Nickelback• Brantley Gilbert• Josh Ross• July 6, 2023• USANA Amphitheatre
Reviewed and Photographed by Josilyn Wakkuri Lybbert
USANA Amphitheatre was the fullest I’ve ever seen it on Thursday, July 6, 2023! Nickelback, Brantley Gilbert, and Josh Ross drew in the masses for the Get Rollin’ Tour! I noticed how diverse the crowd was as they filed in. From quite young to old, some dressed in Western wear, others dressed in all black, the multitude and variety of people made me think that this was a show not to miss!
Red Butte Garden is such a significant part of the summer concert experience here in Utah. With the green grass covered with lawn chairs and picnic baskets, to the beautifully curated gardens surrounding the venue, this has always been one of the essential places to be for hot summer nights in Utah. While there had already been a couple of concerts at Red Butte, this felt like the first official summer concert. It has to have been one of the hottest days so far. The heat didn’t keep anyone away as the garden amphitheater was packed for one of many of this season’s sold-out shows. On this night, the evening of June 25, 2023, Alternative Rock Band, CAKE was the headlining band.
As he continues his exciting headline tour, Benson Boone absolutely killed the stage in Salt Lake City. Bringing along Nicky Youre, the show was one of the best to visit the Union Event Center. It was a night full of energy and amazing music. Benson recently has gained a lot of traction in the music world with help from TikTok. He has become one of the best upcoming stars to enter the scene. Although his hometown is in Washington, you would have thought he was from Utah by the way the crowd showed up for him.
Thrice played at the Union Event Center in Salt Lake City Tuesday, June 13th. They brought along with them Holy Fawn as the opening set. I didn’t really know much about the opening band except that they guest appeared on Thrice’s re-recorded album “The Artist in the Ambulance.” in the song “Paper Tigers” which the re-recording has a much fuller sound. It’s a good one to compare side by side and notice the small differences.
Ringo Starr and His All-Starr band brought their one-of-a-kind show to Utah on Tuesday, June 13th. As a Beatles fan, this is a show I didn’t want to miss. I was excited for the opportunity to attend the sold-out concert at Salt Lake City’s Eccles Theater.
I always feel a little cliché when people ask me who my favorite band is, and my answer is The Beatles. Who doesn’t love the Beatles? They have been my favorite band for as long as I can remember. There’s rarely a day that goes by that I don’t listen to at least one of their songs. If you walked into my home, you would see tributes to them in the decorations on my walls. To really prove how much I love them, I also have a custom license plate that is the title of one of my favorite Beatles songs. Cliché or not, they have always been, and will always be my favorite band. Having the opportunity to not only attend, but photograph Ringo Starrs’s concert was an incredible experience.
The recent rain and storms stayed at bay just long enough to make for a perfect atmosphere for an outdoor concert at Red Butte Garden Amphitheater on June 14th! The Barenaked Ladies, along with Semisonic and Del Amitri brought their Last Summer On Earth Tour to Salt Lake City, and people were clearly thrilled about it. The show was totally sold out! Fans of literally all ages, from babies and on, came out to the gorgeous Red Butte Garden Amphitheater for the show. I had only been to the venue once before and remember it being pretty, but wow! Flowers were blooming across the venue and in front of the stage, there was a pond with a waterfall, and it was just all around beautiful. So much so that each band commented on it at least once during their sets!
Many classic rock lovers headed to the Maverik Center in West Valley City on Sunday, June 11th to spend the evening with the legendary Doobie Brothers on their 50th Anniversary Tour! The excitement and anticipation were tangible from fans who had likely loved them through all of those fifty years, or at least through a few decades!
It’s hard to believe it’s been a year. Well, a year and a few days. On Memorial Day 2022, Lord Huron played a sold-out show at the Sandy Amphitheater. If you remember it wasn’t your typical Memorial Day. It was cold and windy. It was snowing in Park City and the threat of rain in the valley was real. The skies fortunately cleared and despite the cold, the concert went off without a hitch. Mostly without a hitch.
Lord Huron founder and frontman, Ben Schneider had played in Boise the night prior and I believe caught a cold that caused him to start to lose his voice. He powered through and from what I remember he only had to cut the show by one song. Following our show here in Utah, Lord Huron was set to play a string of sold-out gigs in Colorado at Red Rocks Amphitheater. I’m sure his vocal condition was scary, but from what I heard he did just fine in Colorado.
My niece knows that I review and photograph concerts. For at least two years, probably more, she has been telling me that I need to cover Melanie Martinez when she comes to town. Other times I’d visit her she would ask me if I knew when Melanie was going to play here. I have had my eye out for this tour for some time. I’m sure you could imagine how exciting it was to finally tell my niece that Melanie Martinez would finally be returning to Utah on her Portals Tour. Martinez has not been here since 2019. I would imagine the pandemic had something to do with that. Judging by the size and enthusiasm of the crowd at the Sandy Amphitheater, my niece wasn’t the only one excited about seeing this concert.
Tuesday, May 23, marked the opening night for the Red Butte Garden Outdoor Concert Series. Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade and supporting band Fishbone brought their Summer Of Green Tour to the gardens. The sold-out show ended up being an exciting way to start off what is expected to be an incredible summer of concerts at the venue.
