Another show was added to my list of artists I’ve never heard prior to the night of the show. I’ve enjoyed these shows because I’m discovering so many artists in the best way possible. Hearing their songs live and being able to watch them light up on stage the way all artists do. All I knew of Winnetka Bowling League was that they were an alternative band which is right up my alley. So it was going to be a show I was going to enjoy either way.
A great kick-off to the month, Wolf Alice stopped in Salt Lake on the tour of their newest album, Blue Weekend. Before being offered the chance to photograph them a coworker had brought up the band to me in a discussion. I had never heard of Wolf Alice before but during this discussion, there was nothing but good things spoken about the band. After hearing all that I was excited to hear them live. A couple of hours before doors opened, I was streaming their top few songs to get an idea of the type of sound and vibe that was going to be heard from the night. I was immediately intrigued by the alternative rock sound of it all. I was curious how they were going to be live.
Walk the Moon Dream Plane Tour The Complex Rockwell October 22, 2021
Reviewed by Evelyn Salazar
Walk the Moon is one of those bands I found in high school and would just play on repeat all the time! They are such an amazing band to listen to when you’re just really in the mood to groove. Listening to them always put me in a good mood, so naturally, I was super excited to see that they were coming back to Salt Lake City, bringing their Dream Plane Tour!
James Taylor w/ Jackson Brown Maverik Center October 22, 2021
Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe
There are some concerts that even though you’re there you still can’t really believe you’re actually watching. Friday, Oct 22, 2021, was one of those concerts. Legendary singer-songwriter, James Taylor finally played the Maverik Center after needing to postpone the original date due to the pandemic. Where have we heard that before? Basically every show we’re seeing was meant to have happened before this concert hating virus came into play. But there we were, finally packing the West Valley arena. And not only were we getting to see the great James Taylor, but Jackson Browne, a headliner in his own right, was his opener. It just doesn’t get much better than this.
Thrice just released their latest album, Horizons/East. Shortly after the release, they hopped on tour with Touché Amore and Self Defense Family. They made a stop in Salt Lake City this October 21st at the Union Event Center.
Have you ever seen a concert lineup announced and thought, “I would have never thought of these guys together. But it actually makes sense.” This is how I felt when I saw that Flogging Molly and Violent Femmes would be co-headlining a tour together. Now throw in Me First & the Gimme Gimmies and Thick and it was a lineup and a concert never to be forgotten!
As the years go on and we celebrate another year since an album was first released. I think it’s safe to say that everyone hopes a band will complete a ten-year anniversary celebration for their album. August Burns Red has been a band that has always delivered on that wish. In 2019 August Burns Red did an anniversary tour for their album that came out in 2009, Constellations. There were high hopes for another tour which brought us to, Leveler that came out in 2011. One of the things that I look forward to when the band announces tours is their lineup. ABR always seems to curate the best lineup possible that fits perfectly for the tour.
People began lining up around 6 am. An hour before doors opened, fans were lined up down the block. This wasn’t just any artist coming to town. A true rockstar was going to be in town, Machine Gun Kelly. The show sold out within minutes of tickets going on sale. The Complex set up the scarcely used outdoor stage to accommodate the large crowd.
As a concert reviewer, I’ve had the opportunity to see many artists as they’re starting out. I’m always thrilled to see them move on to the next step of their career. An album release, a TV appearance, or what’s most impressive to me, when they stop back by Utah but in a larger venue than before. For example, we were able to cover Conan Grey, when he was at Kilby Court then again on his next tour at The Depot. Not everyone has that kind of trajectory in their music career so it’s exciting to see when it does happen.
Out of all these artists, my favorite has been Jade Bird. Jade was one of the very first artists to reach out to Utah Concert Review for coverage when she was coming to play Utah. Of course, this was exciting to me. One, the website was gaining some traction, and two, someone saw the value in it that they would want us out to cover their show. I eagerly accepted the invitation without having ever heard of Jade Bird or listened to her music. She was opening for Son Little at The State Room and that was about all I knew. But upon seeing that initial performance, I’ve become a big fan ever since.
It’s been another tour that has been a long time coming. Another tour that was affected by the pandemic. I knew it was going to be another tour that was well worth the wait for many reasons. There were five bands on the lineup and all of them were crazy in their own way. It was an insane night. The show was just two hundred tickets away from being a sold-out show. It felt like one the entire night thanks to all the bands, their crew, and all the fans. I was familiar with every band on this lineup. I’ve seen them all perform live more than once. I was certain the energy was going to stay crazy and consistent the entire night.
