to be back in Salt Lake City.” 

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