The Ogden Twilight Series welcomed Phantogram to the Ogden Amphitheater for their second tour stop on their current tour. This show was so popular that it initially sold out at 4,000 tickets so about 2,000 more tickets were released with those tickets all but selling out as well. So almost 6,000 fans gathered in the amphitheater to hear one of the best Electronic Rock bands around today.
Almost three years to the day, Lord Huron made their triumphant return to Salt Lake City on August 14 at Red Butte Garden Amphitheater. I can’t think of a better pairing than one of my favorite Utah venues with this great American Indie band. When you’re set up in just the right spot, you can see the sun setting over the Salt Lake Valley. It’s a beautiful venue with gorgeous views. Having a soundtrack like Lord Huron mixed in makes for a perfect evening. This was Lord Huron’s first time playing Red Butte Garden and I think they made their mark on the summer concert series.
On Wednesday night, a unique combination of Americana, folk, and country music filled the air in the foothills of Salt Lake City. I walked into Red Butte Garden Amphitheater at quarter to 7:00 pm and already the place was full. People had claimed their space with chairs and blankets and were enjoying the surprisingly cool weather. One thing that I love about this outdoor venue is the atmosphere. There’s always been such a positive vibe – people sitting around enjoying each other’s company over a beer and some laughs. Thursday night was no different. Everyone was there to have a good time.
Multi-Platinum, Georgia-bred rockers COLLECTIVE SOUL are celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2019! The band’s silver anniversary year will be a celebration of their ongoing legacy in all-out style with a little bit of the classic and a lot of the new.
Not only have they already announced their Summer “Now’s The Time Tour” with Gin Blossoms that kicked off May 25, but in keeping with the Atlanta band’s theme of 2019, “Now’s the Time” to also let fans know that their tenth highly anticipated studio album, BLOOD, was released June 21 on Fuzze-Flex Records/ADA.
The “Now’s the Time Tour” will be stopping here in Utah tonight (August 27) with Gin Blossoms at the Sandy Amphitheater.
I had the opportunity to visit with Collective Soul bassist, Will Turpin. We discussed the bands recently released album BLOOD, what it feels like to be celebrating 25 years in music, what his kids think of his career, and what we can expect from the live show. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did! -Kevin
In the music industry, there are those who are great musicians and singers, and then there are others who are great performers; and then, there’s Chris freaking Brown! Friday night found many Utahns gathered together at the Vivint Smart Home Arena to attend the show of one of the most well known R&B artists in the world, Chris Brown on the third stop of his Indigoat tour.
When I saw that Berlin, OMD, and the B-52’s were going to tour together to celebrate the B-52’s 40th anniversary I was really excited. I also thought this was such a random collection of great bands from the 80s. Being from the same decade is really where their similarities stop. But maybe that was enough because the show at Red Butte Garden Amphitheater totally worked! It was one of my favorite concerts of the whole summer.
Not only is LeAnn Rimes absolutely beautiful, but she has the voice of an angel. This past Monday she had the Scera Shell Theater packed with fans of all ages. All the seats were sold out and the lawn was covered with tons of blankets and chairs filled with people setting up to see their favorite artist. I got there before showtime and watched the Mayor of Orem City on stage, welcoming everyone to the concert. Before the show, the venue gave out pamphlets to everyone and they were doing giveaway prizes on stage! If your pamphlet had certain stickers on certain pages, you were able to win some really cool prizes. I thought that was awesome and a fun way to get everyone focused on the stage before showtime.
I’ve spent the last several minutes staring at a blank page, trying to choose the genre or style of music that best describes the John Butler Trio +. I couldn’t settle in on a genre so I went to my Apple Music account and looked up what they titled JBT+ under. Well, it would seem they were as unsure as I was. They were listed under Rock, (I agree with that) Roots Rock, (Yep sound about right) Alternative (Yeah that works) and Jam Band (There was some serious jamming going on so, yes). Then I ventured over to Wikipedia and they added Blues Rock and Funk Rock. Here’s the thing, all of these are exactly right! So I guess it’s safe to say that John Butler and his trio plus one are an Alternative Blues Funk Roots Rock band that absolutely killed it at Deer Valley last Saturday night. If there was an award for “Deer Valley Concert of the Summer”, this one would most certainly be one of the favorites to win that prize.
Nostalgia can be a beautiful thing. And Sandy Amphitheater was full of it on August 15. The amphitheater was full of people thinking back to their youth and to the songs that made up the soundtrack of their lives back then. Many of those songs were on display during the Lost 80’s Live Tour. With a lineup including A Flock of Seagulls, Wang Chung, The Vapors, Boys Don’t Cry, The Escape Club, Real Life, and Farrington & Mann(Original Members of When in Rome UK) you get the most bang for your buck. Several bands performing some of the ’80s most iconic songs in one show. When I was stationed by the soundboard to take pictures a man stopped to chat with me. I asked him what he thought of shows like this. He thought it was great. He stated that he could see all these bands at once whereas he might not be able to see all of them if they toured individually. We also discussed that this gave these bands the opportunity to play to a larger audience then they might if they toured on their own. He shared that he had seen A Flock of Seagulls way back in the early 80s and was excited to see them again. He also stated that he had never seen When in Rome when they were first on the scene so he was excited to finally hear “The Promise” live by original vocalists Farrington & Mann.
Southern Gothic is one of my favorite literary genres. I’d argue that certain musicians fit into this genre as well, Shakey Graves among them. Never mind his playfully macabre alias, the themes of his songs touch on death and decay, murder, alcoholism, drug abuse, execution by electric chair, and the way ex-lovers haunt one another. All this, though, is presented with good humor and a (wholesomely) wicked Texas grin, side-by-side with themes of shirking the predictable life and embracing the shiftless, devil-may-care habits of a tramp. Shakey’s musical style is tricky to pin down. Clearly influenced by bluegrass, hobo folk, blues, rock, and country, it might be safest to simply say, “Americana.”