The Fall into Winter concert calendar in Utah can be a little thin. After a Summer filled with multiple shows to choose from on a nightly basis, concerts can be more difficult to come by as tours slow down around the holidays and end of the year. So when I saw that Alternative Rock band, Sixpence None The Richer would be playing The State Room in Salt Lake City, I thought, well there’s a show worth checking out. I figured I’d know a handful of songs and if anything it would be a night of nostalgia. Reliving some of my life’s soundtrack from the late 90s and early 2000s. And while there was a bit of that. I was surprised when I realized the show was much more than that.
Fans of indie artist Mark Ambor happily waited in line and braced cold temperatures to get the perfect spot for his highly anticipated, sold-out Rockwood Tour stop at The Complex in Salt Lake City! It didn’t surprise me when a security guard said that over 900 tickets were sold for the show because even before the show started, the crowd flowed out into the lobby and couldn’t fit into the entire room in the venue that the show was to take place in!
I quickly noticed that the crowd was more diverse in age than I was expecting! While a large portion of the fans were teens to twenty-something year olds, there were quite a few people beyond that age range, and I even noticed a handful of little kids. One stood right at the barricade but couldn’t even see over it!
The Depot is a venue that makes a show’s production feel huge while still maintaining a very intimate experience between the audience and the performer. State Champs playing there was no different. With big sounds from the stage, an audience of roughly 650 people, and a pop-punk fan’s dream of an opening lineup, the State Champs’ show was definitely one that got the crowd’s hearts beating hard. The crowd grew more hyped with each opening act, all the while having a good mix of people attending to see each band and not just the headliner.
Last Thursday, surf rock band Hockey Dad came out to Salt Lake City to play a lowkey, intimate gig at The Complex! They just got started on their US/Australia tour this winter with Tatiana Hazel and Remo Drive! I am always grateful to photograph shows of artists that I’m hearing for the first time! It’s a great experience and challenge to shoot, not knowing what to expect. However, I did listen to Tatiana beforehand and now I am definitely a new fan of hers! This was honestly the most intimate show I’ve attended at The Complex, but the energy was UP in the Grand room! With a majority of young fans in the crowd, everyone came to get absolutely wild. This show brought a triple threat of indie-rock splendor! I certainly enjoyed sitting back and losing myself in the music when I wasn’t shooting.
“This may be the best night of your life so far, fingers crossed, and I say so far because life is very long and it’s also fleeting, if you want me to get deep with it, but for real it means the honest world to us that you guys came here and put us on this stage right now. So thank you Salt Lake City, make some MTF noise!” shouted Mitchel Cave, the lead singer for Chase Atlantic. The energy inside of the Rockwell at the Complex was electric when both Chase Atlantic and 24kGoldn took the stage. The entire west side of Salt Lake was shaking from the audience jumping along to the songs during the sold-out show on November 13th.
On October 13, 2024, The Great Saltair located in Magna, Utah welcomed Clairo, a cozy singer-songwriter followed by the talented Alice Phoebe Lou, artists both looked up to throughout the wide Indie community we have to offer. The Charm Tour is the ongoing fourth concert tour that Clairo has done, supporting her third studio album. “Charm” was released this past July and gave fans the perfect chill, summer lounge playlist, sending listeners into a state of relaxing nostalgia.
Post Malone started his F-1 Trillion Tour right here in his hometown SLC, Utah. He did a two-day stint and both days were packed. Seems the first show on Sunday was busier but not by much. I was able to shoot the images of the artists on Sunday the 8th and then I had the opportunity to view the show on the 9th. I will include both of Post Malone’s setlists. There was a slight variation on each night. Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre holds a max capacity of 25,000, so the energy was high for both nights.
The rash guard-clad Aquabats returned to Salt Lake City on their newest tour celebrating the band’s 30th anniversary of fighting crime. Over the decades, The Aquabats have become some of Ska Rock’s biggest icons, known for their distinctive skin-tight rash guards, board shorts, and penchant for slaying inflatable monsters. The heroes in blue have not only made their mark on the music scene during their tenure, but have also featured in shows like Yo Gabba Gabba, and at one point even hosted their own family-friendly program for a short stint.
After a lengthy touring hiatus, The Aquabats are back on the road promoting their latest album Finally! joined by Left Alone and The Agrolites. Last Tuesday, fans of all ages flocked to The Complex in their signature Aquabat attire for a chance to hear the bands perform. The night was a testament to The Aquabats’ enduring appeal across generations and their never-faltering superhero-turned-ska-punk charm.
The first act I was able to catch was The Aggrolites. Emerging in the early 2000s, The Aggrolites are known for their unique “Dirty Reggae” sound, a fusion of classical reggae with ska-punk and soul sensibilities. From the moment the band of five stepped onto stage, they exuded a contagious energy that matched the upbeat feel of their songs. Opening tracks like “Pop the Trunk” and “Funky Fire” featured the laid-back reggae you’d expect of Bob Marley with a raw edge of traditional punk. Some songs like “Time To Get Tough” seemed to veer more towards rock, while others like “Mr. Misery” were light-hearted sing-alongs that called for audience participation.
Early in their career, The Aggrolites appeared on Yo Gabba Gabba where they first performed the classic favorite “Banana.” The crowd (including myself) was enthused to see that the beloved song made its way into the set. Costumed stage crew and members of The Aquabats pranced out of the wings wearing banana suits to accompany The Aggrolites for the song. Appropriately, members then threw inflatable bananas into the crowd which bounced across the venue for the remainder of the set.
Shortly after the stage crew cleared out frontman Jesse Wagner took a moment to thank the crowd for their support throughout the years. He talked about how Salt Lake City was always one of their favorite destinations on tour. Wagner recalled how Utah had consistently brought the loudest and most enthusiastic crowds, and the audience that night was no exception.
To wrap up their set, The Aggrolites finished with one of their biggest tracks, “Dirty Reggae.” Fittingly, the song is a tribute to the band’s unique ska punk and reggae identity. At the end of their performance, some of their front-row fans got a chance to score some tour merch as band members handed copies of the setlist and drumsticks to the audience. The Aggrolites seemed to care a lot about their fans and maintaining a lightheartedness on stage. It’s no surprise that their performance was well-received by both the families and rock enthusiasts in attendance.
Following a short wait, The Aquabats trotted onto the stage, proudly forming the band’s iconic bat symbol over each of their heads. Their set kicked off with fan favorites like “Cat with Two Heads!” and “My Skateboard!” from their 1997 album. The performance was about as chaotic as you might expect from a band dressed head to toe in spandex apparel.
Each member of the ska rock ensemble was decked out in superhero regalia, sporting hefty belts across their waist emblazoned with the Aquabats logo. Frontman and lead singer Christian Jacobs, better known by his hero alias The MC Bat Commander, led the performance. Accompanied by solos from other band members like Ricky Fitness and Eaglebones Falconhawk. On each side of the stage, LED screens played a bizarre array of visuals, featuring everything from clips of Shrek to graphics of Cabbage Patch dolls. These eclectic elements combined with the band’s over-the-top showmanship made the live listening experience all the more surreal.
The crowd seemed to be swept away by the performance too as The Aquabats threw inflatable sharks and floaties into the audience. The show felt like an immersive comic book turned dance-party adventure, complete with impromptu skirmishes and goofy antics that had families cheering along.
The Aquabats moved through some of their bigger hits like “Pizza Day!” and “Red Sweater!” while young fans got their first taste of the concert experience crowd surfing on blowup inflatables. Midway through the set, the band instructed audience members to make a circle by raising their arms overhead in a ritual they perform each show called “The Circle of Love.” Fans young and old all formed the circle in a wholesome tribute to The Aquabats’ song “Lovers Loving Love.”
After all these years, The Aquabats haven’t lost their undeniable charisma. Even though their performance may be as hokey as it is semi-coherent at times, The Aquabats have found a way to make their show a welcoming one for everybody, including the most hardcore of rock fans. I look forward to seeing how The Aquabats continue to grow their ever-loyal fanbase.
In support of their newest album, As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again, The Decemberists embarked on the 36-show A Peaceable Kingdom tour across the United States. Their Utah stop was at the Sandy Amphitheater on July 24. The Sandy Amphitheater was a perfect venue for the Portland-based band, as it embraced their folky sounds with the surrounding trees and mountains. The outdoor venue felt light and airy, supporting the bands playing within it and immersing the audience into the experience, deepened by the forest cut-outs set behind the band on stage and moody lighting.
This weekend, on July 19th, Americana/Folk Duo Watchhouse made their way into Salt Lake City, Utah to headline the third weekend of the 37th Annual Twilight concert series. The Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based couple, comprised of Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz, found themselves surrounded by high-rise apartments and office buildings as they took the stage at the downtown-based Gallivan Center. They would go on to deliver a soul-filled set of American and folk-based music that was interwoven with the influence of bluegrass, indie, and hints of alt-rock. We’ve had the opportunity to cover Watchhouse multiple times over the years. This performance was right up there with all the rest.
